Cork City won three vital points in their quest for European and Setanta Cup football next season with two goals in the final twenty minutes to beat Sligo Rovers 2-0.
City lifted the 3,000 home fans with strikes from Bily Woods and Roy O'Donovan to keep last season's champions ahead of Drogheda and eight points behind leaders Shelbourne.
Both sides came into the match on the back of league defeats. Cork had surrendered a seventeen match unbeaten league record against bottom of the table Bray Wanderers, with Sligo suffering a 4-0 defeat in Derry on Tuesday night.
The visitors were without first choice goalkeeper John O'Hara due to a bout of flu and City left out midfielder Admir Softic who was replaced by Cillian Lordan who played on the right side of midfield.
Both sides played good open football in the early stages with Sligo creating the first scoring opportunity after thirteen minutes.
Darren Mansaram showed good pace breaking out of defence and he linked up with former Cork midfielder Conor O'Grady, whose first time pass set up Paul McTiernan, but he failed to find the target with goalkeeper Michael Devine to beat.
Sligo reserve goalkeeper Richard Brush was called into action on a few occasions in the first half hour, with the former Coventry and Shrewsbury shot-stopper diving to push away a Colin O'Brien effort from ten yards and then he showed bravery when saving at the feet of Roy O'Donovan.
After the break the Westerners who are looking forward to a sell out FAI Cup semi-final meeting with Derry City at the Showgrounds on Sunday week, tested Cork keeper Michael Devine, when a thirty yard shot from midfielder Gary Curran forced the Cork number one to stretch an tip over the effort.
Then we had high drama in a fifteen second spell on 70 minutes, Sligo should have scored when Curran set up Fahroudin Kudozovic with a perfect far past pass, but the in rushing midfielder fluffed his shot, with an empty goal in front of him and allowed Devine to
gather.
The goalkeeper quickly started a Cork move which saw Neale Fenn set up experienced winger Bill Woods, and he belted his fourth goal of the season low past Brush.
Cork wrapped up the points when a long ball out of defence from Neaele Horgan found the lively Roy O'Donvan in behind the back four, the Republic of Ireland U21 forward stayed calm to shoot past Brush
for his seventh league goal of the season.
Cork City: Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; O'Brien,
Softic, Gamble, Woods; Fenn, O'Donovan.
Subs: Behan for Lordan 79 mins, Sullivan for Fenn 87 and B O'Callaghan for Woods 89.
Sligo Rovers: Brush; Peers, Foy, McNamara, Burns; Kudzovic, O'Grady, Curran, Hughes; Mansaram, McTiernan.
Subs: Bellew for Mansaram 77 mins, McKenzie for Curran
87.
Referee: D Hanney (Dublin).
