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James Tilley (far right) is congratulated by team-mates after scoring the winner for Brighton against Barnet in the Carabao Cup in August 2017. PA Archive/PA Images

Cork City sign 20-year-old attacker with first-team experience at Brighton

James Tilley has signed a loan deal which will keep him on Leeside until the end of June.

CORK CITY HAVE announced the loan signing of James Tilley from English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

Tilley, who is contracted to Brighton until the summer of 2020, has linked up with the SSE Airtricity League outfit after impressing during two recent pre-season outings. He is due to remain on Leeside until the end of June.

The 20-year-old English attacker has made three first-team appearances for Brighton but has mostly featured for the Seagulls’ U23 side.

At the age of 16, he made his senior debut in a Championship fixture against Middlesbrough in May 2015. He went on to play in two Carabao Cup games, scoring the only goal of last season’s second-round clash with Barnet.

Speaking about his move to John Caulfield’s side, Tilley said: “I was playing an U23 game and John was watching, so I found out afterwards that he was interested. I met him and spoke to him and it all sounded good, a club with big ambitions. I came in and trained for a few days and enjoyed it, so I am glad to have it all sorted out.

“The standard is definitely good. It is different to playing U23 football, it is a lot more physical, but it is a good standard and training has been good. I hope to bring goals and assists to the team. Now that it is done, I can relax and look to kick on ahead of the start of the league.” 

Pending receipt of international clearance, Tilley could play in Sunday afternoon’s Munster Senior Cup game against Fermoy.

IMG_4277 Tilley with Cork City manager John Caulfield. Cork City FC Cork City FC

John Caulfield said: “We are very happy; we have done a lot of work with Brighton over a number of weeks to get this over the line. James is a very exciting player with a smashing left foot, lots of pace, very creative and he can score goals. We have a lot of work to do to bed him into our system, but he is certainly a very exciting player.

“He has been at Brighton since the age of 12; he made a few first-team appearances, but they are a Premier League side and it is very difficult to get game-time in that division.”

By linking up with City ahead of the 2019 season, Tilley joins goalkeeper Tadhg Ryan (Galway United), defender Dan Casey (Bohemians), defender/midfielder Garry Comerford (Waterford), midfielder Daire O’Connor (UCD) and striker Darragh Rainsford (Pike Rovers) as the club’s newest additions.

City will contest the President’s Cup against 2018 double winners Dundalk at Turner’s Cross on 9 February. Their league campaign begins six days later away to St Patrick’s Athletic. 

Ahead of the final weekend of European pool games, Murray Kinsella, Andy Dunne and Gavan Casey look at what each of the provinces can expect, and who impressed last weekend:


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    Mute ryan o sullivan
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    Dec 9th 2016, 3:47 PM

    All the pony he’s been talking about mcgregor and he can’t even make weight

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    Mute Gary
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    Dec 9th 2016, 3:49 PM

    Max Halloway now well deserves a shot at Aldo and if he wins we might see Halloway fight the real champion next year.

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    Mute Screaming Toddy
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    Dec 9th 2016, 7:55 PM

    He should have had the shot at Aldo to begin with. What a farce.

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    Mute Kris Ertz
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    Dec 9th 2016, 4:30 PM

    So the belt is at stake for one of them…ffs what a joke shop, after all that fuss with McGregor and the FW belt. And your man can’t even make weight….Conor must be laughing his ass off, both belts on shoulders

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    Mute Rudiger McMonihan
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    Dec 9th 2016, 4:40 PM

    LOL, serves them right for using this fight as an excuse to take the belt off CM. They easily couldve said “it’ll be >20m by the time he gets to defend his belt so we’re taking it”, but instead they decided to create more interim nonsense fights and have ended up with egg on their faces… Hope Pettis wins now, just to complicate it even more

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    Mute Sean Minogue
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    Dec 9th 2016, 4:45 PM

    McGregor wouldn’t make that mistake

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    Mute Richard Fitzgerald
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    Dec 9th 2016, 6:25 PM

    I’m not 100% but judging from embedded . He arrived in late Wednesday flight delayed 3 hrs stuff Holloway been there ages. No excuse at that level should have had everything in order

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    Mute Alan McGrane
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    Dec 9th 2016, 10:58 PM

    You’re right, he was also eating steak and eggs a few days out from the fight. Can’t help but feel a chicken salad would have been a better alternative

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    Mute Alan Quinn
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    Dec 10th 2016, 12:42 PM

    Spot on Alan. I was watching it thinking, he is a natural LW eating steak from a restaurant days before a FW weigh in hahaha… Unprofessional it is!

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    Mute Joe English
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    Dec 9th 2016, 8:16 PM

    At the end of the day though nothing really changes. If Hollaway wins then obviously he’s the interim champion and gets a shot at Aldo next year. But if Pettis wins then fair enough he doesn’t get the interim title but who else are they going to get to fight Aldo

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    Mute gold3n
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    Dec 9th 2016, 8:16 PM

    Welcome to Clown’s Vill and head clown Pettis!!

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