After a blip against Galway United which saw their winning sequence come to an end, Cork City manager John Caulfield took much delight as he watched his side get firmly back on track with a thumping 5-0 win over Drogheda on Friday evening.
The Leesiders were four goals up inside the first 25 minutes on a night of total domination at Turner's Cross. Sean Maguire and Karl Sheppard helped themselves to a brace each, with Jimmy Keohane also on the scoresheet.
The win pushes Cork on to 40 points in the Premier Division table, 13 points clear of their nearest pursuers Dundalk.
For Caulfield, the importance of making a statement following on from the stalemate at Terryland Park was crucial.
"I felt after last week in Galway that we needed to bounce back again with a win," he told RTÉ Sport.
"There was a frustration there, but every week presents a different challenge and you have to be on your game.
"Against Drogheda, I thought our passing and movement was excellent. We scored some great goals and out front three were outstanding.
"In front of a home crowd of 4,000 to score five goals was pleasing.
"People are saying that we are better than we we were last year but we have to just keep driving on."
Next up for Cork is an away trip to Sligo Rovers on Monday evening.
It's an encounter that the Caulfield is not taking for granted.
Sligo have been a bogey team for us in the last few years, we've had a few draws with them," he added.
"They are a good side at home. It's a quick turnaround but we'll assess the injuries and hope that everybody is okay. "
