It is a good thing Cork City have built up a near unassailable lead at top of the table.
The Leesiders will lose their top scorer and talisman Sean Maguire to Preston North End at the end of July – the 23-year-old signing a three-year deal with the Championship side after an unbelievable start to the Airtricity League season.
TRANSFER | @Seani_Maguire_ will join Preston North End at the end of July. Read more on CCFC.ie #CCFC84 pic.twitter.com/5m0aqcoAQh
— Cork City FC (@CorkCityFC) June 3, 2017
Maguire has scored 19 goals in 20 appearances this season as City have gone unbeaten in 17 league matches, winning 16 – including a 3-0 win away to defending champions and his own former team Dundalk on Friday night, where the one-time West Ham man scored a hat-trick in front of the watching Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
Maguire will link up with his former Dundalk team-mates Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan after their move paved the way at the start of the year.
“I think they’ve set the platform for players in the League of Ireland of my age to go,” Maguire said back in April when the move to Preston was first mooted.
“Andy and Daryl have gone over there and they haven’t looked out of place. They are doing brilliantly and I’m delighted for them.
“Not only are they great players but they’re great guys off the pitch as well.
“In the long term I would like to go over and play at that level but I’m enjoying my football and we’re doing well at the moment and we’re going in the right direction to win the league title.”
Preston manager Simon Grayson will be hoping Horgan and Maguire can link up in attack as the club look to build on last seaosn’s 11th place finish.
All Airtricity League fans now have an English club they can get behind also.
