The Munster side go into tonight's game with hopes of getting something positive out of the year, writes Emmet Malone

AFTER A season of persistent gloom down at Turner's Cross, Cork City welcome "the Glens" for the very first time this evening. For the home side the aim will be to put a gloss on what has been a difficult year by lifting the Setanta Sports Cup for the first time after which, one suspects, they'll be happy to turn their attention to next year and what they hope will be a brighter future.

With more than a dozen of the first-team squad out of contract in a few weeks' time, there is still a good deal of uncertainty around the club as they prepare for tonight's game.

Negotiations between Alan Mathews and a number of players were put on hold when Arkaga withdrew their backing a few months back and while the payment of basic wages has resumed since Tom Coughlan took control, few of the squad are clear about what, if any, terms they might be offered for next year.

"Obviously we're all hoping to have talks about our futures," says Michael Devine who, having returned from injury, could replace Mark McNulty in goal for the hosts. "But for the moment we have to accept that the new owner is in the place five minutes and concentrate on winning what is a very big game for us.

"It's been a very difficult year, not just for the players but for Alan Mathews, who has put up with a lot, and the fans, who provided great support while the club was in administration. To win this in the circumstances would be great for everyone, it would certainly mean a lot to all of the players."

After eight years at the club Devine has been around the Cork City roller coaster a few times at this stage but after the problems that overshadowed the build up to last season's FAI Cup final at the RDS, he could have been forgiven for assuming this season would involve a slightly smoother ride.

Instead, the club appears to have taken a significant step backwards with the financial crisis and resulting loss of players leaving the southerners well off the pace in a title race City had been expected to hotly contest.

"It's impossible to say what would have happened but certainly I think that if we'd added a couple of players instead of losing a couple then we'd have been able to push Bohemians an awful lot closer," he says. "As it is, we still have a good team and the problems have provided some of the younger players with the opportunity to come through - a few of them have really surprised the more experienced lads with the way they've out their heads down and progressed but for all of that, there's no point in pretending that it hasn't been a difficult year."

Probably the league's most consistently impressive goalkeeper over his time with City, Devine is frank about his own contribution to the team's elimination from the FAI Cup, observing that he could and should have done better in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Derry City.

In the Setanta Cup, though, he has considerable cause for satisfaction with his performances to date having recorded four clean sheets in four appearances before injury handed McNulty the shirt for the more recent outings, including the semi-final win at the Brandywell.

"Mark's done well since he's come in so it's down to the gaffer but whoever plays, we'll be well prepared," says the 35-year-old. "We've been watching DVDs of them and we have first-hand experience of a few of their lads who previously played for Dungannon Swifts or Portadown.

"They have good players," he adds, mentioning Gary Hamilton as one City will have to be particularly wary of, "and they've made a great start to the league up there so I'd say the teams are very evenly balanced, it's very much 50-50."

Having watched the northerners play four times this season, Mathews agrees and the City boss is pleased to have virtually a full squad to choose from ahead of game which, apart from anything else, could provide access to next season's competition.

Colin Healy and Cillian Lordan (shoulder and knee respectively) are the only two City absentees while Glentoran are without captain Paul Leeman and Jason Hill, both of whom are suspended after being sent off in the semi-final win over Drogheda, when Hill scored the only goal.

"The loss of those two means I'll have to make a couple of changes," says Glentoran manager Alan McDonald, "but I haven't made a final call on it."

The Belfast club has made dramatic progress since the former Northern Ireland international took charge some 15 months ago with a mixture of experienced Irish League stars and players returning home from Britain added to what were already the bones of a decent squad.

"I have to say the board have been very supportive," says McDonald, "and I've been particular pleased with the way players like Andrew Waterworth who we signed from Hamilton, Daryl Fordyce who'd been at Portsmouth and Jonathan Taylor who played at Hearts, have settled in.

"So far this year things have gone well (his side are 11 games unbeaten in the league and currently top the table) but it's early days. Just to reach this final, though, is a great achievement. We were written off as dead and buried at one stage so to beat Linfield, St Patrick's and then Drogheda and qualify was fantastic."