McAnally offers to resign

Sligo Rovers manager, Jim McAnally, offered his resignation after his side were crushed 5-0 by Cork City at the Show Grounds yesterday.

The matter will be discussed tonight and the manager's offer is likely to be accepted.

McAnally said that he decided to step down earlier in the week after differences between himself and the management committee. He said his decision had nothing to do with yesterday's result.

The gulf between the league leaders and the bottom of the table was underlined by a rampant Cork side who took control right from the start and were 4-0 in front at the interval.

Cork's hero on the day was 24-year-old midfielder, Colm O'Brien, who scored three in a 10-minute spell near half-time.

Johnny Caulfield opened the scoring after 26 minutes when heading powerfully to the roof of the net from Kelvin Flanagan's cross.

O'Brien grabbed the first of his three goals in the 33rd minute, heading home at the far post.

Sligo were still reeling from that blow when O'Brien struck again two minutes later. The Sligo defence failed to clear Stephen Napier's cross and O'Brien hammered the ball beyond Nicky Broujos.

The midfielder completed his hat-trick two minutes before the break with another perfectly placed shot following good approach work by Flanagan and Pat Morley.

Sligo were fortunate not to concede another goal on the stroke of half-time when Cahill's lob was cleared off the line by Ian Rossiter.

Cork took their foot off the pedal in the second half but still managed to add a further goal when Patsy Freyne cut in from the right to set up Morley for a simple score in the 68th minute.

Sligo Rovers: Broujos, Rossiter, Bonnar, McAnally, Sheridan, Gray, Davey, Findlay, Shannon, Gilroy, Moran. Subs: Birks for McAnally (half-time), Marshall for Davey (halftime), El Khaliffi for Rossiter (76 mins).

Cork City: Mooney, Napier, Cronin, Hill, Daly, Freyne, Cahill, Flanagan, O'Brien, Morley, Caulfield. Subs: Buckley for Freyne (70 mins), Glynn for Caulfield (72 mins), Hartigan for Morley (75 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).