Morrissey - Roll on 7th March

Now that we have gotten that Christmas nonsense out of the way, we can concentrate again on what really matters – football. It is 60 days until the first ball of the 2014 Airtricity Premier Division will be kicked, and today marks the return to pre-season training for some of the league’s clubs.

Cork City are one such club and when they take to the pitch in Bishopstown on Monday, they will be joined by last year’s top scorer (in all competitions) Danny Morrissey who re-signed for the Leeside club on Friday.

60 days may seem like a hell of a long pre-season, but when Extratime.ie caught up with Morrissey over the weekend, the young striker revealed he was glad to get his future resolved and couldn’t wait to get back on the pitch today.

 “I was over with trials, and I was going back over and back home and back over and I was just getting a bit sick of it.

“I wanted to get it sorted over Christmas, where I was going to be playing next year, and I finally got it sorted and I can’t wait. Pre-season starting tomorrow and can’t wait to get started so roll on the 7^th of March. Really looking forward to it.”

Indeed Cork City fans had initially feared that they had seen the last of Morrissey, as the Midleton native signed off the 2013 season with a goal against champions St Patrick’s Athletic to embark on a series of trials in the UK.

Wigan, Huddersfield, Blackburn and Bournemouth all hosted the 20 year old striker for a few days, but ultimately no move materialised. Speculation continued to circle, but Cork City fans needn’t have worried as Morrissey agreed to sign up with the Rebel Army as far back as the 20^th of December only for complications to delay him from putting pen to paper.

While he was away, Morrissey led the unenviable life of living in hotels with hours of boredom on his hands. It wasn’t all unglamorous though and perhaps the highlight of his travels was a reserve match against a well decorated QPR team.

“It was a great experience. Nine internationals playing, with the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Niko Krancjar. On the day the two centre halves were Onuoha, he was at Man City before, and I’m not too sure of the other fella [it was Oguch Onyewu – capped 68 times for USA]. All top class players and it’s where you want to be, a very good standard.

“We actually beat them on the day and a very good experience and hopefully I can get over there now next year and get going.”

Morrissey is as humble as he is prolific, and after he bashfully admits to getting the only goal of that game he is quick to downplay it.

“Ya I got the goal. The defender took a bad touch and I nicked it off him and smashed it. I didn’t do much for it but a goal’s a goal I guess.”

When a switch across the pond didn’t happen, there was no regrets and no doubt for Morrissey as to where he would be for 2014. Despite receiving an offer from another League of Ireland who he won’t name, there was only ever one place for the Republic of Ireland underage international.

“If I was staying in Ireland there was no other club I was going to sign for other than City. I wouldn’t move away, I’m playing at home and living at home.

“I wouldn’t sign for any other club. If I’m playing in the League of Ireland the only club I’ll play for is Cork City.”

As we look to the season ahead, I ask Morrissey has found his new manager so far.

“I’ve found him very good. I haven’t worked under him yet so I’ll know more when we start training but he’s a good lad and he’s very ambitious.”

Misjudging his age (and maybe more depressingly my own) I ask him has he ever seen Caulfield play.

“Sure I’m only 20, I’m only a young lad,” he laughs.

Despite his youth though, he is fully aware of the legendary status of Caulfield on Leeside and is quick to remind me that ‘Johnny C’ is Cork City’s record goalscorer.

We discuss the difference between Under 19 football and playing first team, and the long term benefit for his game by playing against grown men who are physically bigger every week rather than players his own age and size.

“They’re big lads. I was talking to John and that’s one thing that I talked about. I need to get a bit bigger, I need to get more physical, stuff I lack. Once I get a bit bigger I don’t see why I won’t score even more goals than I did last year as long as I stay injury free.”

When Morrissey looks around the training field today, he will find a squad of players that he thinks are better equipped than last years and is definite in his ambitions

“You have the signings there with Anthony Elding coming in, Darren, Billy and Rafter. We were a bit short up front last year, he’s after strengthening up there up front.

“We’ve lost a few as well though. We lost Daryl and we would have loved to have Killer back but that wasn’t his decision.

“I think at least top four if not higher is our ambition. I think we have the squad and we’re very strong this season and we can get top four and get Europe.”

Already on Leeside much has been made of the potential partnership between Elding and Morrissey, many feeling that Elding will play a similar role to that of Ciarán Kilduff with whom Morrissey struck up a devastating partnership.

Elsewhere though, I put it to him that the signing of Billy Dennehy will see improved set pieces and crosses into the box – something that should allow him to build on his two headed goals in 2013.

“He’s going to get a defenders and he’s going to whip them in. That’s our job – to be in there to score them. It doesn’t matter how you score them really, a goal’s a goal. So once he provides, we’ll hopefully score them.”

Having scored nine in the league and 12 in all competitions last year (in spite of setbacks through injuries) the Cork City striker is clear on his personal target for 2014.

“To score goals! I’ve set the target of 15 to 20 goals if I can stay injury free. I’ve picked up a few injuries here and there and I think if I can stay away from them I can contribute a few goals to the team.”

And so, 60 days to go until the first ball is kicked. It doesn’t come any bigger for Cork City neither, as first up is champions St Patrick’s Athletic, buoyed by the recent signing of Irish international Keith Fahey. (As if being champions wasn’t enough to be excited about!)

Perhaps Morrissey would have preferred an easier start? One which allowed Cork City get some points on the table and avoid a start like last season?

“It’s a very tough start. The first two games are very difficult, away to Derry and home to the champions. We would have liked to get a few points on the board, but you have to take it and I don’t see why we can’t get three points. There’s going to be a massive crowd and there’s a great buzz around Cork at the moment and I can’t wait to get started.”