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Manager Gerard Nash poses for a portrait with the Sports Direct FAI Cup during a Cork City media conference, at City Hall. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Everybody is aware that Sunday’s FAI Cup final will define Cork City’s season. What’s debatable is whether the outcome will define next season.
Were City to follow Drogheda United’s template from last season by causing an upset at the national stadium, not only will the Cup be won in a relegation season but there’s entry to the Europa League to boot.
No Irish qualifier has begun their European route in Uefa’s second competition since the advent of the Conference League, the depths of the covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.
Although the drop triggers a 90% plummet in the club’s annual Uefa grant of €356,000, European qualification grosses almost €700,000.
With it, there’s the parachute of slipping back into the Conference League if they lose their Europa League tie.
Delivering silverware for an expected travelling fanbase of 20,000 after a dire season is foremost but denying Shamrock Rovers the double would also intersperse next year’s First Division trips up to Finn Harps and down to Wexford with a first European odyssey for seven years.
Manager Ger Nash, plus his staff of David Meyler and Mark McNulty, are tasked with crafting a masterplan to produce a result which doesn’t seem so aspirational as before Rovers limped over the title finishing line.
Nash is aware of how the financial fruits from success can influence his squad for next season. Both in terms of retaining and recruiting talent.
“I think every player’s situation is different but this will be part of it,” he admitted about the impact on budgeting.
“What we could be offering players is different based on whether we’re in Europe or whether we’re just in the First Division. So there’s definitely some context around that.” 
The man who replaced promotion-winning boss Tim Clancy in May isn’t concerned about defeat prompting an exodus for the tilt at an immediate return in 2026.
“What I will say is that when I joined this club we had five players that were under contract for the 2026 season,” he explained.
“As of today we have 17, so we’ve actually got a lot of our business done early.
“That’s before the cup final is played and we know if we’re in Europe.
“I think there’s been a lot of work done in that regard which probably hasn’t been seen.
“We’re along the way with having a more settled squad than what happened at the start of this season and what was allowed to happen in mid-season.
“That helps in terms of having a settled squad, where we can have an identity to try and build something that is more sustainable than just working window to window.” 
He added about the contract stability: “There’s small things too. We’ve got someone like Matt Murray who is 18.
“He attracted interest from Brighton and Hove Albion during the summer but because he’s signed a new deal we have the financial control in those situations.
“In my opinion, our squad will be in a healthier place in terms of the club’s long-term future, no matter what happens on Sunday.” 
The prospects of the footballers doing what the hurlers did, winning a senior national title, is bolstered by the availability of Seáni Maguire and Ruairi Keating.
Club owner Dermot Usher has shipped flak for pinning their Premier League ambitions on the strikeforce he brought back in a double deal midway through the 2024 season.
Injuries hampered both this term, especially Keating who hasn’t started a match since April when he ruptured his Achilles.
Saturday’s cameo in the final league game at home to Derry City proved the forward is regaining match fitness. He’ll start the final on the bench, primed to be unleashed alongside Maguire when circumstances demand.
“It’s not a hard decision because my own career was ended by injury,” said Nash, empathising from the knee troubles at Ipswich Town that migrated him into coaching under Mick McCarthy.
“I would never take a risk on a player but Keats wouldn’t have played last Saturday if he wasn’t ready.
“He hasn’t been rushed back and you cannot expect a player to be at his best in terms of the football that he’s missed.
“For instance, it’s unrealistic for him to be coming on after five minutes if we’ve to substitute a player through injury.
“You look at a player’s fitness levels but also their personality. Ruairi has the temperament to suit the big occasion; a player that will puff his chest out thinking he’s coming on to score.
“The reality is it’ll be the white heat of the game that decides whether we use him and for how long.” 
The Rebel Army chief confirmed he’s picked his goalkeeper early in the week – with Conor Brann thought to have shaded David Odumosu for the spot.
“From the semi-final win over St Patrick’s Athletic four weeks ago, we used the league games to give players minutes, probably to the detriment of a couple of results,” he outlined about juggling their league run-in, plundering towards relegation.
“A player can get injured in the warm-up if they haven’t had gametime for three months, so that’s been beneficial.” 
Most of the preparation is completed but there could yet be an unnamed Cork sporting legend appearing in the Bishopstown dressing-room to provide inspiration.
“I do believe in that because anything that gives you an edge is really important,” said the 39-year-old, who joined City from Aston Villa, via a stint in Sweden.
“We haven’t gone down that route before because we have a lot of the right characters in the group.
“Unity is our strength. There’s a real belief inside the camp, probably more belief internally than there is outside.”
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Nov 5, 2025
CORALVILLE — It was the ride of a lifetime. It just didn’t reach the destination the Comets wanted it to.
The BCLUW volleyball team traveled an improbable comeback path to force a deciding fifth set against Dunkerton before falling to their conference rivals in Tuesday’s Class 1A quarterfinals at the Iowa High School State Volleyball Championships inside Xtream Arena.
The fourth-seeded Raiders rallied up a fifth-set victory to defeat the fifth-seeded Comets, 25-20, 25-17, 17-25, 20-25, 15-8.
It was BCLUW’s third-straight trip to state, but their first without a win.
For the first two sets, it seemed the Comets wouldn’t even get a game from the Raiders (30-11). Backed into a corner, BCLUW (36-9) refused to go away.
The Comets put all phases of the sport together and nearly marched all the way back to the state semifinals for the third year in a row.
“I just felt like we had a little bit more confidence,” said BCLUW head coach Megan Yantis. “We weren’t on our heels. We were back against the wall and like ‘hey, we’ve got to come out and do this.’ And we just flipped that switch and then it was a completely different volleyball team.
“I really thought we had it. I thought we’d come back that fifth game and find a way to win.”
The Comets’ turned the tide so hard that the Raiders were suddenly stuck with nowhere else to go but up, and they did exactly that.
Dunkerton junior Kylee Pexa put down seven of her match-high 21 kills during the deciding fifth set, sparking the Raiders into the next round.
“I think when you have a group that has been in that situation a million times, nothing phases them,” said Dunkerton head coach Brittany Weidman. “Sometimes you need a hard reset. BCLUW did a fantastic job backs against the wall and really pushing through there. We knew they were going to do it, we knew it was going to be a battle.”
The Comets led 5-4 before senior Daisy Fettkether served up a seven-point surge that put the Raiders in control for good. BCLUW used both its timeouts during the Raiders’ run, but nothing worked.
“Sometimes it doesn’t happen your way,” Yantis said. “I think we had the energy, we had the fight, and then we lost it.”
It marked Dunkerton’s third-straight win against the Comets in four head-to-head matches this season. The Raiders advance to face top-seeded St. Ansgar (29-4) in tonight’s 6 p.m. semifinals. No. 2 Janesville (32-11) and No. 3 North Tama (29-13) — Iowa Star Conference teams like BCLUW and Dunkerton — meet in the 6:25 p.m. semifinal.
“I’m glad we made it to state for my seniors and all my teammates too,” said BCLUW senior outside hitter Grace Farnsworth. “I know next year they’ll do great things just because every single person on that team can uplift each other, no matter what the situation, and they’re gonna do great.”
Farnsworth led the Comet comeback and posted a team-leading 19 kills on the night. She refused to tip the ball and kept swinging when her team needed her most.
Farnsworth is one of five seniors who played their final match for BCLUW.
“I’m just so proud of them,” Yantis said. “They’ve given us a great season. We had a lot of people that I think doubted us this season, whether or not we were going to be successful and whether we were going to make it to state or not.
“I just feel like these seniors willed us here and were great leaders and I’m going to miss the heck out of them.”
Junior outside Olivia Peters put down 15 kills for the Comets, Kylie Pekarek added nine kills and both Kennedy Davis and Cambria Wayman finished with five kills. Leah McEwen chipped in with two kills as the Comets battled back from what seemed destined to be a three-set sweep.
BCLUW’s passing was off the mark throughout the first two sets, but it came back around in time to spark a comeback. Junior libero Brinna Benson was 46-for-51 in serve-receive and also made 10 digs, while Wayman made a team-high 15 digs for the defense. Pekarek posted four blocks.
Wayman ended the night with 27 assists and Sally Ramirez added 17 more to go with six digs.
The Comets couldn’t overcome 14 service errors and a Dunkerton attack that was varied enough to have the BCLUW block chasing the Raiders around the net at the start of the night.
“I thought we were flat, just not who we normally come out to be,” Yantis said. “I don’t know if we came into it expecting to just win, but I don’t feel like we’ve done that all season. It could have been nerves — we do have some girls that haven’t been out there before.”
It reflected early as the Raiders used four runs of three or more points in a row to get the upper hand on BCLUW. The Comets only had one such run in the second set and fell behind 2-0 before they’d even played their best volleyball.
A six-point surge midway through the third set looked like the BCLUW team that got to state, powered by Benson’s serving — she had an ace — and consecutive kills from Wayman. Peters also put down two kills to help the Comets change their fate for the time being.
The two teams were tied at 19-all in the fourth set before BCLUW scored six of the final nine points to push the match into the deciding fifth set.
“I feel like the fifth set was very challenging for us, especially since we used all that energy to build up the previous two sets,” said Farnsworth. “But I feel like we did a great job no matter the outcome. I’m so proud of my team.”
Iowa Girls High School State Volleyball Championships
At Xtream Arena, Coralville
CLASS 1A
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Nov. 4
St. Ansgar def. East Mills, 25-11, 25-16, 25-18
Dunkerton def. BCLUW, 25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 17-25, 15-8
Janesville def. Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18
North Tama def. Sidney, 25-19, 25-21, 25-23
Semifinals
Wednesday, Nov. 5
No. 1 St. Ansgar (29-4) vs. No. 4 Dunkerton (30-11), 6 p.m.
No. 2 Janesville (32-11) vs. No. 3 North Tama (29-13), 6:25 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, Nov. 6
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
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Nov 4, 2025
Ella Nagel of Muncy takes a shot against York Christian at Shikellamy High School. Muncy won 3-0. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
SUNBURY — Ella Nagel can read the soccer field perfectly. She knows exactly where her teammates are going to be whether it’s Ava Eyer on a breakaway or Kiki Woodward down along the sideline.
It’s no surprise that Nagle leads Muncy’s team with assists this year. As she entered Tuesday’s PIAA Class A playoff game against York Catholic at Shikellamy, Nagel was sitting at 25 assists, more than double the amount of Muncy’s next highest assist leader.
And on Tuesday, she dished out quite a few more, but these ones are just a little more important to her.
Nagel had an assist on all three of Muncy’s goals and, while it was important to help the Indians secure the program’s first-ever state playoff victory, it was also a nice personal milestone for Nagel.
The three assists pushed Nagel to 28 for the season and 65 for her career as the senior tied former Muncy standout — and her sister — Emilie Nagel.
“I’ve been hearing about it in practice like ‘guys, I need to get this,’” Nagel’s teammate Kiki Woodward said after Tuesday’s 3-0 win against York Catholic.
The last few games, Ella has been receiving texts from Emilie asking her when she was going to tie her record. Now, Ella can call her big sister and let her know she finally did so.
“She’s been texting me every game like ‘Ella, when are you going to do it?’” Nagel said with a laugh. “So I’m going to call her after this.”
Opposing defenders and midfielders know that Nagel can dish out assists easily, so she’s often found herself defended well. But even so, she seems to be able to get passes where they need to be as Ava Eyer or Woodward are able to find the back of the net off Nagel’s passes.
“It is a big milestone and I’m really happy to hit it here with this team,” Nagel said. “I couldn’t be more happy.”
Ella got to play alongside Emilie for two years at Muncy. Emilie graduated in 2023 as she became Muncy’s fifth 50-goal scorer and set the assist record that season. She tied Aleaha Bigelow that fall with 76 career goals for the all-time mark.
For Ella to tie her sister in the state playoffs is a bittersweet moment for her and one she’s proud to have done her senior season. It was something she wanted to do entering this fall, knowing she was within striking distance.
“It’s definitely one of her goals coming into the season. As we got into the playoffs, assists were a secondary to winning. So, whether it was going to happen or not at that point we weren’t sure because you get into this time of the year and the games are going to be 10-0 anymore, right?” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “So it’s about if she has to make the pass or have the shot or get the hockey assist by setting the play up, she’s making the correct decisions.”
Ella sits at 65 career assists and 37 career goals as the Indians prepare for another game on Saturday in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals.
“It definitely speaks volumes of what she’s meant to this program and worked her butt off,” Gresh said. “I think there’s a little bittersweetness to tying her sister’s record, but it certainly was a goal and Emilie was her biggest fan and wanted her to do it.”
It’s some sisterly love, and now both Nagels have etched their place in school history as two of the best to ever wear an Indians jersey.
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