How eighth-tier Canton Rangers brought together three Corkonians

Moving to a different city can be difficult for some, but imagine trying to find a football club to play for.

Separated by the Irish Sea, Cork and Cardiff are 299.4 miles apart on the road. Cardiff as well is almost three times the size of Cork, despite being Ireland’s second-largest city.

So making the trip from Cork to Cardiff to start a new life can be daunting.  

For the three Corkonians, their task of finding a football club to join was made easier when Canton Rangers came calling.

Goalkeeper Alan Burns, defender John Hogan, and midfielder Oisín Murphy make up the Cork contingent of Canton Rangers.

Despite all being from the same Irish city, neither of them knew each other before joining Cardiff & District League side Canton Rangers.

But little did they know that having joined the club all through friends, they would find more about themselves than they knew before.

It was revealed the three have found some family links with one another since coming to Cardiff.

“Since coming to Canton, we’ve come to realise we’re related through marriage,” said defender John Hogan,

“We’ve all played against each other, without knowing it, at some point in Cork.”

Oisin was a senior hurler for his native Youghal, a seaside resort town in County Cork, but he hung up the Hurley in 2012, as he featured for their local football side. 

It wasn’t until 2015 that he came to the South Wales capital and studied at Cardiff Metropolitan in Sports Science.

Hogan ’s story is an interesting one. He’s one three league titles in three countries. 

His most recent being a Cardiff & District League title with Canton Rangers, as well league titles in Australia and Ireland.

He played for Muskerry in Hurling as a goalkeeper, before moving into football with Coachford. It was in Australia that he met his partner, where he decided to move to Cardiff. 

All three were predominantly Gaelic footballers and hurlers. Out of all three of them, it was Alan Murphy who rose the highest after switching codes.

Murphy was previously on the books of League of Ireland club Cobh Ramblers, playing in goals. 

Canton Rangers were last season promoted to the South Wales Alliance League, they open up their campaign this Saturday against fellow Cardiff side St Josephs.