Shelbourne were given a stiff warm-up for next Thursday's European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round first leg at Kilmarnock by a Home Farm/Everton side who ultimately got no reward for taking this opening League Cup group E tie at Whitehall last night to the depleted FAI Cup holders.

Sporting new squad numbers, Shelbourne were missing several key players, most notably top goalscorer, Stephen Geoghegan, and started shakily enough as Home Farm took a hold on the game and deservedly went in front after 32 minutes.

The Shelbourne defence failed to clear and Trevor Vaughan was given time and space to turn on the ball on the edge of the box and drill a rising shot past Alan Gough.

Shelbourne rallied well and were level four minutes later. Mark Rutherford played the ball in behind the Home Farm defence and Dessie Baker timed his run to beat the offside trap and kept his composure to slide the ball beyond John Connolly.

Shelbourne improved in the second-half and were deprived of the lead in the 65th minute when Pat Fenlon touched a free-kick to Tony Sheridan who was unlucky to see his right foot shot come back of a post.

Rutherford then snatched Shelbourne's scarcely deserved winner two minutes from time.

Shelbourne: Gough; Smith, Scully, McCarthy, D Geoghegan; Sheridan, Campbell, Fenlon, Rutherford; Baker, Cadette. Subs: Costello for McCarthy (71 mins), Flood and Fitzgerald for Cadette and Campbell (both 81 mins).

Home Farm/Everton: Connolly; Gifford, Maher, Doyle, Keenan; Heary, G Kelly, S Byrne, Coady; Vaughan, L Kelly. Subs: Fox for Coady (60 mins), J Byrne for S Byrne (75 mins), Gill for L Kelly (78 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).