Cork may be rescued by Celtic friendly

LEAGUE OF IRELAND: CORK CITY officials say they are in a position to pay all of the money owed to the Revenue Commissioners when they return to the High Court this morning after having seemingly secured funds against the likely profit they will make on a friendly game against Celtic which the Scots have agreed to play over the next couple of months.

The club apparently will be represented in court by the Cork firm, Quintas Wealth Management

The club’s owner, Tom Coughlan, has been frantically fundraising over the past few days but he had been pessimistic about the chances of coming up with the required €440,000 by today.

Last night, however, City issued a statement to the effect it will now be able to offer the full amount to the tax authorities this morning and, in view of the fact the funds could be refused, expressed the hope that “common sense will prevail and the club will be given the opportunity to deliver on this”.

Coughlan had already suggested things might not look quite as grim going into court this morning as he did earlier in the week while club captain and player spokesman Dan Murray has also been looking beyond this evening, saying most of the squad “are happy to stay and try and build again with the club”.

Assuming it goes ahead, a big gate at tonight’s game against Bray Wanderers would be a major boost, and with every penny going to the taxman, it is probably still of some importance to the players whose chances of being paid next week may yet depend on how many pay in at the turnstiles.

Neither Pat Sullivan nor Robert Mezeckis will worry too much about how it all turns out with the pair having left the club in the last 36 hours. Mezeckis is heading home to Latvia while Sullivan is the subject of interest from Shamrock Rovers, Drogheda United and, apparently, Motherwell manager Jim Gannon. Joe Gamble, meanwhile, is an injury doubt.

Bray’s Shane O’Neill joins Chris Deans and Paul Byrne on the injury list while Gary McCabe is suspended.

Bohemians may have to do without captain Owen Heary again at Drogheda this evening. The defender has a hamstring problem while Jason McGuinness is a doubt with a back strain. Robbie Martin (back), Paul Crowley (calf), Eoghan Osborne (ankle) and the suspended Scott Gibb are all out.

Gavin Peers is set to return to the Sligo bench for the visit to Galway United but Stephen Feeney, Richie Ryan and Stephen Parkhouse are all still laid up.