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Cork City's Graham Cummins celebrates (file pic). Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
Going Well

Off-season signing grabs hat-trick as Cork City maintain 100% record

Graham Cummins was the star as Sligo Rovers were easily beaten at the Showgrounds.

Sligo Rovers 1

Cork City 4

Jessica Farry reports from The Showgrounds

A HAT-TRICK from Graham Cummins and a Kieran Sadlier penalty made it three wins from three for champions Cork City who secured a comfortable 4-1 victory over Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds.

Adam Morgan’s penalty did little to impact the scoreline, while Rhys McCabe’s 89th-minute dismissal did not help matters for the home side.

The hosts recorded their first win of the season on Friday night, beating a Derry City side who are still without a point so far this season.

The champions came to Sligo as the only side to win both of their first two games.

Cork were well on track to continue their winning form when just three minutes had elapsed, as Cummins got on the end of a Karl Sheppard cross, nodding in past Chelsea loanee Mitchell Beeney between the Sligo sticks.

Sheppard came close to extending his side’s lead seconds later, but he could only direct his header wide of the target.

Whatever chance Sligo Rovers had of getting back into the game at 1-0 down, their hopes of a fightback were certainly much slimmer when they conceded a second.

Referee Derek Tomney pointed to the spot when Seamus Sharkey was adjudged to have fouled Cummins in the box. Sadlier, who was on the books at Sligo before joining Cork, made it 2-0 with his excellent penalty.

John Caulfield’s men were making it uncomfortable for the Bit O’ Red, and they continued their onslaught in search of a third.

Gearoid Morrissey missed the target, before it really should have been 3-0 to the Rebels. A free-kick from the excellent Barry McNamee was nodded on by Morrissey, but Barry was unable to trouble Beeney.

The champions refused to take the foot off the pedal, and they capitalised on a defensive error to make it 3-0 to the visitors straight after the restart.

Kyle Callan-McFadden’s poor ball to Beeney was intercepted by Cummins, whose cool finish had the Chelsea man beaten without much trouble.

Ger Lyttle’s men were not having much joy against a well-organised City side, but they were given a lifeline on 59 minutes. Caolan McAleer was upended in the box by Steven Beattie and again, Derek Tomney pointed to the spot.

Morgan sent Mark McNulty the wrong way to lessen the deficit.

The champions never looked like giving up their lead, but they were slightly rattled following a succession of chances for Rovers, as both Adam Wixted and David Cawley had McNulty on his toes with their long-distance efforts.

It didn’t get any better for Rovers, as McCabe’s 89th-minute dismissal for what appeared to be dissent was followed by Cummins’ third of the evening and his fourth of the season amid an impressive performance from City.

Sligo Rovers: Mitchell Beeney, Gary Boylan, Kyle Callan-McFadden, Seamus Sharkey (Calum Waters, 46), Patrick McClean, Rhys McCabe, Craig Roddan (Adam Wixted, 65), David Cawley, Ally Roy (Greg Moorhouse, 71), Adam Morgan, Caolan McAleer.

Cork City: Mark McNulty, Steven Beattie (Colm Horgan, 65), Alan Bennett, Aaron Barry, Shane Griffin, Barry McNamee (Garry Buckley, 79), Conor McCormack, Gearoid Morrissey, Karl Sheppard, Kieran Sadlier (Jimmy Keohane, 71), Graham Cummins.

Referee: Derek Tomney

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