The writing appears on the wall for Cork City with just eight Premier Division matches left to play, and they host Waterford on Friday, looking for just a fourth win of the League of Ireland campaign. The away side themselves will be eager for a result to avoid a potential relegation play-off.
The Rebel Army shocked this weekend’s opposition in the FAI Cup two weeks ago in the last meeting between the sides, and it is now two victories apiece in the competitive head-to-head record in 2025.
Cork City Lacking in Star Quality as Relegation Looms
The manager may not be giving up hope of an unlikely survival bid; however, it would take a remarkable turnaround for Cork City to be playing Premier Division football in 2026. They have won just three games all season, and they were blown away by Bohemians last week; the 3-0 scoreline could have been much higher.
Cathal O’Sullivan’s season-ending injury against Sligo Rovers was the final nail in the coffin, and the team is just not at the required quality to compete at this level. They are currently ten points adrift of John Russell’s team.
Evan McLaughlin, Josh Fitzpatrick and Kitt Nelson have shown glimpses of quality, and each player put in excellent showings in the cup win over Waterford. The return of Seani Maguire from injury has not yielded an increase in goal output; however, the Rebel Army are creating chances, and they are sixth in the table for big chances missed.
Cork City top the Premier Division table for successful dribbles per game, and that should benefit them against a side that tends to concede possession on the road.
They should get chances against a leaky Waterford defence, and this is one of the few fixtures the team appear capable of picking up three points. The main focus, however, will be the FAI Cup quarter-final clash with Finn Harps next month.
Waterford Slump Opens up Play-Off Concerns
The appointment of John Coleman in May has not had the desired impact as Waterford have won just five of his 17 matches in charge. They are no better off than under the previous regime, and defeat to Sligo Rovers last time closes the gap to the relegation play-off position to just five points.
A poor second-half showing against the Bit O’Red highlighted a lack of depth in the squad, but there is enough individual quality in the likes of Conan Noonan, James Olayinka and Padraig Amond to pick up the required results to avoid a play-off against a First Division side in November.
Stephen McMullan continues to impress in goal, and he has been included in the Northern Ireland set-up this year.
Amond is the top scorer in the League of Ireland Premier Division with 12 goals, and he has provided a further three assists to sit level with Michael Duffy for the most goal contributions in the top-flight.
Muhammadu Faal should add a different dimension in attack, and Jordan Rossiter put in a decent showing in midfield at the RSC against Sligo Rovers. The former Liverpool player is growing with each appearance, and he should help to retain control in the middle of the pitch ahead of the trip to Cork City.
Waterford will look at this trip to Turner’s Cross and the season-ending clash at the RSC against Galway United as opportunities for three points to help them stay clear of the bottom two. There is little else to play for as the team have looked miles off the other teams at the top of the division and six points in these clashes should see the team finish above the bottom two.
Little to Choose Between Struggling Sides
There are a handful of players on both sides that will have futures in the top-flight, but there is going to be a lot of First Division standard on show at Turner’s Cross on Friday. Waterford are leaky in defence and will give opportunities to Nash’s Cork City, and two open sides should see this one present plenty of chances at either end.
The midfield battle could be key here as Rossiter and McLaughlin face off to control proceedings. The Cork City man is likely to get forward in support of the attack, and that may leave the space for Rossiter to dictate in the middle. The 28-year-old has a pass completion rate in excess of 80% since his arrival, and he became more involved in feeding the ball to the forwards in the defeat to Sligo Rovers.
In attack, the away side have players that are more capable of taking opportunities, and if they turn up, Coleman’s side should pick up a sixth away win of the season by a narrow margin, which would see them draw level with Shamrock Rovers and Derry City at the top of the table in that metric.
Derry City host St. Patrick’s Athletic in the other Premier Division clash on Friday night, and you can see The Football Deck’s preview here.