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Cork City striker Sean Maguire (file pic). Tommy Dickson/INPHO
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Maguire scores for the sixth game in a row as City are forced to come from behind

The Leesiders saw off Sligo Rovers to open up a three-point lead at the top of the Premier Division table.

Cork City 2
Sligo Rovers 1

Paul Dollery reports from Turner’s Cross

CORK CITY WENT three points clear at the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division tonight, but they did it the hard way.

John Caulfield’s side had to come from behind at Turner’s Cross to see off the challenge of bottom club Sligo Rovers. Steven Beattie and Sean Maguire both scored against their former club to cancel out Kieran Sadlier’s second-half opener, as City made it four wins out of four in the 2017 campaign.

Cork City made two changes from their 4-1 win in Drogheda on Friday night. Club captain John Dunleavy was deemed fit enough to start, with veteran defender Alan Bennett rested. Jimmy Keohane, who was also lining out against his previous employers, replaced Gearoid Morrissey in midfield.

Raffaele Cretaro, Gary Boylan and Jonah Ayunga started for Sligo in place of Kyle Callan-McFadden, Regan Donelon and Daniel Kearns, with manager Dave Robertson making three changes from their 1-1 draw at home to St Patrick’s Athletic.

The hosts went close to opening the scoring in the fifth minute in front of a 2,722 crowd at Turner’s Cross. Keohane’s blocked effort fell to Garry Buckley on the edge of the Sligo box, but his shot went narrowly wide of Shaun Patton’s post.

A string of good chances fell to John Caulfield’s side as the game approached the midway point of the first half. First, Beattie forced a good save from Patton, before Maguire had an attempt blocked by a sea of Sligo bodies when the ball fell to the in-form striker from a corner. Another corner then found the head of Dunleavy. However, with an open goal at his mercy, the former Wolves defender couldn’t keep his effort below the crossbar.

With the Leesiders growing frustrated at the lack of a breakthrough against a side they failed to beat in three attempts last season, Sligo were always keen to threaten on the counter attack and they nearly went ahead against the run of play in the 34th minute.

On-loan Brighton striker Jonah Ayunga made a great run from inside his own half before turning inside Kevin O’Connor and unleashing a powerful shot, which produced a fine save from City goalkeeper Mark McNulty, who was setting a new club record by making his 120th consecutive start.

The home side continued to put the Bit O’Red defence under pressure as the game edged towards the interval. Buckley forced a save from Patton and Maguire had a shot blocked by his team-mate Karl Sheppard, although it appeared to be slightly off target anyway.

Maguire thought he’d broken the deadlock just after the hour-mark but his header from Beattie’s corner was cleared off the line by Liam Martin. The game’s opening goal did finally arrive moments later — but at the other end. When Dunleavy was dispossessed by Sadlier just outside the City box, the former West Ham man finished neatly to stun Turner’s Cross.

But Sligo’s lead lasted less than a minute. O’Connor’s long ball forward was flicked on by ex-Sligo striker Achille Campion, who replaced the injured Greg Bolger early in the second half. Beattie got in behind the visitors’ defence and drilled the ball emphatically beyond Patton on the half-volley in the 65th minute.

Twelve minutes later, another ball over the top engineered the opening for the decisive goal. Buckley’s long pass released Maguire, who made no mistake to score his fifth of the season and his sixth in as many games — a run stretching back to last season’s FAI Cup final — as Cork City continued their positive start to the season ahead of their visit to Tallaght on Friday night to face Shamrock Rovers.

CORK CITY: Mark McNulty; Conor McCormack, John Dunleavy, Ryan Delaney, Kevin O’Connor; Greg Bolger (Achille Campion, 53), Garry Buckley, Jimmy Keohane; Steven Beattie, Sean Maguire (Connor Ellis, 90), Karl Sheppard (Shane Griffin, 85).

SLIGO ROVERS: Shaun Patton; Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Michael Leahy, Gary Boylan, Liam Martin; John Russell (Daniel Kearns, 90), Chris Kenny (Mikey Place, 85), Craig Roddan, Kieran Sadlier; Raffaele Cretaro, Jonah Ayunga (Matthews Stevens, 85).

Referee: Sean Grant

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