Bohemians ... 1 Cork City ... 1 Their early season title charge may have lost a little more of its momentum at Dalymount Park last night, but Bohemians will scarcely be complaining after they snatched a point from a game in which they came so close to suffering their first defeat of the season.

Having taken the lead through John O'Flynn's 11th goal in just nine games, City came within two minutes of taking all three points back home with them.

In the end, only Paul McNally's first goal since following Stephen Kenny to Phibsboro from Longford prevented Cork from claiming the Premier Division's top spot for the first time in almost four seasons.

The game had started quietly, with Bohemians enjoying the better of things early on, but neither side producing much of a threatening nature around the other's penalty area.

Colin O'Brien should have put his side in front nine minutes in when he headed a floated Billy Woods ball wide of an open goal from six yards out, but then Gary O'Neill's finishing was no more clinical when put through on Michael Devine 19 minutes in.

More than once during the first half Devine was fortunate that the best the Bohemians strikers seemed capable of was directing their attempts on goal straight at him, but the City 'keeper did do exceptionally well 10 minutes before the break to touch over a Derek Coughlan header that had looked certain to slip just inside the right-hand post.

By then, though, Bohemians were behind, O'Flynn's effort to upstage the league's leading scorer of the past couple of seasons having been advanced on Crowe's own turf.

An error in defence opened up the opportunity for the visitors, but even after O'Brien had split Coughlan and McNally with a low through ball, it took something a little special from the 20-year-old, who skipped past Ashley Bayes on the edge of the area before sidefooting home first time.

By comparison, the chance that came his way a few minutes into the second half was a cinch, with George O'Callaghan, O'Brien and Woods all contributing to a build up that eventually left the striker with little more than a tap-in at the right hand post. Somehow, though, he got badly under the ball as he struck it and it clipped the upper side of the crossbar as it flew harmlessly behind for the kick-out.

The visitors could have used the cushion of a second goal and they found themselves under increasing pressure from a side that may have grown unused to chasing games but still set about doing it with a sense of purpose that unsettled the visitors' back four.

On several occasions the City defence looked overstretched as Bobby Ryan and Mark Rutherford pressed them from the flanks and Stephen Caffrey lent support to the front pair from central midfield.

Unusually, however, the home side's finishing proved a stumbling block and Crowe, in the absence of Paul Keegan, increasingly found himself having to act as provider for those around him.

He did well enough in the role as City were made to hang fairly desperately on to their lead through some hectic goalmouth scrambles, but as the game moved into its closing stages the hosts began to lose much of their attacking composure and some poor attempts at throughballs made it much easier for Liam Murphy's men.

Just when it looked as though they were beaten, though, the Dublin club finally grabbed a point when, in the 90th minute, a partially-cleared throw-in from the right allowed Damien Lynch to chip the ball to the far post, from where McNally's header made it across the line despite some frantic attempts to clear.

Seconds later, Bohemians came close to going one better when Caffrey's header was taken off the line by Alan Neary.

At that late stage, though, even the single point and at least another fortnight at the top of the table must have seemed like a decent enough return on the evening's endeavour.

BOHEMIANS: Bayes; Lynch, Coughlan, McNally, Webb; Ryan, Hunt, Caffrey, Rutherford; Crowe, O'Neill. Subs: Harkin for Coughlan (80 mins), Doyle for O'Neill (85 mins).

CORK CITY: Devine; Carey, Bennett, Cronin, Horan; CT O'Brien, Reynolds, O'Halloran, Woods; O'Flynn, O'Callaghan. Subs: Mulligan for O'Flynn and Mulconry for O'Callaghan (82 mins)

Referee: J O'Neill (Waterford).

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