Bohemians 1 Cork City 1: Bohemians' search for the sort of form that won them last season's title continued to go unrewarded at Dalymount Park last night where they had to settle for their fourth 1-1 draw in six home games, against a Cork side that might well have snatched victory towards the end, writes Emmet Malone in Dalymount Park.

For a while it seemed as though the home side's week away in the sun had helped them rediscover the sense of purpose that has been lacking from many of their performances so far this season.

With Glenn Crowe back and Robbie Doyle alongside him playing as though his life depended on reaching every ball first the City defence had to hit the ground running and they were fortunate that the Dublin club's strikers couldn't do more with the possession that came their way from wide positions.

The home side still managed to take a very early lead, though, with Crowe getting in ahead of Alan Bennett to lob Michael Devine in the seventh minute after Neal Horgan had attempted to head a long Matt Gregg kick-out on to his goalkeeper.

Crowe might have had a second not long after when Kevin Hunt sent him clear down the left only for the Dubliner to connect poorly with his shot and before the break Doyle and Stephen Caffrey were handed shooting chances that should have, at least, forced Devine into making saves but both missed the target.

By the time the midfielder had driven well over from 10 yards, however, his team had rediscovered their slightly-lost look.Though they continued to enjoy more of the possession they made little enough of it while City's equaliser, the product of a couple of quick passes from Horgan and George O'Callaghan before John O'Flynn pulled his shot low across Matt Gregg and into the bottom left corner, showed how easily their midfield could be played through.

As the half progressed Bohemians continued to generate some decent chances but it was no longer one-way traffic with O'Callaghan going close with a long-range free and Gregg then keeping his side level by standing up well as both City strikers tried to round him. Even then Conor O'Grady might have scored when the ball was half cleared to him on the edge of the area.

After the break the league champions stepped it up a bit but when their first move forward ended with an astonishing close-range miss by Crowe there were a few in the stands who were finding it hard to conceal their agitation. The club's generally prolific striker then had a half that he will prefer to forget as his team regained the upper-hand in the contest but proved incapable of retaking the lead.

Late on, as Stephen Kenny steadily replaced the team's main attacking players, there was plenty of action around the City area but a close-range Caffrey header from a Mark Rutherford corner that flew wide of the right-hand post on the hour was the closest the home side came to grabbing a second goal.

And in the end the locals were lucky to get even their point as O'Callaghan blew two late chances to wrap up the game for the visitors with the striker missing the target both times after being sent clear from midfield.

BOHEMIANS: Gregg; Lynch, Hawkins, Oman, Webb; Ryan, Hunt, Caffrey, Rutherford (Harkin, 85 mins); Doyle (Pereplyotkin, 75 mins), Crowe (Keegan, 89 mins).

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Woods; Doyle, CT O'Brien, O'Grady, Hedderman (Behan, 54 mins (Buckley, 85 mins); O'Flynn, O'Callaghan.

Referee: J O'Neill (Waterford).