Spoils shared after lively encounter

Shamrock Rovers 1 Cork City 1: BOTH SIDES took a point from this cracking game thanks to late goals at Tallaght Stadium. For a long time it was looking like it would end as a very entertaining scoreless draw until Gary Twigg put Rovers in front on 84 minutes, before John Dunleavy snatched a point for Cork on 87 minutes.

Rovers put the first good move of the game together on six minutes, along the right wing. Gary McCabe sent a wonderful cross in but Ronan Finn couldn’t control the ball and knocked it straight to City defender Colin Healy, who cleared with ease.

Cork threatened on 11 minutes when Davin ONeill played in former Rovers player Tadhg Purcell but Purcell showed too much of the ball to Rovers goalkeeper Oskar Jansson and the Swede saved. Two minutes later Purcell managed to get a shot in unchallenged but directed it high and wide.

Billy Dennehy headed over from McCabe’s free-kick on 16 minutes whilst McCabe was the provider again on 18 minutes with a neat cross to Gary Twigg but the Rovers striker headed wide. McCabe set up Twigg again on 20 minutes, from the right of the box, but this time Twigg was stopped in his tracks by Kalen Spillane.

The visiting defence was put under pressure again on 23 minutes when Daryl Kavanagh raced into the box to meet a Dennehy pass put then allowed the ball roll away from his foot and City cleared. The good Rovers work continued and on the half hour City centre-back Gavin Kavanagh did well to block Twigg in the box.

Purcell had another shot for City on 34 minutes but again Jansson was well placed to make an easy save.

Rovers started the second half in explosive form and hit City with a series of excellent attacks. Craig Sives’s header from a Dennehy corner hit the crossbar on 48 minutes. On 49 minutes, McCabe fed Kavanagh who laid the ball off for Twigg, but Cork cleared the ball out to the left wing where it was met by Dennehy. He sent it back in but Twigg’s resulting shot was off target. The crossbar then denied Finn on 51 minutes before Graham Gartland headed over from McCabe’s corner on 52.

Rovers finally got their reward on 84 minutes when Twigg rose at the far post to meet Aaron Greene’s cross and head past McNulty but three minutes later Dunleavy equalised with a close range header.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Jansson; Gilbert, Sives (Hawkins, 61 mins), Gartland, Powell; McCabe, Finn, McCormack, Dennehy; Twigg, D Kavanagh (Greene, 74 mins).

CORK CITY: McNulty; Healy, G Kavanagh, Spillane, Dunleavy; Horgan (Turner, 90+1 mins), Morrissey, Duggan, ONeill; Purcell, Sullivan (Kenny, 90+3 mins).

Referee: R Rogers (Dublin).