Just what is it about these two when they meet in Tolka Park? Last time they met at this venue they produced a cracking contest, six goals and a generous helping of ill will. This time they took it a bit easier on the goalkeepers but if it was aggravation you were after last night, forget the city's more notorious drinking houses, the Drumcondra sporting venue from 9.20 on was the place to be.

Neither manager was happy after a frantic closing spell in which three men were sent off. But the balance of their displeasure can be judged from the fact that Damien Richardson's side had won while Dave Barry was one of those to receive marching orders from referee Paul McKeon - and both of the players were Barry's too. "We played Shelbourne off the pitch for long periods and that's not easy to do," Barry said. "But because of two bad decision we're going home after losing 3-1 - how would you feel?"

The visiting side did have just cause to be upset. They battled their way back from a goal down only to be on the wrong side of a dubious penalty decision and a frenzied spell of card waving in the closing three minutes.

Shelbourne had opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a fine strike. Tony Sheridan started the move on the left with a short pass for Mark Rutherford. The winger left Declan Daly for dead and sent in a cross which left goalkeeper and defenders equally stranded while presenting Stephen Geoghegan with a simple tap-in at the far post.

From there, however, things became far less clearcut, and in the second half, after Cork had equalised, the home side's goals served to heigthen the tension in an already hard-fought game.

Within three minutes of the equaliser Shelbourne regained the lead when Sheridan was put in on the left of the box and Gareth Cronin came across to cover. Sheridan looked terribly quick to go down at the first hint of a challenge but McKeon was well placed to see the incident and, to the dismay of City's players, pointed straight to the spot.

After Geoghegan slotted home his second, the visitors stepped up the pace, but as they struggled to get forward some of the challenges which went in seemed ill judged to say the least.

One, by Derek Coughlan on Rutherford, resulted in a booking for the defender and a free kick some 40 yards out which Pat Fenlion floated towards the area. Pat Scully arrived in search of the header and, depending on which version you heard afterwards, distracted or roughly impeded, the out-rushing goalkeeper, Phil Harrington. As it happened, neither made contact and the ball bobbled on and into the bottom right hand corner.

That the goal was awarded further infuriated the visitors. Coughlan was soon sent off for a challenge of Sheridan before Daly, also already on a booking, was dismissed for another on Rutherford. Barry quickly followed. It was a sad end to the night for City who had arrived with their shining start to the new season tarnished only slightly by last week's defeat at the hands of Saint Patrick's Athletic. More importantly, it seemed, they had, during the League Cup and their first four outings of the championship discovered the scoring touch which had eluded them through the past couple of seasons.

On the face of it, the arrival of Jason Kabia, a wiry English striker who came to Ireland via Malta and Finland, had prompted the improvement. But on the showing of last night's early stages it was difficult to see quite how he had achieved the feat. With the more familiar John Caulfield pushed out wide to the right, Kabia's tendency to drop back very deep left City with little presence up front. To Kabia's credit, however, it was he who did most to draw his side level, holding up the ball just long enough to draw red shirts towards him in the 51st minute before playing the ball square to the edge of the box where Colin O'Brien had plenty of time to pick his spot.

Unfortunately for Kabia he played his part in the move just a little too well and the 23-year-old was stretchered off as a result of the attempted challenge on him.

Shelbourne: Gough; Costello, Scully, McCarthy, D Geoghegan; Baker, Sheridan, Campbell, Fenlon, Rutherford; S Geoghegan.

Cork City: Harrington; Daly, Coughlan, Cronin, Murphy; Caulfield, O'Brien, Flanagan, Cahill; Hartigan, Kabia. Subs: Cotter for Kabia (53 mins); O'Connell for Caulfield (83 mins).

Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).