Shelbourne 0 Cork City 0: Any provisional plans for celebrations down in Cork will have been abandoned in the wake of this, an entertaining but ultimately unrewarding night for the southerners at Tolka Park.

The championship could have been wrapped by this tea-time this evening had Damien Richardson's side won here and their rivals lost today.

Instead their fans will face an anxious afternoon by their televisions, hoping that Derry don't move into pole position by beating St Patrick's Athletic at the Brandywell for if they do that the Candystripes will need just one point instead of three to lift the title at Turner's Cross next week.

City came anxious to secure a third league win over the Dubliners this season and so ensure that they enjoy an important advantage over title rivals Derry at Turner's Cross next Friday. They started solidly enough but found openings hard to come by against a Shelbourne side that had grown used to winning over the past four months and looked intent on doing so again here.

Jason Byrne's form of late certainly suggested that they were capable of finding the net and they went close more than once over the first half with Joseph Ndo engineering their best opportunity 25 minutes in when he rode a couple of challenges while sweeping into the left hand side of the box before having his close-range shot blocked down well by Michael Devine. Gary O'Neil sought to pounce on the loose ball but Alan Bennett was quick enough to make the required clearance.

At the other end some of City's approach play was delightful with Neale Fenn at the heart of most of the visiting side's best moves. When he released Joe Gamble with a brilliantly weighted low through ball midway through the opening period the midfielder looked certain to race clear and take on Dean Delaney but Owen Heary was alert to the danger while his team-mates looked on and the Shelbourne skipper did enough to prevent his opponent edging in from the right and so the chance was lost.

In his quest to open up the home side's defence Fenn floated between the City frontline and its midfield to considerable effect and he covered almost as much ground as George O'Callaghan whose range of movement was highlighted 10 minutes before the break when he fired just wide of Delaney's goal from just outside the box and then got himself booked for a challenge on Heary a yard or two outside the other.

The yellow card was one of three in the opening half and there was evident tension between the two groups of players almost from the outset with Fenn among the first to catch the eye for his off the ball antics after which both he and Heary clearly tried the patience of referee Damien Hancock.

Heary's half nearly ended with a sending off after the right back arrived late for a challenge on Danny Murphy and was fortunate not to pick up his second booking of the night. O'Callaghan argued the point longer than he should have with the match official and he might have been obliged to walk instead had Hancock not decided that the fractionally early arrival of half-time might serve to cool things down.

It did and things gradually began to open up as the second half wore on and tiredness undermined the willingness of players to hurtle between the two boxes. Still the two defences held firm, though, with each side struggling to turn decent build up play into chances of real note. For Shelbourne a significant problem was the inability of their widemen, Alan Moore and Wes Hoolahan to get behind the full-backs but on one of the rare occasions either managed it Hoolahan's cross was met by a reception party of three Cork defenders and though none managed to clear it properly Jason Byrne's attempt to follow up was both hurried and very high.

City could do no better when pressing forward themselves and while Delaney showed a dangerous level of uncertainty under a couple of high balls into the area, those immediately in front of him coped well.

On the one occasion when a City player was given some space in which to manoeuvre Roy O'Donovan benefited from a fine angled cross by O'Callaghan but after he cut back inside the youngster squandered the opportunity, managing only a weak left footed shot that ran tamely into the arms of the Shelbourne goalkeeper.

Better was to follow as the game moved into its last 10 minutes with Fenn capitalising on a slip by Dave Rogers to send O'Donovan clear.

This time the 20-year-old kept his head and aimed coolly for the bottom corner with his better foot but Delaney countered with the night's best save and defenders descended in numbers to clear the danger.

Not to be outdone Jason Byrne forced Devine into action at the other end but Cork were by now exerting most of the pressure as they searched for the breakthrough.

It meant that were gaps to be exploited at times in front of their own back four but they continued to bring an increasingly exciting contest to their opponents who lived a little dangerously on occasion through the closing stages.

Denis Behan arrived late on for Fenn while Gamble, O'Callaghan, Colin O'Brien and the other City substitute Liam Kearney all sought to carve something out in the danger zone.

The goal, though, simply wouldn't come and unless Derry slip up against St Patrick's this afternoon the southerners will have to do better on home turf in front of a full house next Frday.

SHELBOURNE: Delaney; Heary, Hawkins, Rogers, Cahill; Moore, Crawford (S Byrne, 70 mins), Ndo, Hoolahan (Baker, 83 mins); J Byrne, O'Neill (Crowe, 64 mins).

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; O'Brien, O'Callaghan, Gamble, Woods (Kearney, 73 mins); O'Donovan, Fenn (Behan, 89 mins).

Referee: D Hancock (Dublin).