🇮🇪 Cork Athletic FC (Rep of Ireland)

Cork Athletic FC

After Cork United disbanded yet another football club emerged in Cork. This time they were named, Cork Athletic Football Club. They entered the League of Ireland for the 1948-49 season, playing their home games at the Mardyke like previous Cork clubs.

While their first season under the new name ended in a disappointing 9^th place, finishing only above Dublin side, Bohemians, one player did shine for the club that season. Patrick O Leary scored 12 goals in total, and was joint top goal scorer, alongside Transports, Bernard Lester and Waterford’s Eugene Noonan.

However, the following season, in 1949-50, proved to much better. In fact, the club won the league, beating Drumcondra by just one point to the title. It was helped by the goals of O’Leary once again, who this time finished second top goal scorer with his Cork Athletic teammate, Johnny Vaughan finishing in third. They finished behind Waterford and Scottish striker, David McCulloch who scored 19 goals that season, with O’Leary scoring 13 and Vaughan scoring 12 respectively. Some of the results that season included an away win against Shamrock Rovers which ended 5-2, while they also beat Munster rivals, Limerick, 8-2 at The Mardyke. 

The good times seemed to be back for Cork football, and the following season, 1950-51 was even better than the previous one. While they retained their League of Ireland title, beating off competition from Sligo Rovers and pipping them by one point, they also lifted the FAI Cup. The won the double by beating Dublin side, Shelbourne but needed a replay to do so. But not content with their national dominance, they also went onto the Munster Senior Cup in the same year.

With expectations high in the Rebel County, the following season proved to be a huge disappointment, with the club finishing 10^th in a 12-team league. The 1952-53 season wasn’t much better, with the club finishing 8^th, however they did manage to win the FAI Cup for the second time in the club’s history, beating rival Cork side, Evergreen United in the final, a game that was the first ever final in FAI cup final history that was contested by two clubs from Cork. Cork Athletic also won their second Munster Senior Cup that year.

While the 1953-54 season saw an improvement in the club’s position in the league table, finishing 4^th, that would be their highest finish until their final season in 1956-57, in which they finished 8^th. But like previous Cork clubs, Athletic succumbed to financial pressures and folded in 1957, being replaced by yet another Cork club, Cork Hibernians.

The club, in it’s 9 seasons, won two League of Ireland titles, Two FAI Cups and Three Munster Senior Cups, an achievement that made it won of the more successful versions of a Cork football club.

Probably one of their most famous former players was Noel Cantwell, a full back who represented the Republic of Ireland National team on 36 occasions, scoring 14 goals for them. He also became the most expensive full-back when he was transferred from West Ham United to Manchester United for £29,500. It was a fee the Manchester club did not mind paying, after seeing Cantwell perform brilliantly for the London club, making 248 appearances. His Manchester United career was also successful, with Cantwell helping the club win two league titles and captaining the club to their 1963 FA Cup final victory.

Cork Athletic were just another version of a Cork football club and another example of how poorly run even a successful football club can be. Imagine if we brought all of these clubs back from Cork? There is enough to have a league of their own.