It's hard to know what it is about these two sides that makes them throw up such compelling encounters so regularly but, whatever it is, the old magic was at work again last night. City led, Shelbourne coasted into a two goal lead and then the Dubliners clung on dearly. You couldn't have asked for more excitement and the chances are you won't see better goals this season than the home side's first or third.
If Richie Baker's long range shot in the first half was an outstanding example of how to take what chances come your way, Garry Haylock's was perhaps of more significance for Dermot Keely, who may have spotted in Stephen Geoghegan's combination of outstanding individual skill and selfless team work just the recipe he had been seeking since taking over at Tolka Park a little more than a year ago. Now that he has finally ended his dry spell, Haycock will be hoping that the goals start to flow. The recently returned striker was in particular need of a boost by the time he scored last night after missing the target badly when sent clear by Declan Daly's terrible attempt to head back towards his own keeper. But his workrate remains impressive for his new club and Geoghegan's willingness to pass up the chance to score himself in favour of his striking partner augers well for the strikerate over the coming months.
In defence, on the other hand, things hardly look to be all sweetness and light. After Pat Fenlon's neatly chipped goal - set up by good work on the part of Owen Heary - and Haylock's tap in had given the home side what should have been an unassailable lead, the locals decided to defend so deeply and poorly over the closing stages that it ought to have cost them two of the three points.
Having opted to play Patsy Freyne up front with Pat Morley for the bulk of the game while he had three strikers on the bench, Dave Barry went for broke with 13 minutes left to play, bringing on two of the three and giving almost half his team the freedom to camp out in the Shelbourne box.
The result was a stream of chances, some of which were scrambled away less than impressively. Crucially, though, only one was put away with John Caulfield, just as Morley had done earlier, providing the finish to an Ollie Cahill corner.
Morley's goal after 26 minutes had in fact ended what had probably been the most balanced period of the game. Either side could have made the breakthrough during that first wildly open quarter and when Cork finally managed to do so it was with a little help along the way from Declan Geoghegan and Tommy Byrne.
As with so much of City's play throughout that opening period, the danger they posed came from the right flank where the Shelbourne defence's initial failure to cut out a straightforward enough exchange of passes ended up proving costly.
Freyne's determined harrying of Geoghegan won his side the corner and when Cahill floated it in from the right, neither Steve Williams nor any of his defenders could get close enough to prevent Morley nodding home his third league goal in five games.
Shelbourne's retribution was to be swift. Scarcely had the game restarted when the home side won possession back from a Cork City throw inside their own half. Williams's long clearance was knocked down nicely by Stephen Geoghegan for Baker and, having been given an astonishing amount of time and space to line up the shot, the teenager left Noel Mooney rooted to the spot from close to 30 yards out.
Being a mere equaliser hardly seemed to do such a special goal justice although, to be fair, even it would have been hard pushed to overshadow the role played by Geoghegan in the third. He still looked grumpy at the end of the match and not without reason, for his side's defensive performance was far from flawless. Still, three points and a first competitive goal for his expensive summer signing Haylock . . . even Keely must have felt a little urge to smile.
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Scully, McCarthy, D Geoghegan; R Baker, Fenlon, Campbell, Byrne; Haylock, S Geoghegan. Subs: Ogden for Byrne (32 mins), Van der Velden for Campbell (half-time). CORK CITY: Mooney; O'Halloran, Daly, Hill, Cronin; C O'Brien, L O'Brien, Herrick, Cahill; Freyne, Morley. Subs: Caulfield and Dobbs for L O'Brien and O'Halloran (77 mins) Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).
