BEFORE HE BECAME the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in European competition last night, Sean Maguire was reminded that he was within touching distance of the milestone by another Cork City record breaker.
Veteran defender Alan Bennett, who missed City’s Europa League first-round tie against Levadia Tallinn due to injury, has played more games in Europe for the Leesiders than any other player. He was keen to let Maguire know what was at stake.
“I got a bit of stick off the boys over the past couple of weeks because I hadn’t scored from open play in Europe before — until tonight,” Maguire said after last night’s 4-2 victory over Levadia Tallinn at Turner’s Cross, which sends John Caulfield’s side into a second-round meeting with AEK Larnaca of Cyprus thanks to a 6-2 triumph on aggregate.
“It was really special, in front of my family, in front of a packed house at Turner’s Cross, there’s no better feeling,” added Maguire, who netted a hat-trick against the Estonians. In addition to the three penalties he scored in last season’s Europa League campaign, the 23-year-old striker smashed Dan Murray’s European goalscoring record of four.
“Benno actually reminded me going into the game. He said to me ‘you can be a history-maker tonight’ and the first person who came up to me in the dressing room was Benno. He said to me ‘congratulations’ and it’s a great feeling,” Maguire explained.
Despite leading 2-0 from the first leg, City endured a frustrating first half last night. Karl Sheppard responded to Evgenii Kobzar’s opener but a Nikita Andreev header had Levadia 2-1 up on the night at the interval.
Maguire scored within a minute of the restart, however, and added two more in the final six minutes, which means the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division leaders will have more foreign guests at Turner’s Cross next Thursday evening, before travelling to Cyprus for the second leg seven days later.
“Obviously the result is what mattered,” said Maguire. “There was a few shaky moments when they were 2-1 up, knowing that if they scored another goal we were out. It was really important that I did score early in the second half. That was a stepping stone to do what we did in the later parts of the second half.”
After watching his star striker take his tally for the season to 22 goals in 22 competitive games, City boss John Caulfield paid tribute to Maguire, who’ll join English Championship club Preston North End — along with City left-back Kevin O’Connor — on 24 July.
“He’s just a special person. Phenomenal guy,” Caulfield said. “He’s had it since the start of the season, constant media talk about him, that he’s going here, there and everywhere. He’s just so determined and so focused. Another guy would switch off and say he’s not going to kick a ball. He’s just been incredible and that’s why I think he’ll be phenomenal for Preston.”
Maguire expects to meet his new Preston team-mates when they arrive at Fota Island for a training camp over the coming days. However, his sole focus until he officially becomes a Preston player is maintaining Cork City’s good run of form. A Premier Division game at home to St Patrick’s Athletic on Sunday afternoon is next.
“People ask me am I looking forward to Preston and I obviously am, but I haven’t really thought about it that much,” he said. “I’m fully focused on what I’m doing at Cork City, and that’s to progress in the Europa League and leave them in a really good position in the league.”
While Maguire admits that the recent change in management at Preston is “not an ideal situation”, he insists that he’s enthused by the prospect of impressing a new boss. Following the departure of Simon Grayson for Sunderland, Alex Neil has taken over at Deepdale.
Maguire said: “Obviously the manager who signed me is gone. He got the opportunity to go to Sunderland and I wish him all the best, but with the new manager coming in, it’s a great opportunity for myself and Kevin. He probably hasn’t heard about the two of us.
“It’s a great opportunity and it’s one I’m really looking forward to. Myself and Kevin have spoken about it. All the players at Preston, we’re all in the same boat, looking to impress the manager. Hopefully tonight I’ve caught his eye and I hope to do that in the next two or three games.”
Whether his move to Preston will be followed by a first senior Republic of Ireland cap remains to be seen, but Maguire believes his time will come. He’s been snubbed by the Irish management thus far, but if the Kilkenny native can replicate his form for Cork City in England, a call-up from Martin O’Neill is inevitable.
“It’s driven me on to impress them even more. I’m really working hard. My first priority is to do well for Cork City and when I go over to Preston it will be to impress the new manager and get into the team straight away,” said the former Irish U21 international.
“Then I’ll look ahead to maybe an Irish cap one day. Obviously it’s disappointing not getting called up but I’m not really too pushed on it. I know one day that I will put on the Irish jersey and show them how good I am.”
