Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Sligo's Owen Elding celebrates (file pic).Bryan Keane/INPHO FreeRelegation battle Remarkable Sligo comeback dents Cork's survival hopes The defeat leaves the Leesiders 11 points adrift at the bottom of the table. 10.25pm, 25 Jul 2025 Share options Cork City 2 Sligo Rovers 3 Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross CORK CITY coughed up a two-goal lead to fall to a costly defeat, which leaves them 11 points adrift of Sligo Rovers in their Premier Division relegation struggle. The hosts showed signs of life as Evan McLaughlin and Seani Maguire’s goals put them on the brink of a first league victory in 14 attempts. But manager Ger Nash was denied an overdue triumph by Owen Elding and Patrick McClean’s strikes. City came close to a late winner only for Alex Nolan’s wonderstrike to cannon off the crossbar. Rovers countered as Ryan O’Keane buried the 89th-minute winner. Despite the 11 remaining games, those goals may have all but condemned City to the drop in front of a 2,673 crowd, which included Roy Keane. They were booed off by the Shed End at the final whistle. Nash opted for three changes, headlined by the return of Maguire up top for Charlie Lutz. Harry Nevin made his first start in two months at right-back, while McLaughlin was recalled to the midfield. They were without five possible starters in keeper David Odumosu, suspended captain Charlie Lyons, Milan Mbeng, Seán Murray, and St Mirren-bound winger Malik Dijksteel. Advertisement Sligo’s recent success has been built on early goals. Here, they were under the cosh from the start. City got behind them down the flanks to force a couple of quickfire corners. Maguire got under his header, while Cathal O’Sullivan had a shot blocked. However, City regained possession from the latter opportunity and sliced Sligo open. Maguire switched to Kitt Nelson in space, and the Preston loanee zipped a quality ball into McLaughlin’s feet. He jinked onto his left and deceived Sam Sargeant by whipping the ball inside the near post for his second of the season. That seventh-minute strike was City’s earliest goal in almost three months. The hosts weren’t used to holding such an early lead, but they made life difficult for their opponents by defending in a determined low block, led by the aerial ability of Fiacre Kelleher. Despite holding 59% of possession, the Bit o’ Red didn’t muster a shot on target in the entire half. A couple of Rory Feely long throws further highlighted City’s intent to make life as awkward as possible for the visitors, resulting in a Nelson shot down the keeper’s throat. Maguire’s hold-up play provided a key outlet for Brann’s route-one balls. But when the keeper launched him straight through the middle, the 11-cap Ireland international delayed too long and fluffed his shot. O’Sullivan was an early casualty as he was helped off, worryingly, rubbing his left knee after attempting to contest a high ball. Matthew Kiernan’s driving runs on the counter kept Sligo unsettled. One forced a corner, which saw Kelleher retreat with his head in his hands after nodding wide. Then, Nelson twisted onto his right, but shot straight at Sargeant. City were comfortable until the break to hold their first half-time lead in 19 games. Brann was alert to make a flying save on the resumption as Will Fitzgerald’s hit looked destined for the top corner. He added a follow-up save from McClean from the corner. Fitzgerald headed their next chance over. From that goal kick, Nelson and Alex Nolan combined down the right to drag the ball back for Maguire. His first shot was saved by Sargeant, but Maguire latched onto the rebound to bury his fourth goal of the season, and first in two months. The two-goal cushion lasted just four minutes. Sligo exploited the vast tracts of space around the tiring City defence as Hakiki fed Elding, who finished at the second attempt after a fine Brann save. Fitzpatrick blazed wide before Sligo switched to two up front. Elding almost profited from a Feely slip, but Brann foiled the opportunity, and Nevin cleared. Brann again came up trumps to push around the post from Hakiki, but from Fitzgerald’s corner, McClean directed a bullet header into the far corner. New signings Kaedyn Kamara and Brody Lee made late debuts, but once Nolan’s effort bounced away from danger, Sligo came up with a late dagger through O’Kane. CORK CITY: Conor Brann; Harry Nevin, Rory Feely, Fiacre Kelleher, Matthew Kiernan (Benny Couto 82); Darragh Crowley, Evan McLaughlin; Cathal O’Sullivan (Alex Nolan 20), Kitt Nelson (Kaedyn Kamara 83), Josh Fitzpatrick (Brody Lee 82); Seani Maguire (Charlie Lutz 75). SLIGO ROVERS: Sam Sargeant; Conor Reynolds (Francely Lomboto 70), Ollie Denham, Patrick McClean, Seán Stewart; James McManus, Seb Quirk; Will Fitzgerald, Jad Hakiki, Ryan O’Kane; Owen Elding. Referee: Paul Norton (Dublin). Stephen Barry View 4 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Remarkable Sligo comeback dents Cork's survival hopes”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Remarkable Sligo comeback dents Cork's survival hopes”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion League of Ireland Relegation battle Sligo Rovers News in 60 seconds FreeUnimpressed 'Very upset' Lionel Messi suspended by MLS FreeThriller Noonan and Amond star as Waterford secure dramatic victory over Galway 20 mins ago Freetitle race Shamrock Rovers the big winners as Derry-Bohs finishes all square 53 mins ago Harrington leads Senior Open, Maguire in contention in Scotland FreeFrustration Ireland's Finn Azaz set to miss three more weeks with quad injury Next year's Women's Irish Open to take place at The K Club FreeTour de France Ben Healy remains 9th in GC as Thymsen Arensman wins final mountain stage Summer soccer 'dead in the water' as FAI face revolt over aligned calendar David Sneyd On the Line 'We're expecting a war' - Martin Johnson hands out Lions jerseys How the dream team of ROG, Biggar, Harrison, and Warburton works Murray Kinsella Reports from Melbourne Cattle cull forces change to Tour de France stage 19 route more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account