Sligo Rovers 1
Cork City 1

SLIGO ROVERS CAME from behind to earn a draw against Cork City, which sees them remain in sixth ahead of the Leesiders heading into the mid-season break.

Cork took the lead after six minutes thanks to Graham Cummins, with Ronan Coughlan equalising on 27 minutes against his former club.

City travelled to the north-west knowing that a win would see them leapfrog the Bit O’Red and Waterford.

Sligo had only three home wins clocked up all season, while City have won four games on the road, picking up six defeats on their travels.

Liam Buckley made two changes to the side that drew with St. Patrick’s Athletic the previous week, John Mahon and Kris Twardek returned to the squad in place of Kyle Callan McFadden and David Cawley.

The visitors made four changes to the starting 11 that also drew with the Saints in their last outing two weeks ago. Graham Cummins, Daire O’Connor, Dan Casey and Garry Comerford replaced Karl Sheppard, Sean McLoughlin, Shane Griffin and Conor McCormack.

Six minutes had elapsed when John Cotter’s side took the lead. James Tilley’s corner was inadvertently nodded into the path of Cummins by Romeo Parkes, and the Cork native volleyed it first time past Ed McGinty to give his side the lead.

The 31-year-old had a number of chances to extend City’s lead in the opening minutes, but he couldn’t keep his efforts on target.

Two long-range shots from Gearoid Morrissey didn’t trouble McGinty, before the hosts finally found their feet in the game.

Romeo Parkes charged down on the goal and with the angle too awkward to shoot, he was forced to send a cross right across the face of goal, but there was no-one in a red shirt on the end of the Jamaican’s inviting pass.

Just before half hour mark, the Bit O’Red were back in it. Sam Warde’s free-kick was headed goalwards by Daryl Fordyce, with former City man Coughlan getting his head to it just in time to nod it past Mark McNulty to level the scoring.

Kris Twardek, Sam Warde and Parkes all tried their luck before half-time, but McNulty was not to be beaten that easily.

The hosts looked most likely to score after the re-start as they piled the pressure on the City rearguard in the opening minutes of the second half, but the visitors were just doing enough to keep Rovers at bay.

Substitute John Russell always gave his side the lead as he got on the end of Warde’s excellent ball in, but the Sligo assistant manager didn’t get the sufficient connection with the ball.

Although Sligo dominated large periods of the second half, the Leesiders will be wondering how the didn’t take the lead again when Cummins’ header from Tilley’s cross edged just inches over the bar.

Substitute Darragh Rainsford came close to giving Cork a late victory with his well-timed header, but again it was just millimetres over the bar.

Cork City: Mark McNulty; Colm Horgan, Conor McCarthy, Dan Casey, Garry Comerford (Ronan Hurley, 55); Kevin O’Connor, Gearoid Morrissey; James Tilley, Garry Buckley, Daire O’Connor (Darragh Rainsford, 76); Graham Cummins.

Subs: Tadhg Ryan, Alan Bennett, Alec Byrne, Gary Boylan, Ben O’Brien-Whitmarsh.

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