CAPTAIN CONOR McCORMACK believes that a victory in this afternoon’s FAI Cup final [3.40pm, RTÉ 2] will put Cork City on a solid footing to deliver an improved season in 2019.
Having lost their Premier Division title to Dundalk, the Leesiders have been left disappointed by a year which they began as league and cup holders.
Should they manage to deny Dundalk a double today at the Aviva Stadium, City will be crowned FAI Cup winners for the third year in a row and the fifth time in their history.
Manager John Caulfield often referenced his side’s win in the 2016 final as a crucial stepping-stone towards their double-winning campaign of the following season.
McCormack, who’ll lead out the Rebel Army against the club he supported as a child, reckons another successful trip to Lansdowne Road could have a similar impact next year.
“Down in Cork we expect to win trophies, which we have done in the last couple of years,” said the combative midfielder. “We weren’t able to retain the league this year, but winning the cup would definitely give us something to build on and set us up well for next year.”
City’s defence of their Premier Division title fell asunder after their encounter with Norwegian champions Rosenborg in August. Following their European exit, John Caulfield’s side managed to accumulate just two points from a possible 15.
Nevertheless, they’ll come into the 2018 FAI Cup final with some momentum. After defeating Bohemians in their semi-final replay, City rounded off their league campaign with three wins on the trot, during which they scored 11 times and conceded just once.
“We put a lot of energy and effort into the tie against Rosenborg and I think we had St Pat’s then a couple of days after playing away in Norway. We drew at home, which was a disappointing result,” McCormack recalls.
“A couple of other results didn’t go our way after that unfortunately. It just didn’t happen for us this year. Fair play to Dundalk; they went on a massive run and broke the points record. But that’s over and done with now.
“We feel that we’re back on track. Confidence is high in the squad. We’ve played well in the last few games and scored a lot of goals, so hopefully we can put it all together in the cup final again.”
While last year’s final was his first as a Cork City player, McCormack is also hoping to win his third FAI Cup medal this afternoon. The Carlingford native was a member of the St Patrick’s Athletic side that defeated Derry City in the 2014 decider.
Now 28, McCormack received his footballing education at Bellurgan United in the Dundalk Schoolboys League before being signed by Manchester United. During his youth, he often attended Dundalk games at Oriel Park with his father, who was close friends with Lilywhites legend John Whyte.
“All my family will be there on Sunday. My close friends will be there supporting me as well, even though they’re from Dundalk and around there,” says McCormack, who was appointed Cork City skipper ahead of the start of the season.
“Being a winning captain would obviously be a highlight in my career, but I’m just concentrating on playing well and making sure we win the game. Only then would I start thinking about going up to lift the cup.”
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