Updated at 22.30
CORK CITY LEGEND Dave Barry believes there is an unfair perception of Cork City in the media.
One of three unbeaten teams in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, the Leesiders sit third in the table behind Dundalk and Bohemians seven games into the new season.
John Caulfield’s side earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park on Friday night but came under criticism from former Ireland and Saints boss Brian Kerr on Soccer Republic last night.
Kerry questioned the Rebels’ long-ball tactics and suggested they weren’t utilising recent signing Liam Miller in midfield. However, ex-Cork striker Barry responded by claiming the media, and in particular those from Dublin, don’t visit Turner’s Cross as often as they should.
“The problem is a lot of people, especially the Dublin media, would only see Cork City playing away from home,” Barry said. “A lot of them don’t go down to Cork City. They don’t go to away games.
“If you went down and saw Cork playing against Derry, they played them at home, they won 3-0 and it could have been six. Liam Miller was outstanding and with 5,000 people behind them they played the ball.
John Caulfield is in his second season and people are expecting them to be in front of Dundalk at the moment. Dundalk have had a fabulous start to the season but Cork City need to stay with them.
“They’ve had four away games – Sligo Rovers away in the first game of the season, which was difficult, Shamrock Rovers away, and Pat’s away. When you go away from home, definitely, you have a different mindset.”
“Liam Miller is probably the best man to get on the ball in the league at the moment and pass it, and he’s shown that,” he added. “But you have to see him in seven or eight games and then make a judgement. It’s very hard to see one game and say Cork are playing this way. Definitely at home, they are after scoring 10 goals in three games.
“I haven’t been talking about Cork City in the last four or five years because they haven’t been up there. But they are up there now and John Caulfield is building a very good squad and it’s entertaining.”
Watch last night’s Soccer Republic on the RTE Player
Originally published at 17.11
