Sligo Rovers 0 Cork City 0
Cork City’s title hopes suffered a setback in Sligo with a scoreless draw at the Showgrounds on Saturday night.
John Caulfield's side are seven points behind leaders Dundalk, albeit with a game in-hand, after an under par performance against a committed home side.
Looking to respond to last week’s 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bray Wanderers, Rovers shaded the first half and created some good chances.
Stephen Dooley had to clear a header from Gavin Peers off the line after 10 minutes, while Kieran Sadlier flashed a ball across the face of goal that Liam Martin almost slid into the net.
Karl Sheppard and Gary Bolger tried their luck from range for the visitors, but Rovers keeper Ciaran Nugent was assured in just his second appearance of the season after coming in for the injured Micheal Schlingermann.
Garry Buckley then could have opened the scoring early in the second half when his superb free-kick smacked off the Rovers crossbar.
Caulfield called upon striker Mark O’Sullivan to try and force a way through as the second half wore on, and the striker thought he had set up fellow substitute Dave Mulcahy for the opener on 84 minutes.
But an offside flag ruined their celebrations, and the home side deservedly held on for the point.
SLIGO: Nugent, Adebayo-Rowling, Leahy, Peers, Boylan, Keohane, McCann (Kearns 84), Russell, Keohane, Martin, Sadlier (Cretaro 64), Campion.
CORK: McNulty, McSweeney (Mulcahy 58), Browne, Bennett, O'Connor, Bolger, Buckley, G Morrissey (O'Sullivan 73), Sheppard (Turner 85), Dooley, Maguire.
Referee: N Doyle.
