PATRICK McCLEAN scored against his hometown club as Sligo Rovers moved further clear of basement dwellers Cork City.
The Bit O’Red were deserved 2-0 winners over Derry City at the Showgrounds — and are now eight points clear of City.
Wilson Waweru scored Rovers’ other goal to hand Derry their first defeat in six league outings.
The result means the Candystripes remain nine points off leaders Shamrock Rovers with one game extra to play.
Bohemians remain in second with Tiernan Lynch’s Foylesiders sitting in third.
Looking to maintain their unbeaten home run since the summer break — which stood at three games before last night — Rovers boss John Russell stuck with the same side that drew with Shamrock Rovers seven nights previous.
Midfielder Ronan Manning recovered from injury in time to make the bench.
Derry also came into the game in a rich vein of form — but their gaffer Lynch made one change from his side’s 7-2 trouncing of Waterford last week.
Northern Ireland international Shane Ferguson came in for Kevin Holt — who is understood to be close to a move away — as Derry looked to extend their winning run to five.
New signing Dipo Ankinyemi’s international clearance did not arrive in time for the former York City striker to take part.
The Brandywell club have enjoyed the better of the recent meetings between these two sides with eight points taken from the previous five meetings.
But in the sizzling Sligo heat, it was the hosts who were the more impressive from the off.
Loanee Ryan O’Kane fired over from 25 yards 11 minutes in.
Rovers should have taken the lead six minutes later, but defender Ollie Denham nodded Owen Elding’s cross from the left past Brian Maher’s post from two yard out.
Sligo made the most of their next visit to the well as Derry switched off at a 19th-minute corner.
Jake Doyle-Hayes’ set-piece landed on the foot of unmarked Derryman McClean who finished past Maher for his first goal since his return to the Showgrounds last month from Irish League outfit Glentoran.
Elding kept his side ahead on 23 minutes when the youngster cleared Hayden McCann’s header from Michael Duffy’s corner off the line just before the water break.
The visitors again went close 11 minutes before the interval as they looked like they might wrestle control of this contest back in their favour.
But Carl Winchester’s header towards the back post bounced in front of goal before trickling away.
Rovers managed two first-half goals last week against the Hoops and they did it again last night.
But it came after another defensive mishap from the hosts when Maher spilled O’Kane’s cross at the foot of Waweru who finished into an open net.
Sligo had to call on goalkeeper Sam Sargeant early in the second period to meet Duffy’s low drive with a strong left fist.
It was a fine save from the Englishman after Duffy’s run brought him all the way into the opposing penalty area, having robbed the ball off Denham on the halfway line.
Lynch’s men went at Rovers in waves but robust defending from a young Sligo outfit kept last year’s beaten FAI Cup finalists at bay throughout.
Denham again went close with a headed effort from another Elding delivery on 64 minutes.
Teenager Elding, 19, then forced a routine save from Maher just 90 seconds later.
Derry had introduced some of the league’s best finest talents in the likes of Adam O’Reilly, Danny Mullen and Robbie Benson during the second half.
But a Mullen effort on the turn which Sargeant tipped over was the closest they came to scoring a consolation.
SUN STAR MAN
Conor Reynolds (Sligo Rovers)
SLIGO ROVERS: Sargeant 7; Reynolds 8, Denham 7, McClean 7, Fitzgerald 7; McManus 7, Doyle-Hayes 8; Elding 7, Hakiki 7, O’Kane 6 (McDonagh 76, 6); Waweru 6 (Lomboto 61, 6).
DERRY CITY: Maher 5; Cann 6, Connolly 6, Todd 7; R Boyce 7 (Patton 84, 6), Ferguson 5 (Mullen 61, 6); Diallo 5 (Benson 72, 5) 5, Winchester 6; Whyte 5 (O’Reilly h-t, 6), Duffy 6; L Boyce 6 (Bannon 61, 6).
REFEREE: R Hennessy (Clare) 7.
