Cork City need to beat Sligo tonight or else relegation is all but guaranteed
Darragh Crowley of Cork City in action against Owen Norton of Leicester Celtic during the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup second round match between Cork City and Leicester Celtic at Turner’s Cross in Cork. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The gap to Sligo Rovers stands at eight points. Cork City have just two league wins from 24 games this season – none of which have come since Ger Nash replaced the outgoing Tim Clancy. With 12 games remaining, time is quickly running out.
Tonight’s clash at Turner’s Cross is nothing short of season-defining. Win, and the gap to ninth narrows to five. Lose, and it stretches to 11 – a margin that would all but confirm automatic relegation.
There’s no way around it: Cork City have to win. Their Premier Division survival hinges on this result.
Last weekend’s FAI Cup win over Leicester Celtic was City’s first victory in any competition since beating Waterford at home back in April. Their most recent league point came at the end of June, a 0-0 draw with St Pat’s – which, remarkably, was also their first clean sheet of the season.
City sit bottom of the table, and their position is becoming more desperate by the week. A loss tonight to a confident and in-form Sligo Rovers could be the final nail.
The sides have already met twice this season – and both times, it ended 1-1. In April at The Showgrounds, Francely Lomboto’s 90th-minute equaliser denied City all three points just 12 minutes after Josh Fitzpatrick was sent off. That game followed March’s draw at Turner’s Cross, where Sligo went down to ten men and Kitt Nelson salvaged a point for City.
Former Cobh Ramblers winger Wilson Waweru and Paddy McClean got on the scoresheet for Sligo Rovers in their last league fixture, a 2-0 win over Derry City at the Showgrounds, which Nash was at.
Cork have lacked a ruthless edge all season. Six successive away defeats – the most recent a 2-0 loss to Waterford – have been marred by recurring individual errors and lapses in both boxes.
Ger Nash knows what he’s up against. Sligo have hit form at the right time, beating both Derry City and Dundalk in recent weeks.
“Sligo are in good form,” he said, after Cork City’s win over Leicester Celtic. “They're full of confidence, which is hug.e But look, we're going to be working hard to prepare for that game.
With back-to-back 90 minute appearances for Malik Dijksteel, as well as Benny Couto making his return last week, things are improving ever so slightly on the injury front. But Nash is still without several key players.
Nash is hoping that Seani Maguire and Sean Murray, both of whom departed at half-time against Shelbourne with injuries at the start of the month, will be back soon. Though this Friday is likely to come too early for the pair. Greg Bolger is definitely ruled out, following the injury he picked up against Waterford in the last league game. He will be out for at least a few weeks.
Having beaten Dundalk 2-0 in the FAI Cup off the back of their league win over Derry City, Sligo are now unbeaten since their 1-0 defeat to Drogheda on June 20. Since then they’ve beaten Galway United, drawn with Bohs and Shamrock Rovers, and picked up the two aforementioned victories. They’ve got as many league wins in their last five as City have all year.
While they did lose seven straight from May to June, only one of those defeats was by more than one goal. They’ve picked up a lot over the last few months and will be a very tough opposition.
Cork City will need to be at their absolute best – tactically sharp, defensively solid, and clinical in front of goal – if they’re to have any chance of getting a result.
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