Cork City's tireless winger Josh Fitzpatrick ready to chase history

When Cork City’s season sagged and the goals dried up several months ago, there wasn’t much to cling to. Injuries robbed them of the firepower that Ruairi Keating and Seani Maguire would have brought, confidence was low, and nights at Turner’s Cross felt longer than they should.

But even in the bleak stretches, you would find Josh Fitzpatrick, head down, legs pumping, dragging City up the pitch and refusing to go missing.

In a campaign short on bright spots, Fitzpatrick has been one. Across a four-month spell in which City often looked blunt, he was the one constant spark.

His resurgence came with Ger Nash’s appointment. He wasn’t just handed an opportunity, he was trusted, and thrived.

“I'll be honest, under Tim, I was a bit disappointed,” Josh admits. “I didn't play as much games as I would have liked obviously. As soon as Ger's come in he's really put a lot of confidence in me. He's really trusted me.

“He came in and then he had to get to know the players, and he saw something in me that he liked. I just trained as normal, trained as hard as I could. He really liked it, then he started playing me, and I haven't looked back since.

“The team sheet came out and I was there, and I was buzzing,” Fitzpatrick remarks. “I was like, keep building on performances and don't lose my place in the team, was more what I was thinking.

“He's put me in most games, I took a lot of confidence from it. I think he's brought a lot of quality to us. Obviously, bringing David Meyler, that experience. That was probably the biggest, most valuable thing that we've got so far from the two of them.

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“Dave Meyler's played at a really high level. He knows what it takes to win games, big games,” Fitzpatrick says. “It's just the experience of it all. Because we're a young group, I think experience has been a major thing for us.” 

This is a young dressing room, short on mileage but with a few men in the camp who carry that experience. And Fitzpatrick’s cycle is proof of it – a kid in the Aviva back in 2016, watching Maguire write history with that winner against Dundalk. Now, he’ll likely line up beside him in a cup final of his own.

“I was at the cup final where Seani scored, 11 or 12, I think I would have been,” Fitzpatrick remarks. “It must be a whirlwind moment for him. I went to watch them, a good few of the lads watched that game. 

Now we get to play with him on the same occasion, It must be a mad feeling for him!

Fitzpatrick spent that time in the Aviva in 2016 with friends and family rather than in with the ultras, but can’t wait to get out there with the boots on his feet and play for himself, having listened to Seani Maguire talk about it what it’s like for so long.

“It's unbelievable, he's always talking about it,” Josh says. “It was one of the best occasions of his career, and we all know what he went on to do. I can't wait for it. I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be such a big occasion for everybody involved.” 

It will be a tough ask, bringing down league champions Shamrock Rovers on Sunday in Dublin, even more so given how inexperienced this Cork City team are.

But, there are figures within the camp that have experience that Fitzy can draw on, one of those being assistant manager David Meyler.

“I'm not used to playing in front of a crowd that big, a pitch that big as well,” Fitzpatrick explains. “You just have to look at it like it's another game.

“There's going to be nerves but you have to get over them as fast as you can. We know we can win the game. We all have to just stick together. He has been saying that to us. He knows, he's been there, he's done that, he knows what it takes to win those games.” 

The climb has been steep, and the opposition on Sunday will be steeper still – but Josh Fitzpatrick has been running at steep hills all season.

And it’s not fazed him.