When Cork City captain Fiacre Kelleher spoke earlier this week about the need to do better performance-wise this season compared to last, he wasn’t just talking about the club.
A run to the FAI Cup final almost salvaged a difficult 2025 for the Rebel Army but a third relegation since 2020 meant it was always going to be viewed negatively.
Now the aim is to win another First Division title in 2026 to go along with the second-tier crowns they claimed in 2022 and 2024.
Kelleher ended an almost 13-year period playing football in the United Kingdom to return home and sign for his local club last summer in a bid to keep them in the top-flight.
But that didn’t go according to plan.
The 29-year-old also endured a couple of injuries and having missed out on pre-season training in the U.K, the centre-back admits he found it tough to get up to speed in a league that was more than halfway through its fixtures when he joined.
But after scoring two goals in Cork City’s last friendly against Kerry before they welcome Treaty United to the Munster FA Turner’s Cross Stadium on Friday, Kelleher now believes he is ready to show everyone how he is truly capable of performing.
“I came in last year and got to a place where I thought I was feeling really fit and then had an injury with my ankle which set me back,” began Kelleher.
“Then I was just kind of chasing my own tail then at that point. Now I feel like I’m in a really good place. My body feels good, mentally I’m sharp and raring to go.
“I just felt last year was a bit bitty for me and it didn’t go the way I wanted it to.
“The team were in a hard spot when I came in as well. I feel like we’re all in a better place now.
“I’ve had a pre-season under my belt now and I feel in a better place than when I arrived last summer and I want a make-up for last year as well.
“I’m looking forward to showing people what I’m really about and what I can offer.”
City are the overwhelming favourites to finish top of the First Division and claim the automatic promotion place back to the Premier Division but new manager Barry Robson has warned his side against complacency as he prepares to take charge of his first competitive match.
“Nothing ever comes easy,” insisted the former Aberdeen boss.
“As I said before as well, and I’m probably repeating myself, I’ve been in this game over 30 years, and nothing ever comes easy.
“No one in our football club or any of the players, staff. No, no, no, no. This ain’t going to be easy.
“This is going to be hard work and we’re going to need to be at it in every single training session, every time we come up against a team, full respect to every single team. We will do that.
“We’ll do it. We’ll watch game after game with them. We’ll study their set pieces. We’ll do the whole lot.
“We’ll try and do the job right and make sure that we perform our best every time.”
