Francely Lomboto scored a 90th minute equaliser as Sligo Rovers pulled a point from the fire against ten man Cork City at the Showgrounds.
Kitt Nelson had given Tim Clancy's side the lead with 14 minutes to go, but Rovers were rewarded for a late rally when Lomboto netted his third goal of the season at the death.
The point will certainly be more welcome in Cork than in the north west as the result leaves a three-point gap between City and the Bit O'Red, who continue to occupy bottom spot.
Given their poor yield of points from their opening eleven games, this was as close to a 'must-win' game as John Russell's charges have had this season. With just seven points gathered from a possible 33 ahead of this tie and hanging three off second from bottom Cork, it could be argued this tie represented Sligo Rovers' most important outing of the season.
For the third game in eight days, Russell named an unchanged starting side, while City rewarded last Monday's match winner Nelson, who scored in this fixture back in March, with a start. The Preston loanee was their only change from that dramatic win over Waterford.
This game had all the characteristics of a game between two teams at the bottom end of the table, with plenty of extended periods of sloppy play.
The hosts did start the brighter and went close through Jad Hakiki whose effort from the edge of the area whistled narrowly wide.
There was a hearts in mouths moment for the Leesiders early on when Rovers' Gareth McElroy looked like he was shoved to the ground in front of the City posts as he tried to get contact on a Will Fitzgerald set-piece.
City's Evan McLaughlin had a free-kick from the angle held by Sam Sargeant in the Rovers goal, while at the other end, McElroy failed to generate enough power on his header from a Jake Doyle-Hayes cross late in the half.
Sligo's top scorer Owen Elding lost his footing at the crucial moment as he skewed an effort wide 12 minutes into the second period as they chased the opener. While at the far end, Djenario Daniels was inches away from tapping home a Joshua Fitzpatrick cross towards the back post with 20 to go.
Russell withdrew right full Conor Reynolds on 72 minutes and it was from this same side which Cork hit the front. Daniels missed Fitzpatrick's cross but Nelson made no such mistake as he bundled the ball beyond Sargeant.
Fitzpatrick was then shown a straight red after he got involved with Rovers sub Stephen Mallon on 78.
Mallon was involved in the late drama as Elding sent the winger's cross back across the face of goal for Lomboto to squeeze beyond Tein Troost.
Fitzgerald almost won this game for the hosts in the fifth minute of added time but he dragged a shot wide and beyond the far post.
Referee Rob Harvey then issued red cards to technical staff on both sides as tempers frayed at the full-time whistle.
Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Conor Reynolds (Daire Patton 72), John Mahon, Gareth McElroy, Reece Hutchinson; Jake Doyle-Hayes, Ronan Manning (Matty Wolfe 92); Will Fitzgerald, Jad Hakiki (Stephen Mallon 72), Owen Elding; Cian Kavanagh (Francely Lomboto 62).
Cork City: Tien Troost; Milan Mbeng, Charlie Lyons, Darragh Crowley, Bernardo Couto (Matthew Kiernan 64); Evan McLaughlin, Sean Murray; Cathal O'Sullivan, Kitt Nelson (Rio Shipston 82), Alex Nolan (Joshua Fitzpatrick 53); Djenairo Daniels.
Referee: Rob Harvey.
Attendance: 2,187.
