AT THE CLUB’S media event for the 2018 FAI Cup final at the Cork International Hotel on Monday afternoon, there was universal agreement among the Cork City players in attendance as they assessed a season that will conclude against Dundalk on Sunday.
A fourth consecutive trip to the Aviva Stadium, as well as a second-placed finish in the league behind a team that set a record for points earned and goals scored, could hardly be described as disastrous. Nevertheless, the 2017 double winners were simultaneously keen to acknowledge that the standards they set for themselves haven’t been met.
For Alan Bennett, the subsequent frustrations have been compounded by having his own involvement restricted — occasionally, but not always, due to injury.
The veteran central defender understands that his workload needs to be managed. Playing upwards of 40 games per season is no longer feasible at the age of 37. However, watching from the sidelines wasn’t easy when he was willing and able to play a part.
Despite being ever-present for Cork City’s run to the FAI Cup final, he made just 11 starts in the league and was left out for all four games of their European campaign, during which the Leesiders were comprehensively beaten by Legia Warsaw and Rosenborg.
The emergence of local youngsters Sean McLoughlin and Conor McCarthy, in addition to the signing of Aaron Barry, provided Bennett with stiff competition for a place in John Caulfield’s team. The summer arrival of fellow ex-Ireland international Damien Delaney made the task even greater.
“John [Caulfield] and I have always been straight with each other,” Bennett says. “I fully understand where he’s coming from, and he’s right to not play me every week. I’d inevitably break down or something would happen, so it wouldn’t be fair on the lads to play a guy who’s at 60% or 70%.
“He brought in Damien [Delaney], who I also would have signed in a heartbeat if I was the manager. It’s then about trying to balance things, which is his job. For me, it was about getting my head around the reality of that situation.
“That was probably the hardest bit and it probably did bring us into conflict, maybe once. I don’t think I changed the way I acted or the way I trained. I was the same player. But there were tough moments for me, definitely.”
Being confined to the bench and the stands did leave Bennett wondering if this season should be his last, but — aided by advice from former team-mates — retirement before his contract expires at the end of 2019 was an option he seldom gave lengthy consideration to.
“I speak to people like Declan Daly and Colin Healy who have been down this road. Everyone tells you to play on as long as you can and have no regrets,” says the former Brentford defender.
“I suppose you work so hard to become a part of a team, but the reality for me is that my role has slightly been reduced. I just love it so much that I’m willing to accept that reduced role just to stay involved.
“Next year will probably be my last, but I just still love this job too much at the moment. I’m hopping out the door every Monday morning. I’m so privileged that I get to do this as my job and I want to keep doing it for as long as I can.”
Cork City’s failure to defend their Premier Division title has placed the team’s style of play under additional scrutiny. Criticism has often been levelled at John Caulfield’s direct approach, and while this year’s league campaign was a disappointment, Bennett believes the achievements over the course of Caulfield’s tenure speak for themselves.
“A lot of people who complain about our style of football will be sat at home on Sunday, while we’re going for three FAI Cups in a row in our fourth final in a row,” he says. “Style will be forgotten if that history is written. As the victors, you get to write your own history.
“On the flipside of that, while people understandably focus on the tangible elements, a lot of the untangibles are missed: character, the culture of the club, the strength of the group, the genuine love that exists between the lads. I’m telling you now, this is such a tight group to be involved in. They’re all things that aren’t really seen.
“When it comes to the crunch, would I prefer a stylish player or a character? In an ideal world he’ll have both, but I’ll always take someone with character first. I have no problem saying that.”
A replay was required for Cork City to book their place in this year’s FAI Cup final at the expense of Bohemians. For the fourth season in a row, the same two teams will meet in the decider. Fatigue might be setting in outside of Cork and Dundalk over the repeat pairing, but Bennett believes the onus is on the chasing pack to redouble their efforts to buck the trend.
“Bohs are coming,” he says. “They’ve got their act together, they have a really good manager and they’re doing really well. I think they’ll be very strong next year.
“As for the other clubs: cop on. Do you know what I mean? Cop on. If you’re playing in a national league, you’ve got to be fitter, stronger, quicker.
“You could go down to the local gym and find 11 lads who are fit, strong and quick. They’re working 40 hours a week but they’re still able to get themselves to that level of fitness. There’s no excuse for any player at this level — I don’t care whether you’re amateur or professional — to not be those things at a minimum.
“There’s no point complaining about Dundalk and Cork. It doesn’t matter what you’re earning. If you’re playing in a national league, there are minimum standards that you have to meet. I don’t know how managers tolerate anything else.”
When John Caulfield sits down to pick his starting line-up for Sunday’s game, the track record of last year’s captain will be difficult to ignore. Bennett has delivered impeccable performances in the three previous FAI Cup finals involving these two teams, including a man-of-the-match display in 2016.
“Yeah, you’d like to think that will be taken into account. That, and also the fact that I’ve played every cup game this year. John is quite consistent that way, to be fair to him,” says the Waterfall native, whose first appearance in an FAI Cup final was a 2-0 defeat to Drogheda United in 2005.
“I do feel confident of getting my place. Regarding the games themselves, it’s absolute freedom for someone my age. On Sunday morning, when all the preparation is done, that period before the game is my picture of heaven right there. Everything is done so it’s just a matter of going out there to play.
“It’s the last game of the season, so you can just go for it. For me, those games in the last few years have really been like that, because there’s no game the following Friday. There’s nothing else coming up. This is the finish line.
“You can fly into every tackle. Nothing is held back. It’s pure freedom, a beautiful thing. That’s what’s ahead of us on Sunday. I can’t wait.”
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