Graham Cummins: Cork City head into this Premier League campaign with a better squad than two years ago

FRIDAY: SSE Airtricity League Premier Division: Cork City v Galway United, Turner's Cross, 7.45pm.

Despite winning the First Division title last season, some games were a tough watch at Turner's Cross because of the standard of opposition Cork City faced. 

With kickoff on their return to the Premier Division only hours away, hopefully in a year, we won't be talking about Cork City beginning their campaign back in the lower tier.

Even if City are one of the biggest clubs in Ireland, fans, as I’m sure the club are, have to see survival this season as a success. 

Forget any talk about competing for European football, finishing eighth in the table this season is a success. 

Two years ago, I spoke similarly before City’s opening fixture against Bohemians, to which some supporters argued that I was being too negative, and unfortunately City did get relegated. 

However, I knew there was a huge gulf in the standard between First Division football and Premier Division then and there probably is a greater difference now when you consider the First Division was made up of part-time teams last season apart from City. 

The Rebel Army’s squad was simply not good enough two years ago but the team they have now is stronger than that side, which is why I do see them finishing above the relegation places.

It was always going to be a case during the off-season that there was going to be an exodus of players from the club and several new ones brought in. 

NOT GOOD ENOUGH

The squad, although did well to get the club promoted was not good enough for the Premier Division. City have brought in eight new faces and manager Tim Clancy will be hoping they can hit the ground running. 

Adding eight new faces is a significant number and you just hope they are the right character for the club. 

We have seen so many times in the past, players come to the league and weren't able to adapt to it or had the wrong attitude. 

No matter how they perform I wouldn’t be quick to judge any of them until they have had at least a handful of games.

Too many times people have been either too quick to write a player off, which can damage a player's confidence because do they do read social media they can be disheartened seeing negative things written about them. In the same way, we shouldn’t get too excited based on one game. 

Pat Dolan once compared Daire O'Connor to Lionel Messi after the former’s City debut and although O’Connor was decent for City, he never got anywhere near the expectations that were placed on him from then. 

Maybe the hype around him caused unwanted pressure on O’Connor. 

So, no matter how a new signing does tonight I wouldn’t read too much into it. 

UNDERVALUED

Of all the signings I will be watching Tein Troost most keenly because we all saw how much City struggled two seasons ago in the keeper position and Troost has big boots to fill in Brad Wade. 

I was disappointed to see Wade leave because he was excellent last year but if both parties weren’t happy with the deal that was proposed to one another, it is best Wade moved on. 

You don’t want a player who feels he is undervalued but neither do you want the club overpaying the player.

It is important City get off to a good start this season and they have to make Turner's Cross a place teams will hate to visit. 

Hopefully they can do that against a Galway side that will be one of the teams that finish near the top this season.