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Sligo climb above Cork to fourth

Friday 3rd August 2007, 10:11 pm

Fahrudin Kudozovic, Sligo Rovers.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Sligo Rovers inflicted a first home league defeat of the season on Cork City at Turner's Cross tonight. The Bit O' Red secured a 2-1 win to leapfrog Cork and Bohemians to move up to fourth place in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland.

A competitive game saw three quality strikes as in-form Sligo extended their unbeaten run to six games thanks to goals from Adam Hughes and Fahrudin Kudozovic while Roy O'Donovan fired in his twenty-first goal of the year.

Both sides had early chances with Sligo keeper Richard Brush smothering an early drive at goal from Gareth Farrelly while a superb break from Matthew Judge brought him into the box where he chipped over Michael Devine only to clip the Cork crossbar with the home defence surviving as the ball rebounded to safety.

A Liam Kearney cross caused problems as Leon McSweeney flicked on but O'Donovan fouled Brush as he raced in to challenge as the game's early pace stayed high.

Sligo took the lead on 15 minutes when Judge controlled superbly on the edge of the Cork box and played through Hughes. Bearing down on goal, Hughes fired the ball past Devine at the near post and Rovers were ahead.

It might have been 2-0 on twenty minutes but Mark Boyd's swerving thirty yard shot crashed against the Cork bar before ending up in the seats behind the goal. Devine had to be quick off his line a minute later to boot clear as Rafael Cretaro chased in a hopeful through ball.

Cork came back into the game though after that and Neal Horgan forced Brush to tip over with a well struck free kick which was heading for the top corner. City had already wasted a couple of good set-piece situations by blasting straight at the wall, so Horgan's effort provided welcome relief.

Cork levelled on 32 minutes when O'Donovan got in to slot past Brush from an acute angle. O'Donovan's positioning hadn't been helped after he appeared to mis-control Farrelly's excellent through ball, but he still managed to finish superbly from close to the end-line.

A mazy Judge run just minutes after the equaliser threatened to unlock the Cork defence again and it took the retreating Colin Healy to eventually take the ball away from the Sligo player. McSweeney missed a glorious opportunity to give Cork the lead just before half time but blazed his effort well off target as he got in on the end of Admir Softic's low driven ball to the back post.

Cork were then almost gifted a lead goal just minutes into the second half as Jamie McKenzie and Brush got their wires crossed in front of the Sligo goal. Kearney nipped in at the back post too but couldn't get his shot on target.

Sligo regained their lead just after ten minutes into the second half when Kudozovic curled home a free kick from the edge of the Cork box. Again Devine was beaten at his near post but the strike left the keeper with little chance.

Billy Woods saw his deep dangerous cross flicked away by McKenzie as O'Donovan loitered at the back post. Woods was booked soon after and really should have walked after a crude crunching check on Cretaro which forced the Sligo player off through injury.

McSweeney headed over from a good position as he connected with Neal Horgan's right wing free kick and Cork's challenge faded against a strong Sligo side who coped well against the attacking elements of City's side.

Cork City : Devine, Horgan, Woods, Lordan, Murray, Softic (Behan 70), Healy, Farrelly, Kearney (Ryan 85), McSweeney, O'Donovan.
Sligo Rovers : Brush, Coleman, Ventre, Peers, McKenzie, O'Grady, Cretaro (Manson 78), Hughes, Boyd (Foy 54), Judge (Curran 67), Kudozovic.