DESPITE RETURNING TO the League of Ireland just 18 months after joining Preston North End, Kevin O’Connor hasn’t given up on his prospects of continuing his career in English football.
Just over 24 hours after re-joining Cork City on loan from Preston, O’Connor scored a spectacular free-kick in the second half of last night’s President’s Cup clash with Dundalk.
It wasn’t enough to deny the Lilywhites at Turner’s Cross, however, as first-half headers from Dane Massey and Patrick Hoban ensured a 2-1 victory for the visitors.
In spite of the result, O’Connor — a 62nd-minute replacement for Conor McCormack — was upbeat after his first game in a Cork City shirt since 2017. City’s next assignment is Friday’s Premier Division opener away to St Patrick’s Athletic.
“It was a bit of déjà vu from the President’s Cup a couple of years ago,” O’Connor said of his goal, which was reminiscent of his strike in City’s 3-0 win in the corresponding fixture in 2017. “I’m happy it went in but obviously it didn’t count for much in the end.
“I thought the lads did well in the first half. It was two set-pieces that killed us. That’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s not like us to concede from set-pieces. We will sharpen up on that.
“The lads gave it everything. It’s a good start to the season. Obviously it’s disappointing to lose but the big one is next Friday. That’s the main one.
“If we play like we did in the second half we know we can beat anybody. We know how good we are when we want to be. We just have to make sure we’re ready to go every Friday.”
O’Connor rose to prominence as a left-back during his previous spell at Cork City, but manager John Caulfield now intends to move the Wexford native back into a midfield role.
“When I first joined here I was a centre midfielder and got converted to left-back,” said O’Connor, who signed for Cork City from Waterford in 2015.
“I try and get forward to try and score a few goals. Hopefully I can chip in with a few this year. I think I’m due a few. If I can help the team I’ll play anywhere.”
O’Connor has been unable to nail down a place at Preston, who he remains contracted to until the summer of 2020. Loan spells at Fleetwood Town and Crewe Alexandra also haven’t gone according to plan for the 23-year-old.
“That’s football,” he said. “I went over and gave it a good shot, but by no means am I done over there. [Cork] is where I enjoyed my football most. Once John [Caulfield] came calling, it was hard to turn down.
“It didn’t go well really at Crewe. I knew I was happy here. I love the city so it was an easy call after that.”
He added: “I’ll definitely be here until June anyway. Hopefully all goes well and we’ll see from there then. I’m here for a few months at the minute and I just want to fight to do as well as I can.”
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