SHELBOURNE'S title hopes suffered a blow with a late loss to Waterford United at the RSC while Cork's win in Salthill puts them top.

Waterford United 1 Shelbourne 0

Kenny Browne scored a late winner as Shelbourne's faltering end of season league form continued at the RSC.

The defeat ended Shels' five-and-a-half month long leadership of the table as Cork City leapfrog to the top after their big win at Salthill.

Blues lived dangerously early on with Shels’ topscorer Philly Hughes shooting wide while keeper Kevin Burns saved well one-on-one with Barry Clancy.

Against the run of play, Blues’ Willie John Kiely shot against a post on 25 minutes.

Hughes, Shels’ hat-trick hero in last Monday’s FAI Ford Cup win over Limerick, then fired a penalty against a post and wide four minutes later after Philip Gorman was taken down by Burns.

It got no better for Shels into the second half with Blues netting their winner on 82 minutes when central defender Browne headed home Sean Maguire's cross.

Salthill Devon 0 Cork City 4

A fifth big win on the spin saw Cork leapfrog to the top of the First Division table.

Graham Cummins scored for the fourth match running to give City a 21st minute lead when he ended a flowing move to dink the ball over Devon keeper Adrian Faherty.

A cruel deflection off a defender resulted in Faherty being beaten again on 36 minutes from a Gearoid Morrissey free-kick. 

Vinny Sullivan added a third right on the blow of half-time when he punished sloppy defending to score with a simple tap-in.

Ian Turner got Cork's fourth goal on 75 minutes.

Finn Harps 1 Longford Town 2

Mark Salmon's winner at Ballybofey earned Longford back-to-back victories to keep them fifth in the table.

Harps' keeper Ciaran Gallagher gifted Town the lead two minutes before half-time when pushing a cross from Thomas Crawley into his own net.

Blaine Curtis, who hit a brace in last week's defeat in Cork, equalised four minutes after the interval when finishing off Gary Curran's cross.

But Salmon struck to win it for Town on 71 minutes, rifling home from close range from Austin Skelly's pass.

Athlone Town 4 Mervue United 1

Jason Hughes scored twice as Athlone recorded their biggest win of the season.

Striker Hughes had Town in command, scoring both his goals inside half and hour.

The opener came on five minutes when Hughes converted a cross from Kevin Williamson.

He doubled that on 29 minutes with a chip over keeper Ger Hanley which went in off a post.

Poor defending allowed substitute Niall Boland make it 3-0 on the hour mark before Mark Sherlock added a fourth on 74 minutes.

John Mountney got Mervue's consolation goal in the 83rd minute.