Soccer

Champions Shamrock Rovers hold on for a draw amid late Cork City onslaught

Leon Pohls pulls off injury-time heroics to avoid upset defeat for Rovers at Turner’s Cross

Shamrock Rovers' Liam Burt with Malik Dijksteel of Cork City. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Shamrock Rovers' Liam Burt with Malik Dijksteel of Cork City. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Mon Oct 30 2023 - 18:53

Cork City 0 Shamrock Rovers 0

Shamrock Rovers brought their four-in-a-row title party to Turner’s Cross and were held to a goalless draw by Cork City.

The Rebel Army – the side that will contest this year’s promotion/relegation play-off final – started by winning a free-kick and Cian Coleman’s header was stopped by Leon Pohls.

The Hoops then went up the pitch and Conan Noonan worked with Simon Power to create space in the final third. The best the pair could do was a shot that Tiernan Brooks put out for a corner. The resulting set-piece was headed wide by Lee Grace.

City tried counter-attacking on the half-hour mark when a Noonan cross was headed out to Ruairi Keating and the striker played Aaron Bolger through on the right. The midfielder couldn’t get a shot away as Rovers converged and won the ball back.

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The Hoops did not take the intrusion lightly, and they responded with a pass from Liam Burt to Aaron Green. City put this out for a corner that came to nothing, and the would-be creator closed out the half by forcing Tiernan Brooks into making a routine save.

The second half began with Power getting underneath the ball inside the area and he flicked it over and out for a goal-kick.

[ How Shamrock Rovers won their fourth consecutive league title ]

Cork went up the pitch immediately after and a Malik Dijksteel cross was headed wide by Ruairi Keating at the Shed End. The striker also tried to score from distance, hitting the ball just over the intended target.

The tempo of the game slowed down midway through the second half only to explode in the final few minutes as City pushed for a late winner. Pohls produced a succession of saves during this period of the game to make sure the Hoops added another point and avoid defeat in their first outing since guaranteeing another title.

Cork City: Brooks; Coleman, Bolger, Keating, Coffey; Bargary (Walker, 88), Worman (Olowabi, 78), Honohan (Drinan, 72), O’Donovan (Bailey, 78); Kravchuk, Dijksteel (Murphy, 72).

Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Gannon (Kavanagh, 85), Hoare, Grace (Gaffney, 64), Greene; Power, Nugent, Burt (Burke, 64), Cruise; Noonan, Razi.

Referee: Rob Hennessey