Boss Ger Nash insists there's a "unity" and "bond" behind the scenes at Cork City after an unlikely source of potential glory was unearthed amid a tumultuous campaign.
The Leesiders are 11 points adrift at the foot of the Premier Division table, doomed to relegation, with fans so frustrated at the club's ownership that they staged a protest before Friday night's Sports Dirext FAI Cup semi-final against St Pat's.
Few would have predicted what unfolded: Cork City blew the Saints away, storming to a 3-0 win to book their place in the Aviva Stdium final against either Shamrock Rovers or Kerry, who meet on Sunday.
Afterwards, Nash took the opportunity to set the record straight on the mood in the dressing room.
"The unity is there," he told RTÉ Sport. "The unity has been in the group. I feel really strongly about that. We need that unity going forward, and that's the whole club. The owner (Dermot Usher) has backed me since I've been here.
"I've got a group of players in there that, there's a really good bond between us, the staff and the players.
"We work together all the time. They work really hard. I think they've seen some of the changes we've tried to make and they want to be part of it.
"Ther's a freshness in the group. We've had to make some really big changes halfway through this season and form a new team."
Nash came in last May, replacing Tim Clancy in the dugout.
He admits things have not been plain sailing, but remains confident building blocks are being put in place to ensure the club flourishes in the long term.
"There was some really good players at this football club when I arrived, but they weren't going to be at Cork City for long," he stressed.
'The unity is there' - Cork City manager Ger Nash says it was "chaos" when he came into the club, but believes they are building something long-lasting
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 3, 2025
📺 Watch live coverage on @RTE2 and @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/kfTX8iaZyj
"It was a stepping stone for them to go to other places. We need to build an identity, we've tried to do that. I understand the anger from the outside, but I can only assure people what's going on in the inside, there's a unity, there's a plan, we're putting that in place and that's what we're going to continue to do.
"You asked me before about how difficult a job it was to come into. And yeah it was chaos. But look, there's a couple of things. When we came into the club we knew had to fight to stay up, but what's just as important, and more important for this football club, is to create an identity. That's why Mark McNulty and David Meyler have come in with me and been brilliant.
"We have to have unity as a club. We made a lot of changes at the club, I think for the long term, changes that will make us better for the long term."
GOAL
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 3, 2025
Cork City 3-0 St Pat's
Cork fans in dreamland as McLoughlin scores twice in the space of two minutes with the Rebels set for a place in the cup final
📺 Watch live coverage on @RTE2 and @RTEplayer
📱Updates https://t.co/VZG8GKb0YA pic.twitter.com/7KlXN5FAti
On the game itself, Nash revealed he demanded more from his players at the break despite the fact they were one up following a fine first-half display.
"To improve, to be better, to take the game to them more," he replied when asked what the message was in the dressing room.
"I thought we were really good for the first 20 minutes and then after that we maybe sat off a little too much. We were into a pretty strong wind to be fair.
"But the message at half-time was about us, and us being better.
"Overall we were pretty defensively secure throughout the game and our goals, some real good quality, really excellent finishes.
"I thought it was a good performance. I'm really pleased for everyone involved."
