FAI Cup Third round/ Shamrock Rovers 1 Bohemians 1: Having talked before this game about how a cup derby between these old rivals would make the encounter that little bit sweeter, it seems the players of Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers simply couldn't resist another crack at each other next Tuesday night in Dalymount Park.

Home advantage may well spur Bohemians on to greater things than they produced last night at Tolka and they should be grateful for the chance to show they can do better. A goal ahead thanks to Mark Leech after seven minutes into the first period they could only watch as Tadhg Purcell sparked a dramatic Rovers revival seven minutes into the second.

Then, with a minute or so of normal time remaining their defence was laid bare by the home side's quick break down the right and after Ger Rowe centred and Stephen O'Brien appeared to lose his nerve about coming out to intercept the low ball, David Cassidy squandered an outstanding chance to send his side through to the next round.

Pat Scully had contested on Thursday that any Rovers team should be considered equals going into a game like this but he must be the more satisfied of the two managers for Bohemians had dominated through the first half only to surrender the initiative from the outset of the second.

Defeat for Bohemians would have left them with nothing to play for over the three remaining months of the season and Gareth Farrelly must have been dismayed that his much more experienced side could not contain a lively Rovers side that clearly sensed the game was there to be won late on.

With three representatives of Ipswich watching him from the stands, Stephen Ward in particular might have hoped to make more of an impact on the proceedings but the 21-year-old did at least have the satisfaction of setting up the night's opening goal for Mark Leech.

Rovers were a little unfortunate to concede in the circumstances for Leech's marker, Ian Ryan, had been laid out flat by a Thomas Heary shot that he had deflected into Ward's path but the cross and headed finish were nevertheless good and the home side could have no complaint that they found themselves trailing at the break.

To be fair, Scully's young side had done their best to unsettle the much more experienced side. The Rovers midfield chased everything and everyone down in an effort to hamper their rivals' progress. Around their own goal, though, they rarely looked entirely secure and Leech, Fergal Harkin and Ward all might have doubled the lead prior to the break.

Such was Bohemians superiority it seemed there would be further chances to come after the break but the missed chances quickly started to look a good deal more costly as Harkin handled a Ray Kenny header and Purcell stepped up to send O'Brien the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Rovers then took control until the closing minutes without generating the sort of clear-cut chances that their opponents had early on.

When Bohemians finally started to win a bit more of the ball and pressed forward late on, however, they suddenly found there was space to play into, something they might well come to regret not capitalising next Tuesday.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; O'Brien, Price, Ryan, Clarke; Duffy, Kenny, Perth, Cassidy; Purcell, Rowe (Flood, 89 mins).

BOHEMIANS: O'Brien; Rice, Ferguson, Caffrey, Powell; Harkin (Farrelly, 57 mins), Heary, Kelly (Dunphy, 81 mins), Ward; Leech, Devlin.

Referee: I Stokes (Dublin).