Cork City and Shamrock Rovers took advantage of the League of Ireland Premier Division match at Turner's Cross to make a case for players currently operating while short of their wages.

 

Both teams wore white tee-shirts when they walked on to the pitch with cryptic messages that highlighted Cork's financial problems and the issue of clubs leaving players waiting for wages.

 

The message on the Shamrock Rovers tee-shirts read: 'Players supporting players'. The Cork City players had the message 'Contract, Commitment from Clubs' on the front of their tee-shirts and on the back was the logo of the Professional Footballers' Association's logo.

 

Rovers were showing their support for the Cork players who are currently in receipt of 40% of their wages and are operating while their wages are also in arrears.

 

The unity between the two teams was not to be disrupted by goals for either side for the game ended with the teams sharing the points. It was the third time this season for the teams to draw their matches.

 

Their previous meetings in the League ended scoreless in Cork and the match at Tallaght finished 1-1. Cork showed four changes from the team that lost to champions Bohemians a week previously with Joe Gamble, Gareth Cambridge, Kevin Long and Davin O'Neill all returning to action. They replaced Stephen O'Donnell, Timmy Kiely, Neal Horgan and Latvian striker Guntars Silagailis.

 

Shamrock Rovers had suffered just one defeat in their previous 14 games and they also showed changes with three players returning who missed the victory over Drogheda last time out. Darragh Maguire, Stephen Bradlery and Sean O'Connor were recalled while Aidan Price, Barry Johnston and Pat Flynn dropped out.

 

Cork have shown modest form at home this season with just eight goals in 11 games and two defeats in their last six matches. They had the better of the opeing half, however, and created far more chances than the Hoops.

 

Gareth Cambridge had an early header saved by the excellent Barry Murphy and then Faz Kuduzovic wasted an opportunity when he mis-hit an attempted shot after 20 minutes of a high tempo game.

 

Billy Dennehy set up Cambridge inside the box mid-way through the first half but the former Cobh striker shot wide of the far post. Cork's final chance of the half fell to Davin O'Neill but he was too high with his finished effort after meeting Danny Murphy's cross from the left wing.

 

Both goalkeepers had relatively quiet outings with Cork's Dan Connor saving comfortably from Gary Twigg when the striker got his head to a Purcell cross.

 

Finally it was Rovers' Barry Murphy saved Rovers with six minutes to go when he blocked Dennehy's toe-poke inside the box.

 

Cork City: Connnor; O'Halloran, Long, Murray, Murphy; O'Neill, Gamble, Lordan, Dennehy; Kuduzovic, Cambridge (Kiely 64).

 

Shamrock Rovers: Murphy; Sullivan, Maguire, Sives, Cahill; Robinson, Rice, Bradley (Kavanagh 82), O'Connor (Baker 62); Twigg, Purcell.

 

Referee: P. Tuite