HIS TEAM MANAGED to keep Dundalk scoreless for the fifth time in their last six meetings, but Cork City manager John Caulfield’s post-match press conference last night at Turner’s Cross was dominated by the untimely departure of Kenny Browne.
Browne joined City from St Patrick’s Athletic ahead of the beginning of last season and formed a successful partnership with Alan Bennett at the centre of Cork City’s defence, as the Leesiders conceded fewer league goals than any other Premier Division side in 2016.
However, according to Caulfield, the 30-year-old is now a Waterford FC player.
After City defeated Dundalk 3-0 last night to win the President’s Cup at Turner’s Cross, Caulfield confirmed that the club have reluctantly accepted an undisclosed fee for Browne from his hometown club. Browne’s potential departure had been rumoured on Leeside recently, but Caulfield said an agreement has only been reached this week.
“He [Browne] informed me a few times in the last six weeks that he wanted to go,” Caulfield said.
“Then he decided he didn’t [want to go], but eventually then on late Wednesday night he informed us that he wants to go; doesn’t want to play with the club.”
In his only season with Cork City, Browne won the FAI Cup and President’s Cup. He also played an important part in the club’s Europa League run, which included wins over Linfield and BK Hacken prior to their elimination at the hands of KRC Genk.
Under the stewardship of new chairman Lee Power, Waterford have been rebuilding since the end of last season. With Pat Fenlon in charge, the club are seeking to return to the Premier Division. Browne will be the fourth player to move to the club from Cork City, following in the footsteps of Mark O’Sullivan, Dave Mulcahy and Matthew Connor.
“From my point of view here, while it was disappointing at the end of the day, there had been issues in the sense that they [Waterford] had been onto him in the last two months, non-stop, every day. It was affecting the squad, it was affecting things in the club and I suppose at the end of the day we need passionate players here, we need people who want to win.
“I always say this: if you don’t have a happy squad, you’ve no chance. While I’m disappointed and Kenny was very good for me last year, ultimately his head was turned since Christmas and he was just doing everything to get out. Sometimes you just have to make that decision.”
Goals from Sean Maguire, Kevin O’Connor and Karl Sheppard gave Cork City a 3-0 win last night in front of 3,140 supporters at Turner’s Cross. It was a disappointing evening’s work for Dundalk, who had Ciaran Kilduff stretchered off in added time with a severe gash in his leg following a collision with Cork City goalkeeper Mark McNulty.
With Alan Bennett and John Dunleavy out injured, and Browne heading for the exit door, new signing Ryan Delaney was handed a debut at the heart of the Cork City defence following his loan move from Burton Albion. He was partnered by midfielder Conor McCormack, whose performance was praised afterwards by Caulfield.
“When you have players with hearts like that, that’s what you need over the long slog of the next eight months,” Caulfield said. “You have a chance when you have players like that and that’s the most important thing.”
The Cork City boss, who described the situation with Kenny Browne as “a bit of a soap opera”, added: “At the end of the day, when a player informs you that he doesn’t want to play with the club anymore, you try to get it resolved and that was probably the most disappointing thing about it because we treated him really, really well here.
“The fans liked him, I was mad about him but it is annoying when a fella says he doesn’t want to play for you. But at the end of the day, you deal with it. You move on and we’ve moved on. The players knew yesterday that that was the situation.
“He’s not going to be our player from tomorrow onwards. We need players out there to do what they did tonight, and drive on for the rest of the season. It’s going to be a long, hard season but with fellas with passion and ability like we had there, we’ll be fine.”
Cork City have added Delaney and Shane Griffin to their defensive options during the off-season, while the addition of Lithuanian U21 international Rimvydas Sadauskas is also expected to be announced in the coming days as the club comes to terms with Browne’s departure.
Caulfield said: “It’s part of the situation where, basically he [Browne] was brilliant for me last year. But at the same time, he didn’t want to be part of a league challenge, he didn’t want to play in Europe, and in fairness to him he told me all those things.
“Sometimes fellas are shocked. Nothing shocks me nowadays.”
Thank the Lord Cafferkey is gone. Been a great servant but past it. Vaughan the best choice to nullify Star.
Seamus to be dropped, Durcan to start in the half backs with Lee coming into the middle to shackle Moran and stop the ball being fed into the front 3.
God knows we owe the cute hoor artists…here’s hoping.
@Jack Strong: just wait till we get Jack Barry on. Keegan and Aidan o shea won’t know what hit them
@Seán O’Sullivan: Enda Smith, the form midfielder in the country, disagrees. If we’re going to get at Kerry at all it’s going to be in midfield. Aidan on Maher gives us a real chance of getting the running game going from the half back line. If we get Paddy, Zippy and Kev Mc running at the Kerry defence ye’re in trouble.
@Seán O’Sullivan: Jack Barry is a poor man’s William Kirby. No where near as good as he’s made out to be. A big block of a man but a very limited footballer.
@Tomás Ó Tiocair: if he’s that bad how did he play Brian Fenton off the field in the league final? If he can do it to Fenton he can do it to keegan surely
@Jack Strong: there’s no way maher will mark o shea or keegan. He’s way too slow. He’ll be on parsons I’d say.
@Seán O’Sullivan: Jesus anyone can have an off day. Sure the Galway corner back literally played JOD off the field in the QF….should we hand him the all star now and hail him the next Mark O’Se???
@Seán O’Sullivan: Parsons is the quicker of the two so Maher has to pick up one of them. Mayo will play a 3 man midfield with Aidan flirting between there and the 45 because it’s Kerry’s weakest line.
@Jack Strong: Technically Cafferkey is one of the best around, might just be a little bit too slow. But in terms of getting his hand in and technique, he’s very very good.
@Daragh O’Brien: agree Darragh. He’s been left exposed in the past by tactics more than anything else. He’s a quality player and former all star. There’s no better full back on that Mayo panel unfortunately. He probably didn’t get a great chance to get match sharp coming back from injury and was poor against Cork. I’d personally like to see him in there to make amends for Kerry 2014. I know he would be raring for that.
@Daragh O’Brien: Cafferkey has been roasted alive all year, he was simply woeful in Salthill and against Ros. Solid in his day but that day has definitely gone, he’s lost the legs since the injury last year.
@Tomás Ó Tiocair: an off day because Barry was there
@Seán O’Sullivan: Fenton is streets ahead of Barry but you keep on telling yourself otherwise. #deluded
“Good old St Lee. Never breaks the rules. No pulling, dragging, punching”. Says everyone from Mayo. But nobody else.
@Thomas McGilly: he’s easier defend than a fella with a criminal conviction in any case.
@Thomas McGilly: there’s a reason he saw red in 14 and black in 16.
@Jack Strong: Good man Jack. Whatabouttery from the get go.
@Seán O’Sullivan: Keegan was sent off for a nothing offence in 14. Walsh was pathetic with his carry on that day. Enright was the only one who deserved to see the line that day and the outcome would have been very different.
@Thomas McGilly: I wonder who’s jersey he’ll be asking for during the game when he’s trying to rip it off his shoulders.
@Dave Murray: Ah St. Lee doesn’t do such things. He is, as Ellis Boyd Redding would say, “Cleaner than a virgin’s honey potter”.
From a Galway man have a feeling mayo will edge this,there hungry for blood and out for the kill had to bring Vaughan in ,I said after Galway beat them was best thing to happen to them and put money on them to be there year ,prob be game of the season ,can’t wait to see the midfield battle and if Kerry can stop mayos runners and if mayo can stop supply to the full forward line,very intrigued indeed
Its hard to see anything other than a comfortable win for kerry, but to have any chance ,Mayo will have to make sure they stay in this game early on, and if so after forthy mins it might be an interesting finish.
Great team Cmon Mayo
I think colm the gooch cooper is gonna have a field day against this mayo defence. Not 1 of them will stop him
Yeah… he’ll have a great game in the studio.