Shamrock Rovers 0-0 Cork City
Cork City lost ground on league leaders Dundalk tonight after they drew 0-0 with Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght.
Cork arrived seeking a club record ninth league win in a row, and they pressed from early on through Sean Maguire, Stephen Dooley and Steven Beattie.
Beattie, in particular, was lively on the right, but an opening never came, and when Dean Clarke got in behind the City defence on 12 minutes only a poor touch stopped him from testing Mark McNulty.
Some good work from Dooley on the left for Cork then saw him drive to the end line and pull the ball back for Maguire who guided his low shot across goal and wide.
Maguire was involved in everything for the visitors, and Robert Cornwall had to be aware of his presence minutes later when Gavan Holohan delivered into the box.
City then showed their aggressive side with both Maguire and Kenny Browne receiving yellow cards in the latter stages of the first-half, and Greg Bolger kept it up at the beginning of the second period when he needlessly fouled Simon Madden.
The game offered more in terms of attacking as the hour mark approached, and the introduction of Sean Boyd for the Hoops suddenly ignited their forward line, but Cork kept their shape, and made their three substitutions in quick succession to try and win the tie.
However, it was Rovers who ended the game on the front foot, and when Brandon Miele delivered for Boyd to head goalwards, only a superb save from McNulty denied him.
The goalkeeper was called upon again seconds later to save a Miele strike, and there was almost late drama when Bolger shot from distance, but the ball crept just wide of Hyland’s goal.
Shamrock Rovers: Hyland, Madden, O’Connor, Heaney, Cornwall, Cregg, McPhail, Miele, G Brennan, Shaw (Boyd, 58), D Clarke (T Clarke, 77). SUBS: Murphy, Blanchard, Webster, Boyd, Doona, T Clarke, Purdy.
Cork City: McNulty, Bennett, McCarthy (Turner, 58), Browne, O’Connor, Holohan (O’Sullivan, 58), Beattie, G Morrissey, Bolger, Dooley (Morrissey, 73), Maguire. SUBS: Healy, D Morrissey, Coffey, Sheppard, O’Sullivan, Buckley, Turner.
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