Six goals, two sendings-off and more end-to-end action than you're likely to see in Sydney's Olympic swimming pool over the coming days. Well, sure, it could have been more exciting at Tolka Park, but then it's early in the season yet.
With the ink scarcely dry on their fat cheque from German television, Bohemians were always likely to struggle with the task of dealing with their main domestic rivals. So it proved in a game that Shelbourne appeared to have won well during the opening half but were on the verge of squandering two points during the opening 30 minutes of the second.
Then, with Dermot Keely's men defending too deeply and clearly rattled, a draw or better seemed to be there for Roddy Collins's side. But Steve Williams dealt the first serious blow to what would have been an astonishing comeback, making a brilliant save from Glen Crowe's close-range header. Wayne Russell added the decisive blow when he crashed into James Keddy on the edge of his box 12 minutes from time and handed Stephen Geoghegan the chance to make the game safe from the penalty spot. He did, albeit from a rebound after the Bohemians goalkeeper saved.
Almost immediately afterwards, Dave Morrisson was dismissed for an off-the-ball challenge on Mark Hutchison. Roddy Collins's protests on the sideline ensured his retirement to the stand. Once again Bohemians were left to curse a referee and wonder what might have been had their strikers taken their chances.
Bohemians' difficulties were firmly rooted in an opening spell during which they displayed the sort of knack for comedy that generally knocks 'em dead during the Edinburgh Festival. With the home side's former manager Colin Murphy in the stand for his new employers, Leicester City, Shaun Maher was the main offender, doing very little to impress the one scout in the business with a full UEFA chatting badge.
Two minutes in, the central defender's momentary lapse allowed Richie Foran (the real reason behind the Englishman's return to Tolka) to nip inside the box and lob Wayne Russell from 15 yards. If Maher was upset then, however, he had far more cause to be 14 minutes later. Another high ball, again from Owen Heary, caught out the former Millwall player, who headed past his goalkeeper.
Foran then turned Morrison on the edge of the area and stuck away number three to leave the game looking dead and buried. One of the best goalkeepers in the league had conceded six goals in less than an hour of football and Shelbourne's young striker had brought his tally to four in three games - and kept his shirt on all the while.
Morrison led the Bohemians revival, though, with a headed goal at the near post after Kevin Hunt's corner on the stroke of half-time. Some serious bungling by the home side not long after the resumption allowed Glen Crowe to slip the ball past Williams from close range. Scenting that, with over half an hour remaining, an unlikely recovery was possible, Bohemians went on to enjoy their best spell of the game.
When Simon Webb sent a drive just wide of the post from the edge of the area and Williams then had to produce the save of the night, it seemed unlikely that the champions would hang on. However, Geoghegan's penalty - although it required the 30-year-old striker to beat a string of defenders to the rebound - wrapped thing up and keeps his side a couple of points clear at the top of the table.
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Scully, McCarthy, Hutchison; Byrne, Doolin (S Geoghegan, 58 mins), Fenlon; R Baker, Foran (D Baker, 80 mins), Keddy.
BOHEMIANS: Russell; Bowman, Maher, Hill, Webb; Morrison, Caffrey, Hunt, O'Connor (O'Keeffe, 37 mins); Molloy (O'Neill, 79 mins), Crowe.
Referee: P McKeown (Dublin).
