KEVIN BURNS will go through his  regular routine in the Cork City dressing room
before stepping out in front of the Shed–end fans for his league bow tonight (7.45pm), writes NOEL SPILLANE.
City take on Shamrock Rovers for the second time in a week and are anxious to atone for their FAI Cup exit at Tallaght Stadium with Burns deputising for the suspended Mark McNulty.

“It’s a big opportunity for me to come into the team
 and the fact  it’s a home
game makes it that bit easier for me. It’s great to have
that home support behind me for what is my first league start.

“I feel I have got to put on a performance tonight.
“It’s a rare opportunity for me to get a look in and my main job is to keep a clean sheet and help the team to three points,” he added.

“It would be nice to win because we could do with the three points.
“We want to move up the table rather than down and with eight games to go we don’t want to be embroiled in a relegation fight.

“It’s time to get away from the clubs at the bottom and reel in a few of the teams directly above us so that we can finish as high as we possibly can,” he added.

The 22-year-old former Seaview Celtic and Tramore keeper came on as a replacement for McNulty in the 3-2 home win over Drogheda United and he played in all of City’s Munster Senior Cup ties, including the final, against Limerick this year.

“I have a contract so I am here again next season and
I am happy with that.
“It’s good  to be in the Premier Division.

“Myself and Mark (McNulty) and the other keepers all get on well together and we push one another all the time in training.
“We work well together and I know Mark will want me to do well tonight,” said Burns, who played 36 league games for Waterford United last year.

“I enjoyed my time with the Blues, my hometown club, and I kept 11 clean sheets with them and that’s a few more than Mark so we have a good bit of banter with that,” laughed Burns, who will have a bit of a makeshift Cork City team in front of him at
Turner’s Cross tonight.