Cork City 1
Sligo Rovers 2
IT WAS A missed opportunity for Cork City as they fell to defeat to Sligo Rovers at Turner’s Cross on tonight.
With Premier Division leaders Dundalk having lost to Galway United on Friday, City would have moved to within three points – with a game in hand – but the performance never came near those recently shown in their impressive Europa League run.
With Sligo coming in off the back of a 5-0 win over Wexford Youths, they knew victory would move them to fifth and they got a great start on eight minutes when City goalkeeper Mark Nulty sent a clearance straight to Kieran Sadlier, who found the empty net from 30 yards out.
City responded but couldn’t get past Micheál Schlingermann in the Rovers goal and just before half-time it got even better for Dave Robertson’s side as Raffaele Cretaro made a mazy run through the City defence and rounded McNulty but before he could touch the ball home, Greg Bolger slid in to try to clear and had the final touch.
With everything to do, City pushed on in the second half and did create chances, for Karl Sheppard, Seán Maguire and Mark O’Sullivan, but last-ditch defending, good saves and wayward shooting denied them.
They were given a chance when O’Sullivan was fouled by Jimmy Keohane for a 76th-minute penalty, which Maguire converted. Unfortunately for them, that was as good as it got.
CORK CITY: Mark McNulty; Steven Beattie, Dave Mulcahy, Kenny Browne, Kevin O’Connor; Greg Bolger, Gearóid Morrissey (Garry Buckley 70); Karl Sheppard (Danny Morrissey 55), Seán Maguire, Stephen Dooley (Ian Turner 77); Mark O’Sullivan.
SLIGO ROVERS: Micheál Schlingermann; Tobi Adebayo-Rowlings, Mick Leahy, Gary Boylan (Gavin Peers 63), Jimmy Keohane; Pat McCann, Craig Roddan, Liam Martin; Achille Campion, Raffaele Cretaro (John Russell 72), Kieran Sadlier (Mikey Place 87).
Referee: Robert Harvey (Dublin).
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