CORK CITY MANAGER John Caulfield has put his faith in Conor McCarthy by handing the central defender his first professional contract.
The 19-year-old local lad has penned a deal that ties him to the current SSE Airtricity League Premier Division leaders until the end of the 2019 season.
It’s been a memorable few days for McCarthy, who made his full league debut by playing all 90 minutes of Sunday’s 1-0 win against St Patrick’s Athletic.
“I am delighted to sign a professional contract with Cork City,” said McCarthy. “This has been the aim from when I joined the club at 16, right up to now and being in the first-team squad. I can’t wait to get started
“I have been training for the last couple of weeks and getting up to the pace, so it is up to me now to push on and make as many appearances as possible.
“I was happy with my performance against St Pat’s on Sunday. I felt I did a job and we kept a clean sheet, which helped us to the three points in our push for the league title. The target is to make as many appearances as I can this season and see where that takes me.”
With Johnny Dunleavy ruled out for the remainder of the season and Alan Bennett troubled by persistent injuries, McCarthy is likely to have more opportunities to make an impression as the 2017 campaign progresses.
McCarthy, who joined Cork City from Blarney United, was part of City’s U19 side that reached the last 16 of the Uefa Youth League last season before being knocked out by AS Roma.
“It’s a great day for Conor to sign his first professional contract,” John Caulfield said. “We have high hopes for him. He has been here since he was 16 and has been part of the first-team squad already.
“He played his first full 90 minutes in the league last Sunday and did incredibly well. We feel he can push on very quickly and be a regular in our team. Since he has come in training he has done well.”
Caulfield added: “Conor now is a guy we feel will play an active role in the second half of the season. It is a great place for young players to be, a club challenging at the top of the table and playing in Europe, and learning from some brilliant first team players, giving them a real opportunity to make a career in professional football.”
McCarthy will hope to be included in the matchday squad when Cork City face Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Europa League second round qualifier at Turner’s Cross tomorrow evening.
