Mezeckis and Sullivan latest players to leave Cork City
Latvian World Cup star Robert Mezeckis and ex-Longford and Drogheda midfielder Pat Sullivan left Cork City FC overnight.
Mezeckis who only played a handful of matches and was out long-term with an Achilles tendon injury, walked out as a free agent after training yesterday and, soon after, Pat Sullivan had his release papers from club secretary Gerry Harris.
Mezeckis is planning to return to Latvia, while Sullivan, a UCD commerce graduate, is taking up a job in a dental practice with a friend of his in the capital.
The Dubliner on the open to transfer list and a free agent will probably sign for Shamrock Rovers next week though Jim Gannon, the new boss at Motherwell has been in contact with him as well.
“The job offer has been there for a few weeks to be honest and I have been trying to secure a move away from Cork for the last month or so. I had a written transfer request turned down but in the circumstances I am a free agent now.
“I am going into a dental practice with a pal of mine and basically I will be doing the books and the accountancy side of the business for him,” said ‘Sully’ before saying his farewells at Bishopstown yesterday.
So the exodus is well underway now with manager Paul Doolin hoping there will not be too many more.
“The players met with the PFAI yesterday after Stephen McGuinness has met with the chairman and we have all agreed to defer the monthly wages to next Wednesday.
“We have given the club a week’s grace in the hope that the gate receipts against Bray Wanderers tomorrow night will ease our financial worries,” said skipper Dan Murray.
“We hope the club can get in as much money as it can tomorrow night because the fact is that Friday’s game is more important than anything else at the moment.
“It’s essential that the club survives as a Premier Division entity and Tom (Coughlan) has agreed that if we can get over the High Court and the tax bill tomorrow then we can see what happens after that.
“But all the players are free to go if they can find other employment but whether that’s viable or not for people, we will just have to wait and see,” said Murray speaking on behalf of the playing staff.
“The players are free agents now and open to offers but, in a time of recession here at home, the chances are that not too many offers will come in or materialise. I think Denis Behan and Colin Healy were the lucky ones at the end of the day,” said Murray who wanted to clarify radio reports stating that Cork City were the ‘highest paid’ players in the league.
“That’s not true at all. The club as a whole might have the biggest wage bill in the league but then we have 47 people employed.
“The truth is that we, the players at Cork City, are only the fourth best paid players in the country. Bohemians, Derry City and St. Pat’s are on way more money than us,” he added.
Murray feels that if the club get through the High Court hearing tomorrow then the players will probably be paid a week late next week.
“If there’s no money there next Wednesday then I don’t know what we can do.”
“We will have to wait another 24 hours to see what transpires at the Four Courts but most people are quite happy to stay and try and build again with the club,” he added.
The other fear among the players is that if the club survives in the High Court tomorrow, there will be further pay cuts before the end of the season.
