Football Season Guide

Cork are coming from a nearly perfect season, as they not only managed to end Dundalk's domestic dominance by winning the title, but also defeated the Lilywhites in the FAI Cup final to collect two of the three major domestic trophies. However, not all was well for John Caulfield's side in the latter stages of the previous season, as they pretty much won the title thanks to the huge lead that they accumulated in the first half of the season, but they struggled in the second half. What changed and caused Cork to start the struggle was the departure of star striker Sean Maguire to Preston, as it soon became apparent that Cork are a completely different side without the hitman, who ended the previous season as the Premier League top scorer despite leaving the club midway through. Given their status as champions, Cork were able to attract a number of star players of other Premier League clubs, but the man who will really be under the spotlight is Graham Cummins, who joins for his second spell at the club and will be expected to replace Maguire's goal output. With no important players leaving and several promising players signing, Cork once again look very strong. However, they did not look like a title-winning side in the second half of the previous season and a lot will come down to if some of their new signing will compensate for the sharpness that they lost with Maguire's departure.