Cork City 1 Shamrock Rovers 1:NOT FOR the first time this season at Turner's Cross, Cork City spent the best part of an hour threatening to score. And not for the first time either, they managed to throw all the good work away, dropping more league points with barely 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

Liam Kearney had finally opened the scoring for Cork with 59 minutes gone, a lead that was long overdue. The only thing surprising about it was that he did so, remarkably for one so small in stature, with his head after a long Pat Sullivan throw found him unmarked at the back post.

Cork then somehow managed to relinquish the lead after Rovers wide man Seán O'Connor pounced on an Alan Murphy pass to convert from close range in what was their only real opportunity of the entire match with nine minutes left.

A less than real chance had come on 11 minutes when Rovers striker Padraig Amand sent a lob to the back of Michael Devine's net but he was ruled just offside.

Just after the break, George O'Callaghan hit the Rovers bar with a beautifully struck free-kick, his third opportunity from a set-piece.

In the 53rd minute, John O'Flynn had a huge shout for a Cork goal, convinced that his header from a Danny Murphy corner had crossed the line, both the referee and his assistant agreeing to disagree with the Cork duo.

Then the lead arrived six minutes later only for O'Connor to rescue a crucial draw that keeps the steady Rovers revival going.

CORK CITY:Devine; Horgan, Murray, Sullivan, Danny Murphy; Darren Murphy, Healy, G O'Callaghan; Kearney (Behan, 88 mins), Mooney; O'Flynn.

SHAMROCK ROVERS:Murphy; D O'Connor, Ferguson, A Price (Tyrell, 70 mins), Treacy; S O'Connor, Maguire, Rice, Doyle (Langtry, 60 mins); Murphy, Amond (Purcell, 50 mins).

Referee:R Winter (Dublin).