Praise indeed for City - from the UEFA website

**Plastic Paddy** · 16/07/2004, 10:08 AM

This from the UEFA website. Well done boys and good luck.

PP

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http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Ki...Id=207701.html

Cork floating to the top
Friday, 16 July 2004
By Aidan Fitzmaurice

Fans of football in Cork have been starved of success in recent years with just one Republic of Ireland title in 1993 and an Irish Cup in 1998 in the last 20 years. However, Cork City FC's win against Dutch side NEC Nijmigen in last weekend's UEFA Intertoto Cup has made them the first Irish side to survive two rounds of a UEFA competition since Dundalk FC in 1979.

Great result
Up until now, a 1-1 draw in a UEFA Cup game against FC Bayern M�nchen in 1991 had marked the pinnacle of Cork's European achievements. However, after a 4-1 aggregate win against Malm� FF in the first round, a 1-0 win last weekend put Pat Dolan's side beyond the reach of NEC and on course for a tie against French side FC Nantes Atlantique in the third round.

Kevin Doyle scored the winning goal against NEC

Dolan factor
As a player, Dolan never amounted to much and was finished by the age of 28. However, as a coach he has achieved legendary status in Ireland after winning the league with St Patrick's Athletic FC and now working wonders at Cork, where he has outstripped Jim McLaughlin as the most successful Irish manager in European competition.

This is great for all of Irish football

Pat Dolan

Manager's rhapsody
"This is the stuff of dreams," he said last week after Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Kevin Doyle's headed goal proved to be the winner against NEC. "We've played and beaten a Dutch and a Swedish top-flight team, won home and away and didn't concede a goal against Nijmegen. This is great for all of Irish football. It's not about me, it's about the players. It wasn't just our win, it was our performance."

Local boys
Most of Dolan's side are local lads, born and bred in Cork: Michael Devine, John O'Flynn, George O'Callaghan, Colin O'Brien, Alan Bennett, Killian Lordan, Liam Kearney, Billy Woods, Joe Gamble, Greg O'Halloran are all from the city or the
vicinity.

English Irishmen
But there are also a couple of 'imported' stars, players who were born in England to Irish parents, who came to Ireland to find a club and ended up living a dream in Europe. Striker Neale Fenn spent six years with Tottenham Hotspur FC before moving to Cork, Danny Murphy played for Queens Park Rangers FC and skipper Dan Murray started out with Peterborough United FC. "I love it here, I'm proud to be playing for Cork and I have no plans to go back to England," said former Irish youth international Murphy.

Cork prospects
So how far can Cork go? The players know that Nantes will be favourites in the next round, and that suits them as City have been written off and underestimated by their opponents all along. "Even after we got a 0-0 draw in Holland, Nijmegen were calling us an average amateur side," said Cork defender Bennett. "That hurt.

'Written off'
"Nijmegen underestimated us, as Malm� did," he added. "We've been written off since the start, but we've also been well prepared. I don't think that Malmo or Nijmegen knew too much about us but we knew everything about them. We could go to Pat Dolan and ask him anything. He had us well drilled. He knew their stats, their positions, everything.

Dizzy heights
"It's a dream come true to play a team like Nantes," concluded Bennett. "It's French football and a great chance to test yourself against the best. I can't wait. We're an Irish club who have a chance of making the semi-finals of a European competition, that's something you don't hear too often."