Caulfield’s Cork City masterplan is realised

TWO seasons of mid-table obscurity in the Premier Division was all it took for Cork City to rediscover their true ambition and not be afraid to chase it. They had served their penance in the First Division after rising from the ashes of examinership to take their place back among the elite in 2012. Tommy Dunne was the man in charge and the Dubliner did an admirable job but eventually the Leesiders felt a fresh impetus was required. John Caulfield was the surprise choice as permanent manager, having been a success in the Munster Senior League with Avondale United and UCC. However, three successive seasons as runners-up to Dundalk were finally put behind them on Monday night when Cork clinched the title with two games to spare. ‘Did we think we were going to be up near the top? No we didn’t,’ said Caulfield. ‘But at the same time, the fact that people thought it was a goodwill gesture and the club was giving me the job because I was an ex-player and a cheap option, and this type of stuff, we knew we had a lot more about us,’ he said, reflecting on the early days. ‘Did we expect that we’d be winning leagues? I’m not sure. But we definitely said from the very start that we would be in Europe, we would be in the top four, we would be competing for trophies. We surrounded our-selves with really good people, honest, loyal people who work really hard.’ Alan Bennett captained the side on Monday night after the veteran centre back, now 36, was enticed back to the club two season ago after almost a decade in England. ‘He’s relentless. Absolutely relentless every day,’ he said of Caulfield. ‘He’s laying down foundations at this club which, as a fan, I love to see. He’s setting the standards which this club will have to stay at and hopefully we have learned our lessons of the past.’