A BAN imposed three years ago, will deprive Cork City of the experience of Declan Daly, when they open their InterToto Cup programme with a home game against Standard Liege on Saturday.

Daly, entrusted with much of the responsibility for ensuring the successful introduction of younger players to the team last season, received a yellow card in each of the two games in their UEFA Cup tie against Slavia Prague in the 1994/95 season.

Now, in their first game at European level since that defeat, the suspension takes effect, to present Dave Barry, their manager, with a formidable problem in defence.

It's a situation which the Cork manager did not anticipate until notified of the outstanding ban last month.

Earlier Barry had admitted defeat in his on-going attempt to solve the front line problem which has endured since Pat Morley left the club to join Shelbourne.

Ian Gilzean, the Scot who assisted Sligo Rovers for two seasons, was one of those approached with a view to strengthening their European challenge but was unwilling to meet the club's requirements that he live in Cork.

There was also a show of interest in Rick O'Flaherty, the Galway man who has been highly influential for St Patrick's Athletic, but he, too, declined the opportunity of moving south.