If you were to go by the programme for the Finn Harps game last week, there's was a bit of a sense of disbelief in the Cork City camp even before the team made it eight straight wins on Sunday. Just about every page had a "where will it all end?" tone about it.

While some people in Cork, though, will be fearing the worst again ahead of this evening's televised game at Richmond Park and others will be getting merrily carried away by the run of victories already under the club's belt one man at least has been playing it all down.

"We've had it both ways," says John Caulfield who is now in his 13th season with Cork. "A few years back we were something like 10 points clear at Christmas and came nowhere while the last time we won the league we came from a long way behind so as far as I'm concerned the main thing is not to be saying we blew it by February or March."

Caulfield feels the team is better equipped to beat St Patrick's this evening than at any point, perhaps, since the championship winning side of 1993. Still, the striker admits, they haven't done anything yet.

"It's nice to be going so well but really it doesn't mean a whole lot. In 1991 we lost the title on the last day to Dundalk after going the first 24 games without a defeat. Now admittedly we drew a lot of them but you'd been told that you were going to have that sort of run and lose only two games a whole season you'd have put your house on us winning the league. But we didn't so there's no point in getting too excited about this run just yet."

Another reason for Caulfield, twice the Premier Division's leading scorer over the past six seasons, to be a little cool on the current run, though he'd scarcely admit it, is that to date it has largely been achieved without his help.

Last season the New York born striker lost his place in the side for the first time and in the end the majority of the games he played where in an unfamiliar wide midfield role.

"I know I'm not 21 or 22 anymore but to be honest with you," he says "I didn't stay here to watch games from the bench. It's not just about getting a game, either, you could stroll down to Cobh if all you wanted was a game, I stayed here because I still have ambition, I still believe I'm good enough to play in a team that can win things and I'm determined to prove that here."

His age (he turned 34 a couple of weeks ago), is undoubtedly a factor that has counted against him but part of the problem, insists Caulfield, is the perception held by others that at this stage in his career he simply must be past it.

"I've talked about it to other players, Mick Neville for instance. He was saying the same thing, that people talk about him having been a much better player a few years back when he feels that he has played some of his best games when he was well into his thirties. I feel the same way. I may not be as quick, I'm not as quick, as I was but I'm a bit cleverer, I pick up better positions now and in a lot of ways I cause defenders more problems than I did a few seasons ago."

Even if Caulfield does end up on the bench again tonight, Gerald Dobbs and Jason Kabia may benefit from knowing that every time they look over at the City bench they'll see a man who'll happily take their place if they fail to perform.