Roddy Collins, of course, had less reason to be concerned than his opposite number at Belfield on Sunday. After all, his players had won and ended the weekend two points closer to Shelbourne. But the frustration he and Martin Moran both expressed with the way their respective sides performed was easy to understand, even if the way it was expressed would not have done much for either man's relationship with Damien Richardson.

Collins has never exactly been one of life's bridge-builders, so when he showed scant regard for the feelings of anybody in the Rovers camp by announcing that the win was welcome, but that his players had to learn to defend more efficiently because "you're never going to score four against a good side", it wasn't too great a surprise.

Perhaps more alarming for everybody in Richardson's camp was the always more diplomatic Moran observing that his side had "done a Rovers" by conceding three goals in the last 20 minutes. Rovers may not have been able to stop scoring since, but it seems that the Hoops will have a little trouble living down that game at Santry a few weeks back.

For Bohemians, though, the sudden burst of goalscoring that started with the bizarre fightback against the longstanding rivals appears to have breathed life into their faltering championship challenge.

Between late November and late January, Collins' side managed just five goals (none of them from a striker) and took just nine points from a possible 21. He admitted on Sunday that Glen Crowe is particularly dependent on his confidence levels at a given time, but it appears that the late Rovers collapse has restored his early season strut.

Crowe has scored six times in his last three league games while the recently arrived Alex Nesovic has managed two during the same period.

And at Belfield on Sunday the re-signing of Paul Byrne looked like a far better move than one might have expected. As usual, Byrne's set pieces made up a significant part of his overall contribution to the game.

But, having had more responsibility thrust upon him thanks to Stephen Caffrey's enforced switch from central midfield to the middle of defence, the former Celtic player pitched in impressively in what was for long stretches, particularly early on, a highly fluent display by a Bohemians side who are capable of pushing the ball around as they move forward as quickly as anybody else in the division.

Their problem, however, is that their poor eight-week spell has left them with ground to make up if they are to press Shelbourne for the title.

Second place might have been in the bag by now, but instead they have St Patrick's, Rovers and even Bray on their trail. Pat Dolan's side were, Shelbourne aside, the main beneficiaries of the two-month slump with the Inchicore club taking 13 points from the same 21, and climbing from ninth to fourth.

But it is Shelbourne who had carved out a commanding position for themselves by the end of last month thanks to an impressive run that yielded 23 points out of 30.

More recently the more erratic though rewarding displays by Bohemians have, however, been mirrored by a more calculating approach from the defending champions. Before returning to the US, Bray striker Paul Keenan expressed dismay with the rough and tumble of Shelbourne's game in the two club's league encounter a few weeks back, and, after what was described as a similarly negative display in Longford, there was certainly little to recommend Dermot Keely's side on Friday night in Tolka.

Theoretically Bohemians can overhaul the title holders without any favours from third parties, although it requires them to win both of their games in hand as well as their March encounter in Drumcondra, so it is not, therefore, terribly likely.

Still, if the pattern of the last few weeks were to continue it might be provide a popular finale to the season outside of the Shelbourne - and perhaps Rovers - camp.