Cathal O'Sullivan needs more protection from League of Ireland officials

CORK City manager Tim Clancy has called on officials to give Cathal O’Sullivan more protection before it is too late and the player suffers a serious injury. 

O’Sullivan was once again the star of the show as his moment of individual brilliance was the difference between City and Harps as the Rebel Army scraped past the Donegal outfit. 

Clancy is fearful that should the treatment O’Sullivan is receiving from opponents continue without the protection from officials then we could be deprived of seeing O’Sullivan’s talent in the future.

"We know at the club how good he is. We know the talent that he has. The skill level. The excitement level he brings to people, he gets them on the edge of their seats. 

"But I’m just hoping that he gets enough protection because he is going to get a really bad injury unless he is protected because people are not even looking at the football. 

"They are going down the back of his legs. 

They are kicking him and I just hope that officials allow one of the best young players in this country to show his skills and not just get booted off the pitch every single week and nothing gets done about it. 

"That's my biggest concern with Cathal.

“What a career he could have. What an unbelievably talented kid. I just hope that he gets enough protection that he doesn’t end up with a broken leg and then we see a kid that's not able to fulfill his talent because he is not getting looked after.

“It’s not about knocks. It’s not about tackles. It’s about the matter of a millimeter. 

"If his foot is on the ground, his leg is going to get snapped in half. It’s something that has to be looked at. 

FEAR

"When we mention it, it’s like ‘ya we will look at it’ but it’s going to be too late for him and that’s my biggest fear.

“He is one of the most talented kids I have seen play football at any level. He is unbelievable.

"You see his goals last week and you see his goal this week, and now we are sitting here and the biggest concern for us is if he is going to get through games. 

Not out of lack of fitness or anything else other than opposition attention that he is getting.

“He is a talented kid. You look at our team and we have many talented players. He is one of them. He is creative. 

"He can get the ball and receive it in tight areas. I’m sure there is talk going on saying to stop him. Leave a bit on him if you have to. But this is where referees have to protect him. Go and give a yellow card the first bad one that he gets. 

"There was one this evening, I don’t know if anyone could see it, it was right in front of the dugout. He is 60 yards away from the ball and the full-back has trodded right down his Achilles and the kid goes down.

"It’s right in front of the fourth official, I’m not sure if he has seen it, but he is 60 yards and they are trodden all over him, to try and leave a bit on him and go, ‘there I’ll show you’. That’s my biggest concern. 

"Again what a player. A match-winner tonight with an unbelievable goal but that’s my biggest concern now because there is a pattern coming now that we can see this every week. I just hope he gets the protection."