LEE-GENDS!
Caulfield’s high on emotion after Cork City claim first double
A BEAMING John Caulfield hailed his Cork City side as one of the greatest League of Ireland teams of all time after they made club history by claiming a first double with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win over Dundalk.
The Leesiders added the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup to the Premier Division title after goalkeeper Mark McNulty saved Michael Duffy’s effort and Kieran Sadlier stepped up to secure victory.
After falling behind in extra-time, Cork rallied and equalised through substitute Achille Campion, who sent the showpiece to penalties.
‘People will have their favourites, that’s fine. All we can do is keep going. History will look back on this team and see what they
IN THE most daunting of scenarios, Cork City showed nerveless class to triumph in this penalty shoot-out. It is what has marked them out as champions and what has been at the heart of their success under John Caulfield. ‘The mental toughness of the boys is unquestionable,’ he beamed. How right he is. Cork summoned a spirit from deep within to claw themselves level in extra-time. They didn’t hide or whimper, they simply roared back into life and came out on top with Mark McNulty’s save from Michael Duffy allowing substitute Kieran Sadlier seal victory with a penalty of pure precision.
It followed the equally impressive conversions by Karl Sheppard, Greg Bolger, Conor McCormack and Steven Beattie, and as the Cork players ran en masse to the two heroes — the final scorer and the goalkeeper — Caulfield sprinted in the opposite direction.
In his club suit, he belted towards the fans. His face red with joy, the former striker who played a record 623 times for this club and set another with 197 goals, savoured the feeling of making history as the manager. His people, his club, his moment. Caulfield ended up on the opposite side of the pitch, following a detour behind the goal, in a state of total and utter abandon. Eventually he got his hands on the famous old trophy and another cherished winners’ medal.
Having fallen behind to a wonderful Niclas Vemmelund header in the fifth minute of extra-time, how easily Cork could have simply folded and taken this defeat on the chin, safe in the knowledge that they already had the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title resting safely back at home in the Turner’s Cross trophy cabinet.
But Cork had a place in the pantheon in their sights and weren’t going to be denied. They are now the first team in the club’s history to win a league and cup double. Caulfield has been the mastermind, the driving force and the source of inspiration as they dragged themselves from mid-table mediocrity to the top of the League of Ireland.
‘The one thing I’ll say — I have a phenomenal back room team, so loyal to me, absolutely phenomenal people. John Cotter, Liam Kearney, Michael Punch, Lisa Fallon, Phil Harrington. They work so hard and are 100 per cent behind me which is incredible as a manager because that doesn’t happen too often,’ he was at pains to point out, providing an insight to why they follow him.
Caulfield played another blinder here, and the introduction of Achille Campion after falling behind was decisive as the Frenchman cancelled out Vemmelund’s header with a sublime swivel and shot in the 111th minute.
Just like the previous two duels between these teams on this stage, the showpiece went beyond a goalless normal time, only on this occasion it took penalties to decide things. Sheppard took Cork’s first and just to add some intrigue to the drama, the forward is actually bound for Dundalk next season after agreeing a deal and penning a pre-contract agreement to join their great rivals.
‘I can’t say anything. Today is not for that. Today is for saying we’re some team,’ the Dubliner insisted. ‘We need a lot of credit for what we’ve done this season. We certainly haven’t got it. For winning the league, people pat us on the back and say we crawl over the line, it’s embarrassing at times. Look, we’ve gone and done a double and now we’ll get the credit we deserve. Well we should do.’
This was the third instalment of the Cork-Dundalk trilogy in the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup final and the score is now 2-1 in the Leesiders’ favour. They trail 3-1 in league titles, however, and their rivalry looks set to continue far beyond another tense encounter at Aviva Stadium.
If it wasn’t for Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers, the game could have been put beyond all doubt inside the opening half an hour. He made three excellent saves, first to deny Sheppard at the near post, then to get in the way of a Stephen Dooley shot and quickly get back on his feet to palm away from Sheppard who hooked the rebound goal-bound.
Dundalk looked to be in a haze and David McMillan also wasted a glorious chance in the first half, Level best: Achille Campion hits Cork’s equaliser in yesterday’s Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup; (inset) a disappointed Dundalk boss Stephen Kenny contemplates defeat SPORTSFILE scuffing a shot wide by the spot when he should have done better.
Like previous years, the real drama was reserved for extra-time, although it took another Rogers wonder stop in the 92nd minute to push Garry Buckley’s effort clear.
And when Vemmelund got away from marker Ryan Delaney to head Duffy’s free kick into the top corner in the 95th minute, it looked as if Dundalk were going to make up for losing their crown by doing to Cork what they did last year and stop them completing the double.
But in reaction to going behind, Caulfield threw on Bolger and Campion, the latter making an almost immediate impact to level things.
That eventually meant penalties and, once again, everything was neck and neck. Sheppard scored and McMillan replied. Bolger sent Rogers the wrong way and Stephen O’Donnell levelled. McCormack rifled his down the middle with Robbie Benson clipping his in off the underside of the crossbar.
The standard was exceptional and Beattie continued in similar vein firing low and hard to Rogers’ left. And then Dundalk blinked.
Duffy, who was impressive throughout, was denied by McNulty as he dived to his right. Up stepped Sadlier, the man brought in from Sligo Rovers to replace Sean Maguire, and with the final kick of the season he became a Cork hero by drilling his spot kick into the same corner as Duffy.
History was made and Caulfield had the last word. ‘People will have their favourites, that’s fine. All we can do is keep going. History will look back on this team and see what they did, people will reflect and realise this was a phenomenal team, one of the best teams in the league, maybe ever.’ DUNDALK: Rogers; Gannon, Gartland, Vemmelund, Massey; McGrath, O’Donnell (c), Benson, Duffy, McEleney (Mountney 108); McMillan. Scorer: Vemmelund 95. Booked: O’Donnell 80. CORK CITY: McNulty; Beattie, Bennett (c), Delaney, Griffin; Keohane (Sadlier 58), Morrissey (Bolger 98), McCormack, Buckley (Campion 98), Dooley; Sheppard. Scorer: Campion 111. Referee: P McLaughlin (Donegal)