A goalkeeping performance from Noel Mooney that balanced tentatively between the ridiculous and the sublime featured prominently as Cork City staged a second-half recovery to give themselves the initiative after an enthralling League Cup final first-leg at Tolka Park last night.
The Cork goalkeeper gifted Rovers an early lead, and was guilty of a second crass error that was not so costly, before making a string of superb saves to keep his side in the match in the first-half.
Then, in total contrast to their sheepish showing in the opening 45 minutes, Cork utterly ran the game in the second-half and Rovers had to thank their goalkeeper, Tony O'Dowd, for not having to travel to Turner's Cross for the second-leg in three weeks' time with this trophy all but decided.
Both sides made changes, the most surprising being in the Rovers team with central-defender Terry Palmer coming in to play in the centre of midfield in place of the out-of-form Billy Woods.
Cork arrived in some confusion. Already without the suspended pair of Kelvin Flanagan and Greg O'Halloran, Patsy Freyne didn't play due to flu, while Pat Morley's eligibility on the cup-tied rule was only confirmed eight minutes before kick-off, which meant he started on the bench.
It scarcely got any better for Cork against a fired-up Rovers who were in front within 10 minutes courtesy of a dreadful blunder by Mooney. Rovers midfielder Marc Kenny, who had just sliced a shot wide a minute earlier, collected a throw-in from Matt Britton to send in a cross close to goal and Mooney, expecting the ball to hit the post, palmed it into his own net.
Mooney, the hero of Cork's quarter-final win when saving three penalties in Derry, soon redeemed himself with a superb one-handed save after Jason Sherlock had skipped through onto a Derek Tracey pass on 23 minutes.
But the rattled Cork goalkeeper almost gifted Rovers a second goal a minute later when he fumbled a well-struck shot from Kenny before scampering back to prevent the ball crossing the line.
Mooney's Jekyll and Hyde night continued on 31 minutes when he did well to hold a glancing header from Tony Cousins and then made an excellent diving save to turn a stinging 30-yard free-kick from Kenny round a post.
Cork, hardly in the match at all, then caught Rovers square at the back six minutes before half-time when Dave Hill released Caulfield. Thankfully for Rovers, O'Dowd was more alert to the counter-attack than his defence and got out quickly to make a smother save. There was a far more hunger in Cork's game after the break. Another sublime save by O'Dowd from a low drive by Ollie Cahill kept Rovers in front while Derek Coughlan blazed over the crossbar, all within eight minutes.
But it was a different match now and, inevitably, Cork deservedly levelled on the hour.
A Mark Herrick cross into their box wasn't cleared and the pressure on the Rovers goal was maintained when Hill's centre was struck first time by Brian Barry-Murphy from the edge of the box to flash past O'Dowd into his bottom left-hand corner.
The Rovers goalkeeper then came into his own to keep his side in with a chance for the second-leg with terrific saves from Barry-Murphy, Caulfield, twice, and Herrick.
Shamrock Rovers: O'Dowd; Britton, Whelan, Brazil, Dunne; Tracey, Kenny, Palmer, Colwell; Cousins, Sherlock. Subs: Woods for Tracey (54 mins.), Markey for Kenny (77 mins.).
Cork City: Mooney; O'Donoghue, Coughlan, Daly, Cronin; Herrick, Hill, Barry-Murphy, Cahill; Dobbs, Caulfield.
Referee: J Stacey (Athlone)
Veteran Cork City striker John Caulfield was yesterday named as the Opel Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland player of the month for November.
It is the 34-year-old's third time to win this particular award in a domestic career spanning fifteen years.
