24 February 2019
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Cork City head to the Showgrounds on Monday in search of their first win of the season, as they take on Sligo Rovers.
City come into the game having lost their first two league games, to St. Pat’s and Waterford. Sligo come in to the tie after drawing their opener with Dundalk, but they then lost out to a late goal at home to Pat’s on Friday.
Speaking ahead of the game, City boss John Caulfield said: “Obviously Liam (Buckley) has taken over there, and they had an excellent draw away to Dundalk. They lost by a last-minute goal to Pat’s and that was disappointing. You can see they had one of their biggest attendances in years, so everyone in Sligo is right behind this team. As we know Johnny Dunleavy is up there and Ronan Coughlan has gone up recently. They also brought in Ronan Murray from Dundalk and they have David Cawley as well as a number of players that they brought in from abroad, and overall they have started the season well.”
“Sligo is always a difficult challenge; the games are always very tight up there. We know we need to play very well, obviously we know we need to score, so it’s a very, very difficult game. That’s the way the league is this year, for a lot of teams, there isn’t a lot between them and on the night, you just need to hit form. A lot of the games between us have been draws, yes, we have won a few up there, but they go to the wire. Sligo is a fantastic football town and county, they get right behind their team. It’s a passionate and hostile place and we need to give a top performance.”
On the injury front, Alan Bennett will miss out with a hamstring injury he picked up on Friday against Waterford, while Gearóid Morrissey is a doubt after missing that game but he will be assessed ahead of the game. Matthew Gillam is also sidelined after being injured prior to the game away to St. Pat’s. Caulfield also has question marks over the availability of Shane Griffin and Graham Cummins who, like Morrissey, will be assessed prior to the game.
Referee: Ben Connolly.
Injury News: Matthew Gillam, Gearóid Morrissey, Alan Bennett, Shane Griffin, Graham Cummins
Last game: Cork City 0-2 Waterford
Last meeting: Cork City 1-2 Sligo Rovers (2018)
League Form (League, most recent game first): L L
