LEARNING FROM THE BEST
AS a kid, Graham Cummins was a regular at Cork City games and marvelled at John Caulfield when he was the goal-scoring Rebel star.
He never met his hero in those days, never got his autograph. He made do with a Mark Herrick jersey instead but it was too big so he sold it to his Dad … yes, sold it!
But it’s little wonder Cummins is loving live on Leeside since ripping up his St Johnstone contract to sign at the start of the season.
Cummins said: “I used to watch John and Pat
Morley. I remember good things as they were a good duo.
“It’s rare to see two strikers these days but they were probably one of the best pair we’ve seen in the league.
“And I’m learning all the time from John which is great. Coming into the club as a striker and having a manager who was a striker is great.
“He shows you exactly what you should be doing and it’s paying dividends at the moment.”
That much is true as Cummins has already bagged four goals in his two appearances – he missed the Waterford game after a red card on the opening night.
He is picking up where he left off as – before joining Preston – he scored 24 league goals in 2011 when Cork City won the First Division.
People wondered if the 30-year-old could be the goal machine Cork have craved since losing Seanie Maguire to Preston. But while they’re different players, he’s wasting no time proving the doubters wrong. Cummins said: “Seanie is the best striker I’ve ever seen in the league. People keep comparing me to him but there’s no chance of that. He’s a different level.
“You see him in England and I hope he gets back from his injury soon because he’s a phenomenal player.
“I think the fans remember 2011 and that’s what makes the transition so easy for me. I hope I’m liked by them and you do get recognised on the streets a lot more.
“The club was part-time in 2011, now it’s full-time and that’s one of the main reasons why I came back.
“I don’t want to be going into work and things being amateurish. I want the best of everything because I want to be the best player I can be.”
Once Caulfield, inset, flagged up his interest, Cummins jumped as he was down the pecking order at St Johnstone.
And when David
Mcmillan joined from
Dundalk over the winter, his fate was sealed – not that he was complaining.
Cummins said: “I was happy to come back here where I played my best football. I want to take off again and keep going.
“At my age, I’ve not really won anything and I want to be winning things. I left St Johnstone on good terms and they were happy to see me go as well!
“The more strikers they have at a club, the more they want to get rid of a fella. I was the one who put my hand up in class and said ‘I want to go’!
“I was in Scotland saying ‘God, I’d love to be in Cork to see what’s going on’. I’ve been a fan my whole life, my family still go to all the games.”
And Cummins, who smashed a hat-trick in Monday’s 4-1 win away to Sligo Rovers, added: “This is the perfect start for the team and a good start for myself.”