Cork City manager Derek Mountfield has passed his first test as he moved to defuse a situation which threatened to upset the progress of the club. After having words with Mark Herrick during Cork's draw with Longford last weekend, he sat down with the player yesterday to clear the air.

Mountfield substituted Herrick midway through the second half of the game and the player mouthed off as he passed the manager on his way to the dressing room.

Mountfield wasn't happy with the lack of discipline that Herrick showed and he told him in no uncertain terms - but yesterday the pair patched up their differences with a clear-the-air meeting.

"I spoke to Mark yesterday and he has apologised and has accepted the punishment I have meted out. He knows he was wrong, has accepted that - but by the same token I understand that he was very frustrated at the way the game was going and at his own performance.

"That is not to excuse the incident but we had a heart-to-heart yesterday and he has accepted that he reacted wrongly and has apologised for his actions and apologised to the players at training last night. He has been disciplined and that is the end of the matter as far as I am concerned," concluded Mountfield.