HE scored in front of the Shed End, a dream for any Cork aspiring footballer against St Pat's last Friday night.

This was the moment Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh dreamt about since he signed for Cork City’s First team. 

And the talented youngster turns just 18 this week and already has the City supporters on the edge of their seats whenever he plays.

The youngster from Fermoy is with the club since he was 13 and the lively midfielder has shown massive strides over the years which resulted in him signing his first professional contract in 2021.

A determined, competitive and hard working player, results of late have disappointed the teenager, however he is confident that the squad have the ability to turn things around and get points on the table.

“Obviously, no one likes losing games and it’s been extremely frustrating recently with the results because we all feel we can be doing a lot better and should be a lot higher up on the table than we are,” said the 6th year St Colman’s college student. 

"We just have to continue working hard and continue to stick together and I’ve no doubt we’ll start picking up more points sooner rather than later.

“I feel we just need to get our noses in front early on in the game which will help us relax and play with more confidence, instead of constantly chasing games because we concede too early.” 

Enjoying his time with City to date, competitivness in the squad is what will hopefully improve performances says the youngster.

“For me personally, I’ve enjoyed being given opportunities to play. I’m very competitive and love winning so although I’m happy to be playing more regularly, it’s frustrating not winning many games at the moment but I know there’s a lot more in us such is the competitiveness in the squad.

“I’ve been at the club for five seasons now, joined when I was 13. In terms of trophies, I’m yet to win one with the club, but personally I feel I’ve developed a lot. 

"I’ve been coached from some very experienced managers, including Colin Healy, Dave Moore, Billy Woods, Dan Murray and more, who have all taught me various aspects of the game.

“Scoring in Turner's Cross was something I’ve been wanting to do since I’ve been brought into the first team, especially in front of the Shed End. 

"I’m hoping I can continuously keep playing and chipping in with goals.

“It’s very competitive for places as there is a lot of quality in this dressing room, and this of course raises the standard of training and the intensity as people are constantly fighting for places.

“My first season for Cork City was tough, I was an under 14 playing under 15s and at the start of the season I wasn’t playing regularly. "It was tough coming from Fermoy where I was playing regularly and was one of the better players compared to here at city where the standard was lot higher. 

"Towards the second half of that season, I settled in properly and started to feel more comfortable at that level and started to perform and play more regularly.

“I’ve loved performing with the first team and it just makes me hunger for more game time. 

"While my focus currently is on doing well with City, of course there’s always the thought of wanting to play at a higher level.

“Like most players I do hope to play across channel some day. Playing in England is something that has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, but right now I’m just focused on trying to play regularly here for Cork City and help the team as much as I can. 

"I try not to get too ahead of myself and just focus on the challenge in front of me now.

“There has been a lot of changes at the club recently and now it’s about adapting to those.

“I was sad to see Colin leave, I have a lot of respect for Colin as he was the manager who gave me the opportunity to play at this level, which I can’t thank him enough for. 

"He showed a lot of belief and confidence in me, which for a player, is massive. And as a fellow midfielder, I learned a lot from him. 

"It has been quite a tough few days with Colin’s departure, but we’ve got to stick together and buy into the new ideas being brought into the club!

“My aim for the season is to finish as high as we can. I know right now we are battling at the bottom but I think we can be achieving a lot more and can battle for spaces in the top half of the table.”