Cunningham relishing his return to top flight of cross-channel football

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

WITH Premier League football back on our screens this weekend after the Summer hiatus, Galway eyes will be on former Cregmore and Mervue United star Greg Cunningham as he makes his return to top flight football with newly promoted Cardiff City.
For Cunningham, who made the move from Championship outfit Preston North End to Cardiff over the Summer for an overall fee of £4 million, it is another chance to mix it with the elite of English and international football having begun his senior career with current champions Manchester City.
“Yeah, it is where you want to play,” says Cunningham, as he takes time out from his busy pre-season schedule. “The best players in the world are there and you want to pitch yourself up against them week in, week out. So, obviously, it was a big attraction for me to play for a club playing in the Premier League and we are looking forward to the challenge this season.”
Having been 33/1 to make the play-offs of the championship at the outset of last season, Cardiff City belied their low standing in the eyes of the bookmakers and pundits by finishing second in the table and gaining automatic promotion under controversial manager Neil Warnock.
As often observed, football fans either love or hate Warnock but one thing is for sure the Premier League will be a more interesting competition with him in it, particularly given the public spat with Man City boss Pep Guardiola when the sides met in the FA Cup in January.
Guardiola was livid with the nature of Cardiff’s robust tackling; Warnock took umbrage to his remarks by telling him – and everyone else – so. To put it mildly, Warnock, who has a superb track record when it comes to getting teams promoted, rarely stands back from an argument.
“I am really enjoying working under him,” says Cunningham, who, it is understood, had been a target for an admiring Warnock for some time. “We have had a great few weeks so far. We were training in Cardiff for the first week or so and then we headed down to Cornwall, where the gaffer lives, and we had some training down there.
“It was nice. Every year, he invites the lads over to his house and we had a barbeque and stuff and we chilled out there for the afternoon. It was a nice way to get the boys together and it was a good bonding week there.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and  county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.