Cork City boss John Caulfield was evidently relieved after his side battled to the very end to secure an impressive 3-1 win away to St. Patrick’s Athletic on Friday evening. The Champions had the perfect start and went ahead before a Saints player
Cork City boss John Caulfield was evidently relieved after his side battled to the very end to secure an impressive 3-1 win away to St. Patrick’s Athletic on Friday evening. The Champions had the perfect start and went ahead before a Saints player had even touched the ball after being awarded a penalty within 13 seconds but from then on their hosts did not make it easy and, in truth, the game could have gone either way. “Every week it’s relief,” Caulfield told SSE Airtricity League reporter Conor Clancy after the game. “As a manager it’s about going in, preparing, and doing your best and then if you win or lose you shake hands. “At the end of it today, the last couple of minutes we were defending a corner kick and a second ball thrown back into the box and they could have snatched a last-minute equaliser so there’s relief from that point of view. “We were definitely frustrated at half-time that we hadn’t got a second goal because we really thought that we should have. But at the same time in Limerick the other night it was 1-0 after 85 minutes and then we got the second goal and of course there was relief there too. “There are no easy games in this league and if you’re not up for it every week you will lose points.” Caulfield went on to speak about the impact the new players have had on the squad since arriving in the off-season, with one of those having arrived from Saints in Josh O’Hanlon and the City boss has been impressed with the young forward. “It’s unfortunate that he missed five weeks of pre-season because he obviously needs to train every day to be fit but in the last couple of weeks he has done well. “He came in and got a winner against Limerick a couple of weeks ago and he’s got that extra bounce because he has pace, he has strength and he’s good in the air and those minutes tonight will do him the world of good as he tries to get fitter. “He’s a good lad and I’m delighted that in Cork down through the years we’ve had very good players with fantastic attitudes and that’s exactly what you need.” Cork remain hot on the heels of leaders Dundalk in second place, though they do have a game in hand over the Lilywhites as they look to overhaul that two-point deficit.
