Sadlier keeping his head as City stumble
WHAT appeared to be a casual stroll to SSE Airtricity League title glory for Cork City has become a series of redfaced stumbles.
City have lost Sean Maguire and Kevin O’Connor to Preston, lost a winning vibe and are unrecognisable from the team which blazed a trail through mid-summer, burning off all-comers.
And yet, one collective heave against champions Dundalk at a throbbing Turner’s Cross tonight (7.20) will get them over the line and remove the hurt of three successive second-place finishes.
It would also banish the demons of the financial mismanagement, the winding-up orders and demotion to the First Division in 2010 which almost wiped out the club.
And it would mark John Caulfield as a genuine candidate for the freedom of Cork for his unstinting services to the club, as player and manager.
Caulfield may not be as high profile on the Lee as Ring, JBM or Roy Keane, but he’s given half his life to bettering his beloved City.
Mostly, victory would signal the return of the Rebels as a powerhouse in Irish football, like their predecessors Cork United, Cork Athletic, Cork Hibs and Cork Celtic.
City, who entered the League in 1984, have twice ruled supreme, in 1993 and 2005. Another win tonight would extend the 12-year symmetry. And yet, there are doubts. City’s form is chronic, while Dundalk are blowing away allcomers and will arrive on Leeside with a point to prove after three losses to City this season.
Like the true champions they are, Dundalk have refused to capitulate despite finding themselves 18 points adrift with 12 games to go.
They have chipped away at that deficit to the extent that a win tonight would haul them to within eight points of City with four games remaining.
It’s why City must be as vigilant as a game-keeper when the salmon are running.
For all their desire to get the job done on home turf, a draw would deflate Dundalk’s defiance and allow City coast to the title.
If City are to get the better of Dundalk, they will lean heavily on Kieran Sadlier who was a bright light in the gloom of Friday’s 2-1 loss to Limerick at the Market’s Field.
Sadlier headed a fine goal and was a constant menace all evening, chiefly on the left flank before being pushed into a central attacking role.
The 23-year-old Londoner of Irish descent only arrived at City from Sligo Rovers in early July, when Maguire was scoring for fun and City were in a class of their own.
He’s seen the huge advantage whittle away and knows the scaremongering has started.
‘We don’t really listen to what others have to say. We have done so well, especially before I joined. Obviously, it (recent form) is there for everyone to see. I don’t know what it is, really.
‘We have the gift of having a good lead over Dundalk but we have made it (winning the title) hard for ourselves,’ he acknowledged.
‘We are just touching distance away but we have to just relax, get ourselves back together, refocus for the game, and just get the job done.’
With four defeats in their last six League games, City are burning oil, much to Sadlier’s exasperation.
‘I can’t really explain it but the two boys leaving would have been a big issue for any team. To lose two players like that, especially someone who scored 20 goals in the league, is hard,’ he observed.
‘But also, it is very difficult to go all season unbeaten and if you look back over the course of the season, you expect to lose some games. But it is frustrating at the moment, and we are hungry now to get the league wrapped up and won,’ he added.
That Dundalk stand between City and the glory, in addition to the UEFA Champions League riches of €500,000, will sharpen City minds tonight.
‘Dundalk are on fire at the moment, they are a brilliant team, in very good form and they will want to go and win it. They won’t defend.
‘It should be a good, exciting game and we are more than confident we can go and get it done. It would be the best place to do it.’