Sligo Rovers 0
Cork City 2
CORK CITY MOVED within four points of leaders Dundalk this evening thanks to a narrow victory over Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds.
Rovers, on the other hand, are now watching below them nervously as Limerick have moved closer to them as the relegation followed by a second from former Rovers man Ross Gaynor to put the nail in the coffin.
This would be Micky Adams’ first game in charge of the Bit O’Red, and with very little time to settle in, he’s got a relegation battle to contend with.
Following Rovers’ 3-2 defeat to bottom side Limerick last weekend, they would have been hoping for at least a draw to keep the Shannonsiders at bay. But, Limerick, and indeed Cork City, refused to go with their plans as Limerick picked up a 4-3 victory on the night against Bohemian FC, moving four points closer.
There was very little between the two sides in the early stages, with first-half chances from Raffaele Cretaro and Jason Hughes failing to really trouble Mark McNulty in goal.
Cork, similarly, had very few solid chances on goal, with John Dunleavy and Karl Sheppard coming close, but not close enough.
The visitors didn’t have to wait much longer for the opener though, as they took the much sought after lead in the 58th minute. The ball was rolled into the path of Mark O’Sullivan who needed no invitation to shoot, and his powerful effort left Brush with little chance in goal.
Substitute Gaynor came on in place of the injured Kevin O’Connor, and he made it 2-0 with just minutes on the clock as he pounced on a loose ball following a save from Brush. He caught Brush on the hop and slotted it past his former team-mate to break Sligo hearts.
Sligo Rovers:Richard Brush, Alan Keane, Gavin Peers, Tim Clancy, Regan Donelon, Sander Puri (Gary Armstrong, 71), Gary Boylan, Jason Hughes, Raffaele Cretaro, Morten Nielsen, Dinny Corcoran (Ruairi Keating, 71).
Subs: Ryan Coulter, Jake Dykes, Patrick Nzuzi, Keith Ward, Ryan McManus.
Cork City: Mark McNulty, Johnny Dunleavy, Alan Bennett, Dan Murray, Kevin O’Connor (Ross Gaynor, 55), Steven Beattie (Danny Morrissey, 91), Liam Miller (Stephen Folan, 91), Colin Healy, Garry Buckley, Karl Sheppard, Mark O’Sullivan.
Subs: Alan Smith, Michael McSweeney, Liam Kearney, John O’Flynn.
Referee: Paul Tuite