Cork City Academy's focus is on player development over silverware 

The League of Ireland academy season is coming to an end and there’s one trophy at Turner’s Cross after Cork City defeated St Patrick’s Athletic in the MU15 LOI Michael Hayes Cup final.

That doesn’t define a year involving various squads between the male and female sections, with the ultimate goal being first-team football under Tim Clancy or Danny Murphy. Liam Kearney overlooks all of that in his role as Head of Academy, and the two-time League of Ireland champion has delivered once again.

The academy’s statement this season was Jaden Umeh, as he went from being the club’s youngest-ever goal scorer to Portuguese giants Benfica. The striker was one of many prospects used by Clancy this season, with the other name of note amongst supporters being Cathal O’Sullivan.

The teenager was on the fringes of the first team last term after signing a professional contract, and he justified the hype by scoring seven goals this year.

Clancy’s squad is also made up of Harvey Skieters, who first made his name known by firing Cork Youth League to glory in the FAI Youth Inter-League Cup in 2023. Zachary Dunne is in a similar position, while, David Dunne became the club’s youngest player during a league match with Treaty United last August.

"This club has an academy that is rolling out young players that are extremely talented,” Clancy said about the debutant, who was 15 when he took to the Markets Field.

"David has been in training with us the last couple of weeks. He’s looked lively and he is a talent. Now we have had a few games at the end of the season to give them a taste of what first-team football is, and I think Jaden obviously responded well to first-team football at the start of the season and got a move to Benfica. 

"Cathal O’Sullivan has been excellent, Matty Kieran has been excellent, Healers [Arran Healy] has been excellent, so a lot of our young lads have been really good, and David is probably the next one."

This group stands between the first team and a career in England, a path recently followed by Mark O’Mahony and Franco Umeh, who transferred to Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace last year.

RISING STARS

Two generations before them are the squads in the Underage National Leagues, which include the U15s side that beat St Pat's in the MU15 LOI Michael Hayes Cup final at Turner’s Cross.

The Rebel Army claimed the trophy by surviving a marathon encounter that went to extra-time, and the team thought they won when Ben Dumigan scored after the restart. The Saints found an equaliser and forced a penalty shoot-out which finished 2-0 to City.

While those days are special for the players involved, they go against the developmental ethos of academy football.

Traditionally, success has bode well for the Cork City first team, a trend that goes back to the U19s side that did the double-double in the early 2010s. Gary Buckley and John Kavanagh went on to enjoy success with the senior side under John Caulfield, and the U17s league-winning side of 2017 included current players Cian Murphy and Cian Bargary.