On the pitch there may have been no winners, neither side came into this game looking for a draw. Off it, though, the largest crowd at Turner's Cross since City returned from temporary exile at Bishopstown had to go home happy.

Sometimes, you see, a game is simply that good that it makes up for a disappointing result and this, make no mistake about it, was the proverbial, Christmas cracker.

A betting man might have lost his shirt several times over during this enthralling encounter. Shelbourne, desperate to establish themselves as the genuine challengers to Pat Dolan's side for the home stretch of the campaign, trailed, led and then trailed again.

In the end Stephen Geoghegan's 12th goal of the season, a tap in from close range, but one taken under pressure, earned them a point which, given that their backs were to the wall for most of the 14 minutes that followed must have seemed like a decent enough outcome at the whistle.

Indeed, while Dave Barry was certainly disappointed afterwards - seven goals scored against their two main title rivals in their last two games and just a couple of points to show for it - Damien Richardson expressed disbelief, mixed with a certain satisfaction, that his side had shown a resilience "we definitely didn't possess last season". Whether they can apply that new found determination to scrap it out through the championship race as a whole, only time will tell.

Geoghegan's goal capped a marvellous second period, but if it was exciting, it could scarcely have matched the first in which both sides came from behind but which the visitors went in leading.

In the opening minutes there was some hint of what was to come with City breaking fast out of defence to cause the Dubliners some discomfort and producing chances which Ollie Cahill and Patsy Freyne went very close to converting.

Cahill seemed central to all of Cork's most promising moves and when he picked up on Noel Mooney's punched clearance of Pat Fenlon's corner, he tore down the right before lofting the ball in for Colin O'Brien, whose left footed half volley from the edge of the area comfortably beat Alan Gough to the bottom right corner.

The euphoria of the nearly 6,000 strong crowd was short-lived, however, for straight from the restart the ball was fed out to Mark Rutherford whose cross was headed home by an unmarked Tony McCarthy and six minutes later the Dubliners employed precisely the same route to goal, with Gareth Cronin's attempted clearance of the ball from the left this time cannoning off Fenlon and past the helpless Mooney.

By that stage it was apparent that both defences were both still caught up in the seasonal spirit of giving, neither being able to cope with the quick movement of the ball in front of them and not one of them, it seemed, capable of decisive action around their own area.

What the outcome might have been had either set of strikers been really on song is anybody's guess but as it was, thanks for the most part to some fine attacking play out of midfield, we were treated to another couple of goals before the break.

Cork's second, like their first, came out of a move which started deep inside their own half but this time it was Cahill himself who finished it, driving home from the edge of the area after Sheridan's attempt to head clear had dropped nicely into his path.

Play was scarcely under way again when Rutherford was at it once more, this time touching the ball through Napier's legs and then picking Dave Campbell out at the far post from where the former Saint Patrick's man headed low beyond the Cork keeper.

In the two minutes left to before the break, City should have equalised but as it was they managed it eight minutes after the turnaround when Cahill's low ball from the left was turned back by Jason Kabia and, amidst a developing scramble, Noel Hartigan sidefooted home.

Derek Coughlan made it 4-3 shortly afterwards with a flick from eight yards, after O'Brien's corner had been returned to him to send in again but even then it scarcely occurred to anybody watching that the scoring would come to a halt.

The possibility did seem to increase somewhat when the City defence finally started to take on a bit of shape around the box, with Geoghegan and then Dessie Baker having good shooting chances in dangerous positions blocked down but after the league's top scorer had levelled the sides for the fifth time, the Dubliners finally appeared ready to settle for the draw, and having survived a late scare when O'Brien headed over from close range, that's what they got.

Roll on the new year.

Cork City: Mooney; Napier, Daly, Cronin, Long; O'Brien, BarryMurphy, Freyne, Cahill; Hartigan, Kabia. Subs: Coughlan for Napier (HT), Caulfield for Hartigan (78 mins).

Shelbourne: Gough; Costello, Scully, McCarthy, Neville; Sheridan, Fenlon, Campbell, Rutherford; Baker, S Geoghegan. Subs: Smith for Costello (32 mins), Kelly for Sheridan (63 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).