OK, as much as we hope and pray he will not, there is no point in denying it anymore, Sean Maguire is going to leave City at some point in 2017. It could be July, it could be November/December, all we know is, there is no way in hell, he is still going to be plying his trade in Turner's Cross in 2018.
With this in mind, we are going to have to replace him (that is a lot easier said than done, mind), but I am going to look at some of the players I would like to replace the Kilkenny native with.
Rory Gaffney:
This one seems very unlikely, as the Galway man recently signed a new contract with Bristol Rovers during the week, but he has proven that he can indeed do it at the highest level of Irish football, scoring 14 times during his final season with Limerick in 2014, including a hattrick against Shamrock Rovers.
It’s not as if he will be joining the squad as a relative unknown either, he linked up with Gearoid Morrissey, when they both moved to Cambridge United during the 2014/15 season. He was also rumoured to be linked with a move to Sligo Rovers, but if anyone is going to sign him, they will have to wait at least another season.
Dave Mooney:
I’m going to be completely honest with you, for some reason, Dave Mooney was the player that peaked my interest in both Cork City and League of Ireland football. I do not know why, but there was something about him that just drew me in.
He has a fantastic goalscoring record with City, finding the back of the net 15 times during his 22 outings in a City shirt. He is a completely different type of player to Maguire, however. Standing at 6ft 2 inches, he is more of a hit and hope type of player, and imagine the link up he could potentially have with Ryan Delaney (granted, this requires Burton Albion not calling him back, but we can live and hope).
It could also be a boost for Connor Ellis. So far in his senior career with The Rebel Army, I cannot think of a time where Ellis did not score without Achille Campion on the pitch, someone who will take the ball out of the air and draw defenders towards him, allowing Ellis time to get his shot away. Mooney could be what the Kealkil man requires to be a potential star on Leeside. And speaking of Ellis…
Connor Ellis:
Some people believe that promotion from within could very well be a good thing, and to be honest, I do not see why not. It is not as if we are picking the kid up off the street, he has trained with proven scorers like Maguire before so he could certainly learn to ropes from him, and his underage scoring record speaks for itself.
He has bags of potential, and could be to Cork City what Harry Kane was to Spurs when he burst into the first team, unproven, but something new and fresh. There would certainly be a shock factor too, opposition teams could find it odd that Caulfield has gone for a youngster instead of a more established star, but, if done correctly, could see City extend their current lead at the top of the table and finish off the job.
Mikey Drennan:
Out of all the players on this list, there is no one more I would love to see play in Turners Cross, regardless of the shirt he was wearing.
In the middle of last season, Drennan had to walk away from professional football due to mental health reasons, which is sad. He does have the potential to go onto bigger and brighter things, and at 23 years of age, he still has a chance to realise his full potential too.
Never really getting his chance with Aston Villa, he did have a loan spell with Portsmouth and
Carlisle United, before returning to Ireland to play for Shamrock Rovers.
If you do believe rumours there was a chance that we could have signed the former Villa man last December, and after representing his local club Evergreen in the FAI Junior Cup final, why not get him into the squad in July, when he is still relatively fresh?
Graham Cummins:
The former College Corinthians schoolboy looks more likely to come back to Turner's Cross for a European tie with his current side St. Johnstone then to come back to play full time on Leeside, but I think it would be fantastic for Cummins to come back and do what he never did during his first stint with City, and that is play Premier Division football.
If you are a fan of Cork City and are unaware of who Graham Cummins is, I want you to take a good long look at yourself in the mirror and question what you are actually doing with your life. He never got the chance to reap the rewards of his stellar 2011 season, as before he did get the 2012 season got underway, he was off to Preston North End.
If the cousin of club legend Pat Morely was to come back, I do not think a single City fan in the world would begrudge the chance to shine at the highest level of Irish football.
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