Cork City v Derry City - Preview from FAI
fai.ie
Quote:
Derry City have abandoned plans to jet their squad to Cork for Friday's FAI Carlsberg Cup semi-final against Cork City at Turners Cross because of the prohibitive cost of the journey.
The Brandywell club would have had to fork out £250 sterling per head for players and supporters for the venture. Financial commonsense has prevailed and now Derry will leave home by coach on Thursday at lunch-time, staying overnight in Cork, and then finish the 600 mile round trip immediately after the game arriving back home at around 5.00 am on Saturday morning.
Manager Kevin Mahon is hopeful of orgainising training sessions in Cork on Thursday evening as well as the morning of the game. The only injury worries are central defender Peter Hutton (instep) and winger Gareth McGlynn (ankle). Teenager Kevin Deery could come into the reckoning for a place in the starting line-up.
Derry chairman Jim Roddy, still unhappy that the game could not be staged on Saturday or with a noon kick-off on Sunday, reckons that no more than 150 fans from Foyleside will travel to the game. But Cork still expect a full-house for Friday's 7:45 kick off.
Cork boss Liam Murphy, still annoyed after successive away eircom League defeats by St Patrick's Athletic, Longford Town and Shelbourne, will leave it until close to kick-off time before naming his staring line-up.
Ex-Wrexham winger David Warren, who came through two Under 21 games at the weekend, could come into the reckoning. But defender Neal Horgan is still ruled out after a knee operation with Greg O'Halloran likely to keep the left back position.
