Mired at the foot of the Premier Division table for most of the first half of the Premier Division season, Sligo Rovers' improvement thereafter now has them in a position where they can finish above the dreaded play-off spot.
Some key acquisitions before the transfer window closed and the often eye-catching form of Jad Hakiki and Owen Elding propelled the Bit O' Red away from the basement, leaving tonight's visitors as the side heading to the First Division in 2026.
Cork, though, have an FAI Cup final to look forward to on 9 November and will be huge underdogs for that assignment against Shamrock Rovers. Manager Ger Nash, who was at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday to watch the Hoops in the Conference League, would no doubt cherish a first away win of the season and garner some further momentum ahead of their trip to Dublin 4.
Nash and his squad visited the Aviva before last week's defeat to Drogheda United, a exercise in familiarisation before they plot an unlikely trophy win in what has been a trying season for the most part. That said, their performance in downing St Pat's in the semi-final is an indication of what they are capable of, no doubt adding to the frustration for their fans, who nevertheless will head to Dublin in their thousands in a fortnight's time.
Sligo's cup aspirations ended in what was a Tralee horror-show; Kerry FC coming back from three goals down to send Mounthawk into raptures.
We feared for John Russell's side in the aftermath, but they responded well, grabbing crucial wins against Galway United and St Pat's Athletic.
Tricky away assignments against Derry City and Shelbourne could have yielded something, but the concession of late goals has them in a state of worry again. Chairperson Tommy Higgins has called for the Bit O' Red faithful to turn out in their numbers at the Showgrounds, for what he states is the club's "biggest game in ten years".
Manager Russell has called for the fans to turn out in their numbers.
He told sligorovers.com: "We try to win the game and nothing changes this Saturday. Every game we want to win, particularly at home. One thing I've noticed as the months have gone on, is that we're excited about playing each and every week, especially in front of our own fans and with everyone right behind us. Call it a cliché or whatever you want to call it but genuinely, our fans have played such a big part in all our performances this year.
"They've followed us in such big numbers from Tralee to Galway and Derry to Dalymount. Rovers have always had good numbers away from home but we've really noticed it this season. One more time, we're asking that all our supporters come out to the Showgrounds and get behind our boys from the very start on Saturday night.
"This is the biggest game the club has been involved in, in years. We want and need that noise that will help us perform to our maximum capabilities."
In team news, John Mahon returns having missed the defeat to Shels with a foot injury. Winger Ryan O'Kane was ineligible for that game given the terms of his loan deal but is back in contention this weekend. Both Sean Stewart and Cian Kavanagh face late fitness tests after both were withdrawn with knocks at Tolka Park.
Speaking ahead of the trip to the Yeats County, Cork boss Nash spoke about the difficulty taking over a side in mid-season and dealing with much chaos.
Speaking to The Echo, he said: "When I picked my first team against Galway, we were bottom of the league and straight away you're in a relegation fight, so, you also know that one – time isn't on your side, and two – there's going to be a huge amount of transition in the squad.
"You try to think about what you can implement that's going to help in a short amount of time. It's not like you come in and you have a blank canvas, and you have two or three months in the off-season to plan it, and then a pre-season," he said. "So we haven't had that, it's really difficult in those situations."
