Shamrock Rovers 1 Cork City 2:AFTER THE day of drama came the night of intrigue as Cork City's beleaguered players put in a display of real quality to allow Bohemians go back to the top of the table.

After a listless display at home to the champions on Friday, Cork s came to Tallaght only after the threat of strike action was averted on the day – yet won despite trailing after three minutes.

But scoring early on proved a curse for Shamrock Rovers who allowed their visitors play all the football. Rovers survived for 65 minutes, but goals from the brilliant Billy Dennehy and substitute Shane Duggan gave another twist to the title race tale and ended Rovers’ 22-match unbeaten run.

The match went ahead after the dispute between the Cork players and the club over the non-payment of wages was resolved at lunchtime. The club released a statement at midday stating that all monies owed had been paid in full but full-back Danny Murphy did not receive payment.

He stayed behind, while the travelling players insisted they would not take the field unless all of the monies owed were paid in full. Murphy’s wages had been transferred into the wrong account mistakenly and he drove to Dublin to take his place at left back.

The club have given assurances that the remainder of the season’s wages and any back wages will be paid in three instalments before the end of the calendar year.

But speaking on TV3 news later, City captain Dan Murray called on owner Tom Coughlan to step aside from the club.

“It seems like it’s time for him to step aside and get someone else in with fresh ideas,” he said. “Or for him to bring more people on board if he can. It looks like he’s struggling to keep the club going the way it is it the minute, so maybe it is time for fresh ideas.”

After all that, it wasn’t surprising that City were bewildered in the opening three minutes and conceded a poor goal. Sullivan, himself a refugee of Cork’s financial struggles, capitalised on his former captain Murray’s loose header to send a rising shot past Mark McNulty at his near post.

But Cork were undeterred and Fahrudin Kudozovic almost beat Alan Mannus with a carbon copy of Sullivan’s goal after some neat work on the edge of the box between Kudozovic and Gareth Cambridge.

Cork owned the ball for much of the rest of the half, but they couldn’t quite turn their possession into chances and trailed at half time. They could have gone further behind when McNulty was lucky not to be caught in possession by Graham Barrett with the goalmouth unattended.

It was much of the same after the break, but ten minutes in Dennehy gave some warning of things to come when he tested Mannus, and the ’keeper denied the same player again within minutes.

At this stage the winger had been moved up front after Paul Doolin had introduced Duggan and the move worked a treat as from nothing Dennehy struck for the equaliser with a viciously struck shot from 25 yards.

The stunned silence around the stadium told its own story, but 12 minutes later things got worse for the home team as they pushed for another goal and Neal Horgan caught them on the counter, finding Dennehy who ran 30 yards and cut in from the right. He fed Duggan whose low shot hit both posts before crossing the line.

Rovers pushed for an equaliser and spurned two gilt-edged chances from Ross Chisholm crosses, Padraig Amond heading wide and Sullivan firing over.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan, Price, Maguire, Bermingham (Twigg 74); Robinson, Rice (O’Connor 56), Chisholm, Cahill; Baker (Amond 68), Barrett.

CORK CITY: McNulty; Horgan, Long, Murray, Murphy; Lordan, O’Halloran, O’Donnell, Lordan, Dennehy; Kudozovic, Cambridge (Duggan 62).

Referee: D Hancock (Dublin).