Cork City and Cobh Ramblers return to League of Ireland action on Valentine's night

Anyone still looking for a Valentine’s night treat this Friday can still book a seat at Turner’s Cross for Cork City’s league opener.

Tim Clancy’s side dominated the First Division last year but face a far tougher test against Galway United. Former City manager John Caulfield is back on familiar territory and his side are coming off the back of a fine season. There is more uncertainty about the hosts.

Cork City were in the same scenario two years ago when their title success didn’t shield them from the rigours of the top flight. 

This time they have serious firepower after re-signing Ruairí Keating and Seani Maguire for the latter stages of the 2024 campaign. Whether the rest of the squad is experienced enough to cope with the step-up in class is debatable.

Cork City’s academy system has consistently produced first-team players and while Cathal O’Sullivan is likely to move abroad during the summer after he turns 18, he should still dazzle in the Premier Division. Did City recruit well enough in the off-season though? Clancy spoke during the build-up about the difficulty in attracting veteran League of Ireland players given the shortage of accommodation on Leeside.

PIVOT

Off the field, owner Dermot Usher has brought in additional investment and the club pivoted to in-house merchandise production. They’re looking to increase revenue streams by opening a commercial outlet in the city and finding a naming partner for Turner’s Cross, though the Munster Football Association actually own the ground.

Increasing the ticket price for an adult to €25 per game has raised a few eyebrows and they’ll need to avoid a relegation battle if they want to regularly break the 4,000-mark at the Cross.

In the First Division, Cobh are away to Treaty United.

Cobh beat City last week in the Munster Senior Cup quarter-final and after outside investors FC32 took over before Christmas, they upgraded their squad. That included the recruitment of a host of players cast aside by Cork City, like Jack Doherty, former captain Cian Coleman and Barry Coffey. 

New manager Mick McDermott is charged with going one better than Shane Keegan did in 2023, bringing the Rams to the playoff final where they were unlucky to fall short against Waterford.

Dundalk were relegated but they appear to be in turmoil and Ramblers are well-placed to push for promotion.