
📷 KBD Photos
Preparations continued in Bishopstown for Cork City’s upcoming league campaign, as they took on Sligo Rovers in their sixth game of their pre-season preparations. The Leesiders were looking to make it two wins in two days, after City’s u20s beat Carrigaline United 2-0 in Ballea Park in the Munster Senior Cup round of sixteen.
Tim Clancy made six changes from the side who started the last outing in Bishopstown, which was against Waterford, with Harry Nevin, Rio Shipston, Matthew Kiernan, Milan Mbeng (who was a trialist at the time), Josh Fitzpatrick and Harvey Skieters falling out of the side, being replaced by Sean Murray, Charlie Lyons, Benny Couto, Sean Maguire, Freddie Anderson and Cathal O’Sullivan.
It was a lightning start to the game as the hosts took the lead seven minutes in. Sligo were knocking it around their defence before the ball was passed to goalkeeper Sam Sargeant. Sergeant took a poor touch and seemed to lose his footing, which allowed Seani Maguire to pounce and take the ball before rolling it into the empty net.
Sligo seemed startled by City’s strong start, but the visitors found an equaliser with twenty minutes gone. Sligo worked it well down the left hand side before sending a cross towards the back post, where Jad Hakiki rose highest to power a header home to level the game up.
Buoyed by their equaliser, Sligo took the lead less than a minute after their leveller. Freddie Anderson received the ball in the backline and spent a bit too long on the ball, he was quickly dispossessed by Cian Kavanagh, who ran through on goal and calmly slotted it away to give the visitors the lead.
The goals just kept flying in and City got an equaliser of their own with twenty three minutes gone. Cathal O’Sullivan picked up the ball deep on the right hand side and made a run centrally before sliding it left to Benny Couto. Couto took a touch and arrowed a left footed shot into the bottom right corner.
It took just four minutes after the restart for City to retake the lead.
Darragh Crowley made a good interception on the right wing and delivered a sublime cross which bounced in front of Seani Maguire, who whipped it first time on the half volley and guided it into the top right corner.
The Leesiders were playing free flowing football and extended their lead with fourteen minutes left to play in the half. Cathal O’Sullivan received a bouncing ball in midfield and lofted a first time pass over the top for Ruari Keating to latch onto. Keating beared down on goal and tucked it away to double City’s lead.
City managed to bag a fifth ten minutes before half time, with Seani Maguire securing a hat trick. Maguire played a lovely one two with Malik Dijksteel, before dancing past three Sligo players in the box and sliding the ball past Sam Sargeant.
That would be the last goal of an action packed first half as City went into the break three goals to the good.
The home side started the second half much the way they ended the first, and found a sixth in the fifty fourth minute. Cathal O’Sullivan picked up the ball on the far right in his own half. He burst down the wing, skipping past three sligo defenders, before cutting inside and unleashing a shot which was blocked. The ball went out left where it was picked up by Benny Couto, who advanced to the edge of the box before firing a shot into the bottom right corner for his second of the game.
City proceeded to make a host of changes, with all eight substitutes entering the pitch, including new signing Milan Mbeng who made his first appearance for City since signing officially.
These changes seemed to encourage the visitors, with Sligo getting a goal back with twenty minutes to play. Stephen Mallon received the ball on the left wing. Mallon sized up Finn Dalton, before getting to the byline and dinking a cross towards the back post, where Owen Elding was on hand to loop his header into the top left corner.
The game then began to die down as City successfully saw out their lead and the full time whistle blew to secure City’s fifth win of pre-season, with games with Cobh and Kerry left to play before the season kicks off.
City played impressive football and were able to control the ball for the majority of the game and produced moments of sheer quality from start to finish. Seani Maguire and Ruari Keating had the run of the backline all game with Cathal O’Sullivan continuously causing the Sligo defence problems, and apart from a few errors and mistakes at the back the City backline looked more assured and composed than they had earlier in pre season.
City are ramping it up in the run into the beginning of the season, with Tim Clancy’s side taking on Kerry FC in Mounthawk Park on Wednesday, before travelling to St Colman’s Park on friday night to play Cork rivals Cobh Ramblers.