By Gerard Mulreaney (@gerardmulreaney)
After defeat in Oriel Park on Friday night Cork manager John Caulfield is again calling for the fans to come out in large numbers as they host a rampant Shamrock Rovers side tonight.
The Hoops won their previous two games, 6-0 over Bray and 6-1 against Derry City. It’s going to be a battle royale at Turners Cross.
The City boss is expecting his side to bounce straight back following the disappointment of losing to Dundalk, especially in the manner of the defeat. He said, “Everyone was very disappointed with the performance last Friday, but, overall, this group have been fantastic over the last few years and the new players have been excellent since they came in. When you lose like that, you have to take the criticism and come back stronger. You have to show what you are made of and that is what tonight is all about.”
“The quick turnaround is difficult but that’s the way it is. The lads feel themselves that they didn’t do enough on Friday and there were a lot of below-par performances, so they are looking forward to tomorrow’s game and getting back out there. Hopefully we will see a totally different performance tonight.”
Goalkeeper Mark McNulty, who looked like he was struggling with an injury on Friday night, and Alan Bennett will both be assessed prior to kick-off, while Josh O’Hanlon is expected to return to the squad.
Shamrock Rovers are probably the one team who are best placed to challenge both Cork and Dundalk for title honours come the end of the season and Caulfield agrees with that saying, “We need a massive crowd behind us. Rovers are title contenders. They’ve scored six in their last two games and they are flying, so we need a passionate, hostile atmosphere and we need to play well. Rovers is a massive club and they have brought in a lot of new players, as well as keeping the bulk of last year’s team.”
Caulfield knows how important tonight’s games is and he hopes a big crowd could help his side to victory like they did all last season, “It is a massive game for us with another vital three points on offer. We need to be on our game and we need that massive support from the crowd, which has always been there. It will be a difficult game and we need to bounce back. Stephen has his team playing with a lot of energy and passion, and they are scoring lots of goals. I would imagine it will be a tough game, a quick game played at high intensity.”
Picture Credit: RTE
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