Out of the Blue

This song came into my head this morning from absolutely nowhere.
A blast from the past and what a beautiful song.



and for my beloved Cork City as we bid to win the First Division title in Dublin tomorrow night.

The Final Push

The Final Push

What a season this has been

Defeats for us were seldom seen

And while our sheets weren’t always clean

Victories numbering eighteen

What can I do? You might say

To help our club along the way

Buy the gear, watch City play

And join our Foras trust today

Sincerest thanks go to our BOM

Who keep things running with aplomb

To each and every volunteer

Who give each week and persevere

Such positivity we transmit

Premier door, us please admit

Promotion within our remit

We’ve got a job, now go do it

If we don’t quite lift that cup

And even if we don’t go up

Some the club will bid goodbye

We’ll see whose City till they die.

Two games left of our second season as a fan run club.

A win at home to Longford tomorrow night guarantees us at least a play off and means we'll be going into our last game away to Shels needing a win for automatic promotion.

Who knows , if results go our way a final day win might even take the title.

In other news this week, a Supporters Direct project (including FORAS, our supporters trust) has been chosen to receive funding by the European Commission.

The title of the project is Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership, more details can be found here



This weekend we'll be mostly eating Custard Creams and listening to....

Lovely mellow tune from Metronomy
It's called Everything goes my way



Another mellow one from Lanterns on the Lake called "Keep On Trying"



and in case ye thought i was going soft in my old age

Stony Grey Rod

Stony Grey Rod

O stony grey Rod of Monaghan

Don’t make us hurt and aggrieved

Or take my childs football passion

And give us your Rod deceived.

You clogged the feet of my boyhood

With Dundalk in ninety one

Had the poise and stride of Apollo

And ended our unbeaten run

Don’t fling a ditch on my vision

My Premier dream don’t pollute

O stony grey Rod of Monaghan

With your Louis Copeland tin of fruit.

Lost the long hours of pleasure

Cork City, us women and men

O can I still bear First Division

Or write with unpoisoned pen

Brandywell, Dalymount, The Showgrounds

Wherever I turn I see

Not the stony grey Rod from Monaghan

But places we’re meant to be.

With thanks to Patrick Kavanagh.

A Premier Spot

A Premier Spot

Two home defeats all in a row

More than matched our premier foe

Grand scheme of things not worth a jot

If we don’t get a premier spot

Cup Quarter Final, Pats again

Pete Mahon, the leagues comedian

Danny North, he turned and shot

But it’s all about a premier spot

Last Saturday night, scene was set

The game, few pints, our whistles wet

Whether Zayeds spotter scored or not

Our main concern, a premier spot

In Section A a crèche was made

As FOCCA Juniors learned their trade

My son mouth full of jelly tots

Shouts “Come on City, premier spot”

We've lost our last two home games, they were both cup games and both by one goal to nil against Premier Division opposition.
We were well on top for long periods in both games and have proven ourselves to be more than ready for a return.
In order to achieve this we have 5 Cup Finals left in the league and we need to win them all.
Starting with Finn Harps this Friday.

The die is cast.

The die is cast

From the island’s opposite ends

We’re just like long lost friends

We’ve both had our ups and our downs

Shared stories in copious rounds

The Lodge in March of eighty six,

Hennesseys goal, a teenage kick

Three years later, haunts like a ghost

Dave Barrys shot, came off the post

November two thousand and five

The greatest night ever alive

The Shed packed to the end of its tether

As we laughed and we cried all together

Some have our City infiltrated

Still these folks must be translated

Whatever the Sit-she-a-shun

Text message might be need to be done.

Our moment of glory converging

Can you see the pattern emerging?

We’ve won it first in eighty seven

Kieran Myers showed us heaven

Twelve years later in ninety nine

Hargies finish was so sublime

Another twelve have now since passed

The cup is ours, the die is cast.

This poem was submitted to the FAI for the League Cup Final Programme on Saturday next.

We've always had great relations with our northern friends, in fact we've even taken in a few strays over the years. Mind you we still haven't a clue what they're saying.

The picture above was taken in Derry in 2006 after the last game of the season at a time when Derry owned the trophy, here's hoping for green ribbons on Saturday night.

P.S. I've taken poetic licence in forgetting our 1996 victory in Dundalk.

Lately we are mostly listening to.....

My kids and I love this song.
They know all the words

It's Pete and the Pirates - Half Moon Street.