Bohemians 0 Cork City 0: George O'Callaghan was sent off after just half an hour as Cork relinquished their briefly regained leadership of the Premier Division table.

Cork's talismanic midfielder could have little complaint as, having already been rightly booked for a hefty challenge on John Paul Kelly on 14 minutes, he again clattered into the Bohemians winger, leaving referee Pat Whelan with no option.

Bohemians took the game to Cork. Kelly and Tony Grant caused Cork problems early on before Michael Devine produced a stunning one-handed stop from Stephen Ward's header from a Gareth Farrelly free kick. Vinny Arkins was offside when he fired the rebound to the net.

Cork's first real attack came on 25 minutes, when O'Callaghan's ricochet fell for top scorer John O'Flynn, whose shot went close.

Ironically, Cork enjoyed their best spell of the first half after O'Callaghan's dismissal, with Danny Murphy coming on for Neal Fenn on the left of midfield.

Murphy picked out O'Flynn from a clever free kick on 42 minutes, forcing Bohemians' goalkeeper Stephen O'Brien to make a terrific save.

A disappointing second half never really came to life, Cork creating the first opening on 57 minutes. Bohemians left-back Des Byrne could only help on Murphy's free kick, and Bennett toe-poked wide at the back post.

Arkins looped a header from a Farrelly free kick over the bar as Bohemians huffed and puffed without ever regaining their earlier impetus.

Roy O'Donovan had a late opening for Cork, but his touch let him down and his surging run from halfway came to nothing.

BOHEMIANS: O'Brien; Rice, Ferguson, McGuinness, Byrne; Kelly, Heary, Farrelly, Ward; Arkins (O'Keeffe, 78 mins), Grant.

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Woods; O'Brien, O'Callaghan, Gamble, O'Donovan; O'Flynn (Behan, 90 mins), Fenn (Murphy, 37 mins).

Referee: P Whelan (Dublin).