Even though he couldn’t help them avoid a late defeat, Arsenal loanee Joseph Olowu earned praise for his Cork City debut on Friday.
Joseph Olowu made his competitive debut for his loan club yesterday, just a day after confirming his move to Ireland.
The defender had already joined up with the squad for training before the official confirmation. All the same, it was an inexperienced team of debutants for Cork City. Eight players were playing their first competitive game for the club.
In the end, Shelbourne FC won the match 1-0 with a goal in the 86th minute. Not a great start for the team, but still a positive one for Olowu himself.
The Cork City website highlighted him for praise, writing “City showed sparks of quality, not least from centre-back Joseph Olowu” adding that the centre-back rose higher than anyone to meet aerial balls for most of the night.
Olowu almost made it a perfect debut when he headed narrowly wide, but it wasn’t to be.
Cork nearly take the lead but Olowu’s header just goes wide. 0-0. #WeAreShels
— Shelbourne FC (@shelsfc) February 14, 2020
Manager Neale Fenn didn’t say too much on Olowu specifically after the game, but he did give his partnership at the back a mention: “We have to (take positives) don’t we? I thought the two centre-backs were very good. I thought they were very good.”
Fan Reaction to Olowu’s performance
- @MichaelWalsh_21: “…how Fenn (Cork City boss) managed to get Olowu from Arsenal I’ll never know. Absolutely top class, himself and Redmond is gonna be a cracking partnership.”
- @Divad2017: “Unlucky tonight. Great crowd. Olowu stand out.”
- @pods_o: “Practically a new team that will take time to bed in but they’ll struggle to score. Olowu was the best of them.”
- @johnnychamberz: “Cork’s Joseph Olowu looks a monster at the back.”
- @1FCKobe: “Olowu is class.”
- @jvwalmsley: “Fair play mate, you bossed it at the back. Would’ve loved to see you bury that header near the end!”
Olowu’s reaction
Fans Last Night Were Absolutely Brilliant And Had Turners Cross Rocking, We Will Keep Working Hard To Bounce Back. 👊🏾🟢⚪️ @CorkCityFC
— Joseph Olowu (@JOlowu_27) February 15, 2020