Cork still searching

Cork City boss Damien Richardson will continue his search for players capable of strengthening his championship-winning squad over the coming days as players from Portugal and Bulgaria arrive for trials with the Turner's Cross outfit.

City take on Limerick, Galway United and Finn Harps over the next couple of weeks and the hope is that the Portuguese left-sided midfielder and Bulgarian centre half will use the games to earn a deal for next season.

Limerick look set to acquire a 21-year lease on Hogan Park with club officials and representatives of the trust that owns the ground reported to have agreed the terms of a deal over the past couple of days after protracted negotiations.

The club, which has received extensive backing in recent times from local businessman Danny Drew, had been seeking to secure long-term control of the 11-acre site in order to draw down grant funding totalling some 400,000 that had been made available for its development.