2 April 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Cork City travel to The Showgrounds to face Sligo Rovers on Saturday, as John Caulfield’s side look to make it three wins in a row.
City have three wins from their opening four games, notching wins against Bohemians (2-0), Longford Town (6-0) and Dundalk (1-0), with their sole defeat coming at the hands of Derry City. The home side have two draws and three defeats from five games, having claimed a share of the spoils against Galway United and Finn Harps, while their defeats have come against Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and Bray Wanderers.
The sides met three times in the league last season, with City winning twice and the other game ending in a draw. A late Ross Gaynor goal equalised a strike by future City player Steven Beattie on the opening day, before Karl Sheppard (twice) and Mark O’Sullivan found the net in a 3-2 win for John Caulfield’s side at Turner’s Cross. The last meeting between the two took place at The Showgrounds, where second half goals from O’Sullivan and Gaynor saw City win 2-0.
Speaking at the club’s weekly press conference, John Caulfield said that the onus is on his side to perform well: “We have another difficult trip going to Sligo, which is a fantastic place to go to. It is important for us to go up there, put in a top performance and try to get the three points.”
“They have a new manager and they have a lot of youth and energy in their side. The manager has come in to turn the club around but he needs time. He has brought in a lot of young players; I’ve seen them a few times, they have a lot of energy and a lot of pace in their squad.”
“As I keep saying, in this league, anyone can beat anyone and if you are not on your game, you will leave points behind you. We need a top performance to come out of Sligo with any result.”
“We have a very good squad and very good players, so it is about us going up and giving a performance like we have done against Bohemians, Dundalk and Longford. We expect Sligo to have a massive reaction and we expect the crowd to get behind them from the start; we are anticipating that and we have to make sure that we are ready and that we give the performance we are capable of giving.”
Greg Bolger will miss the game through suspension, while John Kavanagh remains sidelined. Garry Buckley is also likely to miss out, while Alan Bennett, Colin Healy and Gearóid Morrissey have struggled with knocks but are expected to be available.
Injury News: John Kavanagh, Garry Buckley, Alan Bennett, Colin Healy, Gearóid Morrissey.
Suspensions: Greg Bolger
Last Game: Dundalk 0-1 Cork City
Last Meeting: Cork City 3-2 Sligo Rovers
Last Meeting at The Showgrounds: Sligo Rovers 0-2 Cork City
League Form: W L W W
