Ciarán Kilduff scored four as Cork City came from a goal down to beat Shelbourne 5-3 in a thriller at Turner’s Cross on Thursday night. The defeat keeps Shelbourne level on points with Bray Wanderers at the bottom of the Premier Division but Bray now have a game in hand.

Kilduff became the first player to ever score four goals in a competitive game for Cork City as they edged closer to a sixth-placed finish ahead of Limerick. Shelbourne’s Dean Kelly had the game’s first chance when he took advantage of hesitancy in the City defence to latch onto Lee Murphy’s long punt but his attempted lob was too low and Mark McNulty was able to save.

Shelbourne took a deserved lead in the 23rd minute when Kelly capitalised on a shocking backpass by Garry Buckley and finished confidently past McNulty. Johnny McDonnell’s gameplan of pressing City high up the pitch looked to be working perfectly until a defensive calamity just past the half hour.

Paul Andrews was the culprit for Shels as his misjudged header back to Murphy was pounced on by Ciarán Kilduff who expertly lobbed a first time volley over Murphy and into the net for his first of the night. Three minutes later City were in front with Kilduff on the scoresheet again.

This time it was due to the striker’s quality rather than any defensive lapse as the Shelbourne defence first cleared a Daryl Horgan cross from the left, before blocking off Shane Duggan’s run into the box but the ball fell for Kilduff and he fired into the far corner to give City the lead.

The on-loan Shamrock Rovers striker nearly completed a first-half hat-trick just before the break but his shot from a tight angle on the left was well saved by Murphy.

City extended their lead immediately after the break as Shane Duggan slid a through ball right through the middle of a static Shelbourne defence for Danny Morrissey who rounded Murphy and fired the ball into the net. Morrissey should have made the game safe on 65 minutes when he was played in by Kilduff but the striker got the ball caught under his feet and the chance was gone.

To make matters worse for City, Shels went straight up the other end and made it 3-2, the excellent Kelly was on target again as his drive from the right side of the box flashed past McNulty.

City made it 4-2 with less than 20 minutes remaining as Kilduff completed his hat-trick. The goal came from a towering Kilduff header back across goal after Danny Murphy’s cross from the left and it looked like City had finally secured the win.

However, Shelbourne wouldn’t lie down and were back in it after 83 minutes when centre-half Paul Andrews headed past McNulty to make it 4-3. Hope for the travelling Shelbourne support didn’t last long as two minutes later Kilduff rose highest to nod home Gearóid Morrissey’s cross from the right to make it 5-3 and finally seal the three points for Cork City.

Cork City: Mark McNulty; John Kavanagh, Garry Buckley, John Dunleavy, Danny Murphy; Gearóid Morrissey, Colin Healy, Shane Duggan, Daryl Horgan; Ciarán Kilduff (Rob Lehane 90+2), Danny Morrissey.

Subs not used: Kevin Burns, Darren Dennehy, Kalen Spillane, Neal Horgan, Ian Turner, Brian Lenihan.

Bookings: Buckley (55).

Shelbourne: Lee Murphy; Rob Cornwall, Graham Gartland, Paul Andrews, Derek Doyle; Adam Hanlon, Pat Flynn, Stephen Hurley, Darren Tinnelly (Jamie McGlynn 80); Lee Murtagh (Sean Brennan 61), Dean Kelly (c).

Subs not used: Niall Burdon, Ian Ryan, Stephen Sheerin, Dylan Connolly, Carl Walsh.

Bookings: Kelly (51), Tinnelly (71)

Referee: Robert Rogers

Attendance: 1,444



Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Ciarán Kilduff (Cork City)