Full name | Cork City Football Club | ||
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Nickname(s) | "City", "Rebel Army" | ||
Founded | 1984 | ||
Ground | Turners Cross, Cork, County Cork (Capacity: 7,485, all seated) |
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Owner | FORAS | ||
Chairman | John O'Sullivan | ||
Manager | Tommy Dunne | ||
2010 | League of Ireland First Division, 6th | ||
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Cork City Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Cathrach Chorcaí) is an Irish football team that plays in the League of Ireland. Founded and elected to the league in 1984 to continue the long tradition of Association Football in Cork, its traditional colours are green and white with red trim. It was one of the first clubs in Ireland (and the first in Cork) to field a team of professional footballers. With the progression of professionalism at the club, continued development of the Turner's Cross stadium and the transition to summer football, the club became one of the biggest and best supported clubs in the country.[1]
Between 2008 and 2010 however, the club suffered financial hardships and management controversy. The club entered a period of examinership in 2008 and was subject to a winding up order taken by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. Despite some temporary stays, the financial and management issues meant the resignation of the club chairman,[2][3] several months of court and legal wrangling,[4] and denial of a Premier Division license by the FAI licensing committee.[5] Ultimately the club's holding company, Cork City Investments Fc Ltd, was wound up by the courts.[5] The fans ensured City was still represented in the League of Ireland by entering under the temporary name Cork City FORAS Co-op in the immediate aftermath of the winding up of the previous holding company Cork City Investments Fc Ltd.[6] The club subsequently purchased the rights to the name "Cork City Football Club" from the liquidators and will compete under this name next season.[7] Cork City FC never ceased to exist as the former holding company Cork City Investments Fc Ltd was still in existence during its liquidation period when the name and intellectual property were purchased, and the underage teams continued to exist under the name while owned and funded by the fans.[8]
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The club founded in 1984 was not the first to use the name Cork City. During the 1920s, together with Fordsons, Cork Bohemians, Cobh Ramblers and Cork Celtic, a Cork City fielded teams in both the Munster Junior League and the Munster Senior League.[9] Another Cork City played in the League of Ireland for just one season, 1938-39.[10] With a team that included Owen Madden, Tom Davis and Jackie O'Driscoll, they also won the Munster Senior Cup in 1939. This club evolved from the earlier Cork clubs, Fordsons and Cork, and played its home games at the Mardyke. For the 1939-40 season they changed their name to Cork United and became the league's most successful club during the 1940s. They then became Cork Athletic before eventually folding in 1958. Their place in the league was taken by Cork Hibernians.
In 1984 senior football returned to Leeside when a new Cork City FC was founded by officials from several Cork clubs (including Cork United and Avondale United), and the new club was elected to the League of Ireland. Former Chelsea and Cork Celtic hero Bobby Tambling was the first manager appointed to the club, but he was replaced by Tony 'Tucker' Allen after only 13 games.
In its first and second seasons, the young club barely averted relegation to the new First Division - failing to win a single game at home in Flower Lodge and avoiding relegation only on goal difference. The FAI Cup offered some respite, however Shamrock Rovers knocked City out in the semi-finals - in the last match played at the Lodge.
In 1986 the club moved to a new home at Turners Cross, where new manager Noel O’Mahony brought Cork to a midtable finish. The following year the club strived to inject a degree of professionalism, and former Ireland striker Eamon O'Keefe arrived as manager, delivering the Munster Senior Cup, and the League of Ireland Cup (the club’s first national silverware).
Poor form and attendances cast doubts over O’Keefe’s tenure and there was an acrimonious parting of the ways in 1988. With Noel O’Mahony re-installed the side finished eighth in the league, and a loss to champions Derry City in the FAI Cup final earned the club its first European ticket.
They experienced gained in a 0-6 on aggregate defeat against the Russian side Torpedo Moscow inspired a fifth-place finish in the Premier Division, and the Munster Senior Cup was reclaimed.
The early 1990s was a positive period for the club, with lengthy unbeaten league runs, high league positions, retention of the Munster Senior Cup through 4 years, and good performances in Europe. The most notable European game was a gallant performance in a UEFA Cup tie with Bayern Munich, which saw City hold the German giants 1:1 at Musgrave Park before falling 0:2 to late goals in Bavaria. 1993 saw Cork City land the League of Ireland Premier Division title for the first time, after a complicated three team play-off. O'Mahoney resigned and the club moved to a new stadium in Bishopstown at the end of the season.
Damien Richardson took the helm and the 1993/94 season began with City coming from three goals down to beat Welsh side Cwmbran Town in the UEFA Champions League. Their reward was a trip to Istanbul and odd-goal defeats both home and away to Galatasaray. City ended up finishing in runners up position in the league.
1994/95 was a tumultuous season for Cork City. After a bright start to the season, financial pressures forced Richardson to resign and with Bishopstown not being developed to plan, games were switched to Cobh, Turners Cross, and even an enforced trip to Tolka Park. O'Mahony was re-appointed as manager but the title challenge collapsed and neither Munster Senior Cup nor League of Ireland Cup successes could ease the sense of foreboding.
At the start of the 1995/96 season Rob Hindmarch took the reins, but the club was in trouble. With the stadium dragging it under, the receiver was called in and the club left homeless. Efforts to save the situation saw a new Board installed and a move back to Turners Cross. Penniless, Hindmarch had skimmed along but relegation still threatened, and a Cup exit saw Dave Barry appointed. The team scrambled to ninth in the league, and for the first time in five years City lost the Munster Cup - to Waterford junior side Waterford Crystal.
1996/97 saw City finish fourth place. The club narrowly lost out on League Cup glory with an unexpected loss to First Division Galway United. Crowds began to increase, and the Munster Senior Cup was recaptured. The following season Cork performed admirably in the InterToto Cup and the team improved to third in the league. Dave Barry's reign reached its high point in that year, when City won the 1998 FAI Cup, beating Shelbourne 1-0 in a replayed final at Dalymount Park. Cork began the following season with eight straight wins but in the end had to settle for second place, as three defeats to champions St Patrick’s Athletic cost them dearly. After finishing runner up for the second season in a row in 1999/2000, Barry resigned to be replaced by Colin Murphy.
Colin Murphy stayed for one FAI Super Cup game before departing to Leicester City just days before a crucial UEFA Cup game. His replacement, Derek Mountfield, lasted less than a season and was replaced by former player Liam Murphy. Under Murphy City embarked on a 13-game unbeaten run that brought an Intertoto ticket and a tenth Munster Cup success.
In 2001 a controversial link-up was proposed between City, English side Leicester City and local outfit Mayfield United. Fans protested however, and the link-up never materialised. Also in 2001, the board of directors stepped down and businessman Brian Lennox assumed control and lead the club to a new professional era.
2002 was most notable as a time of transition, as several older players, who had been a mainstay of the team in the 1990s, left the club or joined the coach staff. They were replaced by younger signings - such as George O'Callaghan, John O'Flynn and Dan Murray.
In February 2003 ex-St. Pat's manager Pat Dolan was unveiled as the new boss and he led City to third place in the new summer season. Dolan's second season as manager also proved successful, as City surpassed Malmö FF and NEC Nijmegen in the Intertoto Cup and second place in the league was secured.
Dolan was controversially sacked in pre-season 2005 and replaced by former manager Damien Richardson. In 2005, Richardson lead Cork City to their second league championship - winning on the final day of the season with a 2-0 victory over Derry City. In the same year, Cork City finished runners-up the FAI Cup.
2006 saw further upgrade work begin at Turners Cross and City met Apollon Limassol and Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League. The club lost to Drogheda United in the Setanta Cup Final, finished 4th in the league, and secured a place in the Intertoto and Setanta Cup.
At the start of the 2007 season, two new signings were deemed ineligible for play. This mirrored an inconsistent season start, with elimination from the Setanta Cup, a home win against St. Pat's and a record-equalling 4-1 defeat to Sligo Rovers. In August 2007, Roy O'Donovan left for Sunderland for a record LOI fee of €500,000. 2007 also saw the club's ownership change hands: from Chairman Brian Lennox to venture capital firm "Arkaga". Despite an FAI Cup win, manager Damien Richardson's future at the club was in doubt, and - after some acrimony - he and the club parted ways.[11]
In January 2008, former Longford Town boss Alan Mathews became manager,[12] and the club signed several players - including taking advantage of FIFA's changes to the "3 club" rule by re-signing George O'Callaghan from Ipswich Town. However O'Callaghan was later dropped and released. City were knocked out of the first qualifying round in European competition by FC Haka. While David Mooney retained the league's top scorer spot, City failed to take points from Bohemians or St. Pats and finished fifth in the league. The club did however gain some silverware, beating Glentoran in the Setanta Sports Cup final.[13] Off the pitch the club suffered a considerable threat when, in August 2008, after investment difficulties with venture capital firm Arkaga,[14] the club entered into examinership.[15] With debts of up to €800,000, cost cutting measures were implemented.[16] Under related rules, the club was deducted 10 points in the league.[17] In October 2008 the High Court ruled in favour of Tom Coughlan's bid to take over the club, and ended the examinership.
Paul Doolin replaced Mathews as manager for the 2009 season,[18] and the side gained a number of positive results early in 2009 - including defeating Roy Keane's touring Ipswich Town 2-0.[19] Despite these on pitch results however, the club's future was left in considerable doubt following a High Court decision on outstanding Revenue receipts.[20] A "winding up" order was issued when no agreement could be reached on tax payments.[21] The club were given several extensions to pay or to appeal,[22][23][24] and the club narrowly staved off closure by meeting a final deadline.[25] Doolin left at the end of 2009, after leading the club to a third place finish in the 2009 premier division season.[26]
Fallout from the financial and management difficulties in 2008 and 2009 followed the club into the new decade. Roddy Collins was appointed manager before the start of the 2010 season,[27] despite questions over his contract status at Floriana F.C..[28] Mounting pressure on owner Tom Coughlan (including threatened boycotts[29] and censure by the FAI)[3][30] resulted in his resignation as chairman.[2] Club participation in the Premier Division was also left in doubt as licensing decisions were deferred pending changes in club ownership and payment of outstanding tax receipts.[4] Ultimately the club failed to gain this licence, meaning a deal on new ownership could not be secured, and the courts enforced a winding-up order on Cork City Investment FC Limited.[31][32] Cork City fans entered the League of Ireland 1st Division under the temporary name Cork City FORAS Co-op in the immediate aftermath of the winding up of the holding company CCIFC Ltd, keeping Cork City in existence. The name and history of the club were resorted on the 1st of June 2010 when FORAS completed the purchase of IP rights from Cork City Investments FC Ltd's liquator. The team continued the compete in the League of Ireland as Cork City FORAS Co-op for the remainder of the season though supporters, the club and most Irish media returned to calling the club Cork City FC again.
Tommy Dunne (formerly assistant manager to Paul Doolin) was quickly appointed first team manager. City's opening game of the season was a 1-1 draw away to Derry City F.C. on 5 March 2010.[33] A week later, 4,401 people attended City's first home game against Waterford United.[34]
City's young players received considerable recognition during the 2010 season. Stephen Mulcahy, Shane Duggan, and Graham Cummins were called up and played for the Ireland U23s.[35][36] Gearóid Morrissey was called up to the Ireland U21s.[37][38] Duggan and Cummins were both named in the PFAI First Division Team of the Year, while Cummins won the PFAI First Division Player of the Year award.[39][40] Cummins finished the 2010 season as City's top scorer, and joint top scorer in the First Division with 18 league goals.
Cork City FC is owned by its supporters through a supporters' trust - the Friends of the Rebel Army Society. This trust elects a Board of Management to run the football club, but the major decisions must be made at Annual General Meetings or Extraordinary General Meetings. The Board of Management appointed two club administrators (Kevin Mullen[41] and Eanna Buckley[42]) for the day to day operations of the club. The current chairman of FORAS, and the first of a fans' owned Cork City FC, is John O'Sullivan.
Cork City play their home games at Turners Cross - a 7,485 thousand all-seater stadium on the southside of Cork City. The stadium is rented from the Munster Football Association.
Title | Year/s |
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League of Ireland | 1992-93, 2005 |
FAI Cup | 1998, 2007 |
League of Ireland Cup | 1987-88, 1994–95, 1998–99 |
Munster Senior Cup | 1987-88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008 |
Setanta Sports Cup | 2008 |
General | |
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Record league victory | (a) v Limerick 7-1, 26 September 1993 |
Record league defeat | (a) v Derry City 2-7, 27 August 1987 |
Longest unbeaten run | 24, 1 April 1990 - 13 January 1991 |
Most Successive wins | 9, 27 March 2009 - 5 June 2009 |
Appearances | |
Most appearances | John Caulfield - 455 |
Most starts | John Caulfield - 376 |
Most consecutive starts | Michael Devine - 118 |
Most substitute appearances | John Caulfield - 79 |
League Goals | |
Aggregate | John Caulfield - 129, Pat Morley - 129 |
Season | Pat Morley - 20 (Twice) |
Game | No Cork City player scored more than 3 goals in a game. John O'Flynn (3 times), Ollie Cahill (2 times), John Caulfield (2 times), Kelvin Flanagan, Pat Morley, Roy O'Donovan (2 times) Shane Duggan, Denis Behan and Colin O'Brien all scored a hat trick |
Clean Sheets | Phil Harrington - 112 |
Year | Inductee |
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2006* | Dave Barry |
2006 | Patsy Freyne |
2007 | Declan Daly |
2007 | Phil Harrington |
2008 | John Caulfield |
2008 | Pat Morley |
2009 | Liam Murphy |
2009 | Colin T O'Brien |
2010 | Dave Hill |
2010 | Derek Coughlan |
* The "Cork City Official Supporters Club Hall of Fame" was inaugurated in 2006 - following a charity match between the Supporters Club and a "Legends" selection of past Cork City players. |
Season | Points Total | Position | Season | Points Total | Position |
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1984/85 | 28 | 9th | 1996/97 | 54 | 4th |
1985/86 | 13 | 10th | 1997/98 | 53 | 3rd |
1986/87 | 18 | 7th | 1998/99 | 70 | 2nd |
1987/88 | 34 | 7th | 1999/2000 | 58 | 2nd |
1988/89 | 26 | 8th | 2000/01 | 56 | 3rd |
1989/90 | 37 | 5th | 2001/02 | 49 | 6th |
1990/91 | 50 | 2nd | 2002/03 | 39 | 4th |
1991/92 | 43 | 3rd | 2003[1] | 53 | 3rd |
1992/93 | 48 | 1st | 2004 | 65 | 2nd |
1993/94 | 59 | 2nd | 2005 | 74[2] | 1st |
1994/95 | 49 | 7th | 2006 | 56 | 4th |
1995/96 | 41 | 9th | 2007 | 55 | 4th |
2008 | 46[3] | 5th | |||
2009 | 60 | 3rd | |||
2010[4] | 52 | 6th |
Competition | Played | Win | Draw | Lost | For | Against |
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UEFA Champions League/European Cup | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
UEFA Cup | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 20 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
UEFA Intertoto Cup | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 13 |
Total | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 26 | 54 |
Year | Competition | Opponents |
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1989-90 | Cup Winners' Cup | Torpedo Moscow |
1991-92 | UEFA Cup | Bayern Munich |
1993-94 | European Cup | Cwmbran Town |
European Cup | Galatasaray | |
1994-95 | UEFA Cup | Slavia Prague |
1997-98 | Intertoto Cup | Standard Liège |
Intertoto Cup | Maccabi Petah Tikva | |
Intertoto Cup | FC Cologne | |
Intertoto Cup | FC Aarau | |
1998-99 | Cup Winners' Cup | CSKA Kyiv |
1999–2000 | UEFA Cup | IFK Gothenburg |
2000-01 | UEFA Cup | Lausanne Sports |
2001-02 | Intertoto Cup | FHK Liepājas Metalurgs |
2004-05 | Intertoto Cup | Malmö FF |
Intertoto Cup | NEC Nijmegen | |
Intertoto Cup | FC Nantes Atlantique | |
2005-06 | UEFA Cup | Ekranas |
UEFA Cup | Djurgårdens IF | |
UEFA Cup | Slavia Praha | |
2006-07 | Champions League | Apollon Limassol |
Champions League | Crvena Zvezda | |
2007-08 | Intertoto Cup | Valur |
Intertoto Cup | Hammarby | |
2008-09 | UEFA Cup | FC Haka |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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As of 13 July 2010 the coaching staff includes:[43]
Position | Name |
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Manager | Tommy Dunne |
Assistant manager | Greg O'Halloran |
Head of Youth Development | Pat Curran |
U-20 Manager | Stuart Ashton |
U-18 Manager | Paul Bowdren |
U-17 Manager | Stephen Bermingham |
Goalkeeping coach | Michael Devine |
Club doctor | Dr. Gerard Murphy |
Year/s | Manager |
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1984 | Bobby Tambling |
1984-85 | Tony 'Tucker' Allen |
1986 | Noel O'Mahoney |
1987 | Eamon O'Keefe |
1988–1992 | Noel O'Mahoney |
1992-93 | Damien Richardson |
1993-94 | Noel O'Mahoney |
1994-95 | Rob Hindmarch |
1995–2000 | Dave Barry |
2000 | Colin Murphy |
2000 | Derek Mountfield |
2000–2003 | Liam Murphy |
2003–2004 | Pat Dolan |
2005–2007 | Damien Richardson |
2008 | Alan Mathews |
2009 | Paul Doolin |
2010 | Roddy Collins |
2010- | Tommy Dunne |
Original kit 1984-1989
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Recurring black Away kit
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Red Home kit 1997-2002
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v. Nijmegen 2004
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See: CorkCityFc.tk |
The club's colours largely reflected the traditional colours of association football in Cork, with green and white featuring heavily. Since the club's inception in 1984, the kits also featured a red trim - influenced in part by the traditional Gaelic Athletic Association colours of County Cork. Over the years, these base colours were worn in different combinations:[44] originally green and white hoops in 1984, then white shirts with green and red trim in 1989, etc.[45]
In 1997, the club broke with tradition to use a red and white kit - reminiscent of the popular Cork County GAA kits. Subsequently, the club reverted to the green and white theme in 2002, initially with white sidings rather than stripes, but eventually returning to green white and red stripes.[44]
Since 1984, the team only wore a kit with a single solid colour once, and at that not by choice. In 2004, when visiting Intertoto cup opponents NEC Nijmegen, the referee deemed both Cities' kits to clash with both of NEC's, and the club was forced to hurriedly source a viable alternative while en route to the Netherlands. The team wore all-white with a makeshift crest and sponsorship.
There was a recurring theme of black away kits - often with yellow trim - reflecting the kits of former Cork clubs.[44] In 2004 a Cork XI selection featuring many City players faced Bolton Wanderers, wearing yellow and black. Black again became the colour of the teams away jersey in 2008 with a jersey from Danish sports outfit Hummel.
In 2010, the club kept with tradition by wearing a green home kit with red and white trim manufactured by Hummel. The away kit is red with white trim, reminiscent of the 1997-2001 home kits, Cork GAA kits, and Munster Rugby kits. These kits will be used for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. City wore red at home for the first time since the 01/02 season on 10 September 2010 against Mervue United to show support for the Cork Gaelic Footballers who were due to face Down in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final the following weekend.[46]
The Rebel Army have one of the biggest support bases in the League of Ireland, often having attendances of four of five thousand compared to a Premier Division league average of approximately 1,500. The club currently has an average attendance of 1,864 in the 2010 season despite being midtable in the First Division, the third highest average attendance of both Premier and First Divisions.
At the last home match of 2006, long-running fanzine FourFiveOne announced that it was discontinuing, leaving "I was out there once!" (IWOTO)[47] and "Spreadin' the Dirt" as the remaining fanzine offerings. In the 2007 season a new fanzine, Going Commando was launched by ultra group Commandos 84. "Going Commando" was stopped at the end of the 2008 season but will start up again in 2011.
"The Shed" is a small section of seating on the right side of the Curragh Road stand and home to Cork City's more vocal supporters.
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