Cork City need to rediscover themselves ahead of the end of season run-in

CORK CITY are meekly slipping into a relegation play-off and without a league win since the June bank holiday Monday. 

That felt like it was part of something, their fourth consecutive victory and a real statement against a Bohemians team that had eyes on the title.

The way they got the result was equally as impressive. 

City put it up to Declan Devine’s team and took the lead through Matt Healy in the second half. 

When it looked like Adam McDonnell had rescued a point for Bohemians, City made it 2-1 within seconds of the restart with a driven shot from Daniel Krezic at the Shed End.

It was a statement of togetherness, of maturity, and the ideal platform to build off of going into the international break.

City did take the buzz into their next home game, and they almost got a result against Dundalk. 

The Lilywhites came back and won 2-1, and that set the tone for a few weeks that would accumulate in an eight game winless run.

There has been bursts of form, like forcing a late equaliser in against St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park, but ultimately every game week ends in the same sense of frustration.

City has been in this situation before. Last March, they drew with Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers. 

UCD were also beaten at Turner’s Cross and Waterford were knocked out of the Munster Senior Cup with a last minute goal in the pouring rain at Ozier Park.

When that run came to an end, the sense of goodwill returned with a 1-0 victory over Dundalk on Easter Monday at Turner’s Cross. 

Four days later it was a crisis as UCD picked up their first win of the season at the expense of City in Dublin.

Things were more escalated this time, and they built up to Colin Healy resigning as Head Coach just days after a 5-0 hammering by Bohemians at Dalymount Park. 

An-interim management team was installed to deal with the immediate aftermath, and they are now in charge until the end of the season.

Their appointment was ratified during that golden period that saw victories over Sligo Rovers, Shamrock Rovers, and Bohemians at Turner’s Cross. 

Once things fell apart, the club approached Drogheda United manager Kevin Doherty and asked would be take over City, who sat below his team in the table.

He declined, and there was a general feeling of confusion about why they went to the Boynesiders in the first place.

If the club needs someone to steady the ship, why act now and not in the weeks after Healy’s resignation? 

Is this back tracking on publicly saying the interim management team will be in place until the end of the season?

These were just some of the questions and what is happening on the pitch isn’t giving a clear route back to consistency.

It goes without question that City don’t know their best team. 

They started the year playing the 3-5-2 formation that they used to win the First Division title, and that has been tinkered to become 4-2-3-1.

At one point City went from playing a 3-5-2 to a 4-2-3-1 within 20 minutes of play as they tried to get to grips with a UCD team that took an early lead.

Through all of that, they have had five different starting goalkeepers with Celtic loanee Tobi Oluwayemi the first and the current number one is with Ollie Byrne, who is on loan from Altrincham FC.

While injuries have caused the management team to go back to the drawing board, there is a real sense that this team does not have a clear defined identity on the pitch.

The hallmark of this group was once full-backs creating overloads in the final third, and Barry Coffey acting as the conductor in his role behind the strikers. 

He is only now back in the team on a regular starting basis, as an obvious replacement for Matt Healy.

That is just one piece of contingency planning, with another being the signing of midfielders Ben Worman and Rokas Stanulevičius. There’s still noticeable gaps in defence and natural cover for full-backs, with that position a big part in this team’s playing style.

The group has suddenly become stitched together as the management team tries to integrate five new summer signings into the squad, while working with the current group of players. 

By the time any sense of rhythm is established it could be too late and City are destined for a play-off.

There’s still time to save the season. All they need to do is pick up wins against Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers. 

At this moment in time, that feels like a major ask for a group that is still trying to figure out their collective identity.

City have been in this position before, and they managed to claw out of a whole by winning four straight games. 

The team knows what they are capable of, now it is about rediscovering themselves as a united group ahead of a make or break run-in.