Seani extends stay with Cork City FC
Striker Seani Maguire is set to stay for a longer spell with Cork City FC after he signed a new one-year extension to his contract this morning. His contract had two years left to run.
The 31 year old is a cult hero in Cork and has been a key player since he returned to the club after a stellar spell when he first joined in 2016. He has scored 68 goals for Cork City in 111 appearances.
The striker returned to City in July 2024 following moves to a number of English clubs including Preston North End, Carlisle United and Accrington.
He had been linked with a move to Shamrock Rovers after the Turner’s Cross were relegated from the SSE Airtricity Premier Division last year. Champions Rovers had bids rejected for the Kilkenny man. Maguire has 11 caps for the Republic of Ireland and 1 goal.
After signing the extension, Maguire said: “Since the manager (Barry Robson) has come, he has played a big part in outlining how he wants to do things and where he wants this club to get to. He wants us to get back to where this club wants to be and needs to be.
“Our target for the coming season is to win the First Division and get back into the Premier Division at the first time of asking. We have a lot of experienced lads in the squad, as well as some really exciting young players.
“I am very excited for what is to come and am delighted to have signed an extension to my contract. We have just under two weeks to go to the first game of the season, and I can’t wait to be playing at the Cross again in front of the City fans,” he added.
Cork City manager Barry Robson said he was “thrilled” to get the deal done amid all the speculation over Seani’s future.
“We were clear all along that we did not want him to go anywhere, because we know how good a player and how good a person he is.”
“In the relatively short time I have been at the club, I have seen what Seani brings to the table, so getting him tied down is a really positive step for the club and a statement of our intent. There is huge credit due to the owner and the board for making this happen, as getting Seani tied down was at the top of my list when I came to the club.
“He is one of the best players in the league, but as well as that, he is a really good voice in the dressing, bringing a huge amount of experience to the table. To have his quality on the pitch is huge for us, but also having that experience in our dressing room is something will be invaluable for younger players.”
City face Treaty United on Friday 13 February at 7.45pm for their opening SSE Airtricity First Division game. Cork City are favourites to be promoted but Cobh Ramblers will hope to prevent that.