Sligo Rovers picked up their first league win away from the Showgrounds this year as they upset the odds to beat champions-elect Cork City 1-0 at Turner's Cross.
Rhys McCabe netted the contest's decider in the 49th minute when his cross floated over the head of the bamboozled Mark McNulty.
The Bit O'Red finished the game with ten men after Craig Roddan was sent off in added time following his second bookable offence.
Without a league win on the road since October 2016, Sligo threatened on several occasions against a Cork side who had only been beaten once in the same competition.
Former Rovers man Kieran Sadlier could only find the side netting with a speculative effort eight minutes in before both Raffaele Cretaro and Vinny Faherty went close.
Cretaro showed a great touch to bring the ball under control before his effort from 20 yards fizzed past McNulty's post. While the City net minder had to be watchful as he gathered Faherty's glancing header from Jamie McDonagh's cross 21 minutes in.
Sligo had what looked like legitimate claims for a penalty turned down on the half hour. Chris Kenny's volleyed effort seemed to be blocked by the elevated hands of Conor McCormack inside the Cork area. But any protests fell on deaf ears.
John Caulfield's side went within a whisker of taking the lead seven minutes from the break. Another ex-Sligo man Jimmy Keohane slipped Sheppard in behind his marker on the right. The Dubliner turned inside before flashing his placed effort just inches past the far post.
The second period began with a bang as Garry Buckley saw his swerving shot come off the Sligo woodwork, just moments before Rovers grabbed the lead.
An innocuous looking cross from McCabe should have been easily held by McNulty. But the experienced goalkeeper somehow mis-judged the flight of the ball, as it sailed over his head and into the far corner of the net.
The Leesiders threw everything at a resolute Sligo but couldn't find a breakthrough.
Koehane saw his downwards header bounces off the ground before Schlingermann touched the ball onto the crossbar six minutes from time. While substitute Conor Ellis, unmarked in front of goal, wastefully nodded Steven Beattie's cross wide in the fourth minute of added time.
Cork City: Mark McNulty; Conor McCormack (Steven Beattie 61), Alan Bennett, Ryan Delaney, Shane Griffin; Greg Bolger (Conor Ellis 61), Garry Buckley, Gearóid Morrisey; Karl Sheppard, Jimmy Keohane, Kieran Sadlier.
Sligo Rovers: Micheál Schlingermann; Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Kyle Callan-McFadden, Seamus Sharkey, Regan Donelon; Jamie McDonagh (Greg Moorhouse 89), Chris Kenny, Craig Roddan, Rhys McCabe, Raffaele Cretaro (Gary Boylan 85); Vinny Faherty (Benny Igiehon 76).
Referee: Ray Matthews
