| Final home fixture ends in defeat |
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| Monday, 05 November 2007 | |
 Despite a first half display in which the home side dominated, Sligo Rovers final home game of the season ended in an unlucky defeat at the hands of Cork City on Saturday night last.eircom League Premier Division Sligo Rovers 0 – 1 Cork City Sat 3 Nov 2007 Match Sponsor: The Glasshouse Hotel President’s Man of the Match: Brian Cash A subdued pre-match atmosphere wasn’t reflected on the pitch as both sides took to the task in earnest from the off. Cork stated their intent in the early exchanges with both Behan and McSweeney going close. However, it was the home side who took the game to Cork and it was Rovers captain, Fahrudin Kudozovic who threatened first for Rovers from a long clearance by Gavin Peers. Rovers almost took the lead on eight minutes when the quick thinking Arcba sent a long kick-out that was mis-judged by the Cork centre back bouncing into the path of Matt Judge, but his delicate lob of the advancing Devine went narrowly over. An injury to Cretaro brought Brian Cash into the game in the first quarter hour and the Dubliner was quick into the pace of the game putting in cross from the right that Judge again got on the end of, this time denied by a scrappy but effective stop by the ‘keeper. The Bit O’Red had the lion’s share of possession and continued to stretch the Cork back line. Judge’s trickery was a constant threat and a surging run from Kudozovic on seventeen minutes brought him to the end line but the ball was guided out for a corner. Gareth Farrelly had an effort saved by Arcaba midway through the half and again towards the end but neither effort nor a Colin Healy strike troubled Arcaba. With ten minutes remaining in the half, Rovers raided down the right with Judge flicking into path of Cash who sent a low ball into the path of Gordon, but Horgan intervened only for the ball to fall into the path of Cash but Devine again, came to the rescue, smothering from close range. The second half took some time to get into gear and it was approaching the hour mark before Conor O’Grady notched it up a gear forcing his way into the box at the town end, but he couldn’t find a red shirt from the by-line. But it was the visitors who crept in front approaching seventy minutes when Sean Kelly got on the end of a Leon McSweeny corner to put past Arcaba on the back post. Five minutes later good work by Kudozovic put Gavin Peers through in the box but he could only find the side-netting. On eighty minutes left back, James Meredith linked well with Matt Judge on the edge of the box before firing a shot that was parried away by Devine. As the Bit O’Red pushed forward to grab an equaliser, they began to look shaky at the back and were fortunate to get away with some unforced errors. But they kept at it until the end, Peers going agonisingly close from a Faz corner before a last minute scramble with all eleven in the box for another set-piece failed to deny Cork City the three points. Sligo Rovers Tomislav Arcaba, Seamus Coleman, Jamie McKenzie, James Meredith, Conor O’Grady, Raphael Cretaro (Brian Cash 11 mins), Gary Curran, (Mark Boyd 70 min), Matthew Judge (Ross McLoughlin 82 mins), Fahrudin Kudozovic, Matthew Gordon Subs not used:, Keith Foy, , , Richard Brush Cork City Michael Devine, Neal Horgan, Dan Murphy, John O’Flynn (Admir Softic), Colin Healy, Darren Murphy, Leon McSweeney, Denis Behan, Sean Kelly, Liam Kearney Subs not used: Colin O’Brien, Mark McNulty, Colm Carroll, , Dave Meyler Referee: D McKeon Bookings: Sligo Rovers Brian Cash Cork City John O’Flynn, Denis Behan |
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