Morrissey itching to get back into action

As one of the men who have been at Cork City since the days when they were known as Cork City FORAS Co-op, Gearoid Morrissey is well qualified to talk about the club and its future – and he did just that in an exclusive interview with ExtraTime.ie.

The talented midfielder really adapted well to life in the top flight last season, and is itching to get 2013 under way – a year that should be prosperous for the Rebel Army, according to their ambitious number six.

Restless after the long winter break, Gearoid is chomping at the bit to get back on the field – starting with Monday night's Setanta Sports Cup match at home to Cliftonville.

“The break over here is far too long in my opinion. You go through pre-season and you train away, so we’re eagerly anticipating this one just to get out and shake the cobwebs off.

“You can do all the training you like, but when you come to a match it’s different. Every single game you play you’re increasing your match fitness.

Manager Tommy Dunne has certainly been an active participant in the transfer window thus far, and has brought a number of new players to the club – immediately addressing last season’s problem of a lack of goals.

“We’ve got some real good new players here - the likes of Daryl Kavanagh, Denis Behan and Danny Furlong are all very good signings. They’re all very good strikers, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they can do on the pitch - it’s a really exciting time at the club.”

When quizzed about his own individual targets for the new year, Morrissey’s response is immediate, calculated, and determined:

“For me you should try and be the best you can be. I personally feel that I did alright last year, but next year I want to improve even more – maybe score a few more goals, and enjoy more team achievements in winning things.

“Last season was really more of a bedding in period for me personally and the club in general, but I think now that using the experience gained from last season we should really be looking to push on.”

Many involved with the club have made similar noises regarding the ‘bedding in period’. Just how big of a difference is there between the two top tiers of Irish domestic football?

“It’s definitely a big step up. Now, don’t get me wrong, the First Division has some very good players and teams, but it’s on a different level.

“The big difference for me between the First Division and the Premier Division is that, in the First Division, there’s a bit more slack so to speak, in that you’re able to make mistakes and not be punished, but in the Premier Division, when you make a mistake, more often than not, you will be punished. It’s that cut-throat. There’s very little margin for error. That’s the biggest difference really.”

Few players at Turner’s Cross have adapted to life in the Premier Division as well as Gearoid, and he readily admits that having the experience of Colin Healy on tap has been invaluable in the step-up:

“He’s played at unbelievable levels. It’s incredible what he’s done in his career. For us young fellas at the club, he’s a real help. He’s a nice fella, and he’d always come up to you and give you a bit of advice - he’s always passing information on. He’d be like ‘you’re doing well here, but you need to be doing this better’. Playing alongside him really is incredible.

“His ability and decision making is just fantastic, and it’s easy to pick things up from him. He has a much better knowledge of what to do. It’s been a privilege to play alongside him last season, and I’m looking forward to doing it this year as well.”

The burning question in the mouths of Cork City fans is simple – ‘how will we do this year?’ The club and it’s players have successfully acclimatised to the top flight, but now that that’s done – what’s next?

“I think our minimum aim should be finishing better than we did last year, as well as going on run in the cup.

“We should really be targeting Europe this year. We have the team to do it, we have the players, and there’s a real sense of us all starting to come together now - we all want Europe.”