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NEWS >>>>>>
25th July 2006
From JAMES BROWN in Bishopstown
Cork City 3 Faversham Town 0
TERRY CORDICE has been there, done it
and bought the T-shirt as a non-league footballer but even he has
never found himself sandwiched between two Champions League games.
But that was exactly what came
to pass as Faversham Town took on Cork City as part of their mini
Irish tour on Saturday.
Tonight, the Irish League champs
entertain Red Star Belgrade in the second qualifying round of the
Champions League at a sell-out Turner's Cross, less than a week
after seeing off Cypriot outfit Apollon Limasol.
And with more than a few Town
players encountering "refuelling" issues in the land of
Guinness and Bulmers, taking on Cork City was always going to be
every bit as arduous as their 4am airport check-in time on Friday.
Sides far better than Town have
come unstuck in these parts - Premiership giants included - so
Cordice was philosophical about a second successive pre-season
defeat.
He said: "C'mon now, three
of their lads will be playing Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday! It's
been a very good weekend and the lads will have learned
a great deal from that match.
"Of course, I am
disappointed with the result but we found out certain things about
the players.
"Andy Martin did well up
front and I thought Mark Smith did well too. If we had taken one
or two of our chances it'd been different but we can have no
complaints.
"We were flagging in the
last 20 minutes. Let's just say the night before could have caught
up with a few of the players but there you go. They knew the deal,
you can go out but be ready to play at 3pm.
"To be fair, Cork City are
a very good side who really knock the ball around well. They are
full time too and it showed. In fact, they have lads with football
league experience, are doing well in Europe and Spurs are chasing
their winger. They're certainly no mugs.
"Having said all that, I
think that for half an hour we gave a good account of ourselves.
And in all honesty, they didn't create too much."
First-teamers Killian Lorden,
midfielder Admir Softic an Vinny Sullivan warmed up for the Red
Star showdown by starting for a Cork side also featuring
25-year-old Brian O'Callaghan who has played more than 150
Football League games for Barnsley, Crewe and Notts County.
A Cork City player you will not
have heard of is Brendan Daly but that could all be about to
change with Tottenham Hotspur closing in on the talented right
winger.
Daly has a formidable box of
tricks up his sleeve - just ask Bradley Maguire.
Town left back Maguire was left
for dead for the opening goal on 34 minutes when a great piece of
Daly skill down the flank allowed him to break free and send in a
super near-post cross.
Sullivan produced a good parry
from stand-in goalkeeper Brett Harrison but 18-year-old James
Sexton - who won the FAI Youth Cup with Cork last season - pounced
on the rebound from close range.
New boy Andy Martin had a
glorious chance just seconds after the restart when he beat the
offside trap to latch on to Kris Parker's long ball but his lob
flew just over the bar.
Martin was also on the end of
Town's best chance a few minutes later when he had a shot cleared
off the line following Mark Smith's corner in from the left.
Teen striker Sexton made it 2-0
on 57 minutes with a half-volley from 12 yards but it was more
than a shade harsh on Harrison who later insisted he had been
fouled after claiming a corner from the right.
Sarayevo-born Softic fired the
third after Cork sprung Town's offside trap on 67 minutes but the
tourists came away with their heads held high on a day they will
remember for the rest of their lives.
Who knows, one day Town might
have enough money to let them swap shirts.
TOWN'S TOP
MAN: Andy Martin - The good news is he should sign Kent League
forms this week
Town:
Brett Harrison 7, Nathan How 6, Kris Parker 6, James Holder 6,
Richard Gamble 6 Bradley Maguire 6, Ray Turner 7, Julian Beal 5,
Mark Smith 7, Andy Martin 8, John Goodwin 6.
Substitutes:
Ben Holbrook (for Maguire, 45 minutes) 7, Jason Mills (for Beal,
45) 6, Gary Roberts (for Goodwin, 45), Gary Stock (for How, 60) 6,
Kris Browning (for Parker, 75) 6, Darren Mills (for Gamble, 60) 6.
Terry Cordice (for Harrison, 87) 6.
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