Shamrock Rovers - 1 Bohemians - 1 Some day, you never know, the Irish people might be the last to decide on some international treaty that guarantees peace and prosperity for all the world. But even then, it's safe to assume that supporters of these two Dublin clubs will still be aggrieved at having to co-exist in the same city.
Like most derbies, there was a certain meanness of spirit at yesterday's encounter and, as both sets of supporters wandered out after a game that had been remarkably entertaining given the relentless downpour, there can't have been a sinner happy that the other side was taking home a point.
Rovers, with their minds fixed on next week's cup final, had less to be unhappy about. Their late equaliser, courtesy of a 90th-minute Tony Grant penalty, was deserved for their pursuit of a result, but they might have been dead and buried after a first half which their rivals had dominated.
Liam Buckley's side weren't helped by the fact that both full-backs Greg Costello and Richie Byrne had gone off injured during that opening period - the manager expects both to be fit by next Sunday - but even setting aside the injuries they would have had few complaints if their opponents had put away more of the chances manufactured around Tony O'Dowd's area before the break.
Fergal Harkin's runs from midfield were probably the most thrilling pieces of creativity during his side's spell on top but his finishes weren't quite what was required, whereas Glen Crowe's genius in the 12th minute had been all about stealing a yard on the goal line so that when Mark Rutherford's corner arrived he had nothing to do but side-foot home.
Having limited the deficit to just one goal, Rovers made a more even contest of it in the second half with Tony Grant going closest to beating Ashley Bayes with a strike from tight on the right.
Then, with Shane Robinson having been refused a penalty a few minutes earlier after going down on the edge of the six-yard box, Alan Kelly decided to award one when Tony O'Connor allegedly held Grant on the turn.
From a distance it was a tight call, with the defender having an arm around the striker but doing little more to impede him than seems to be the accepted norm in such situations.
Opinions remained divided, but in the stand there was one man who reckoned Kelly had already made a worse decision when he opted to proceed with the game despite the effect it would have on next week's cup final venue.
The pitch, said Ollie Byrne, could hardly be expected to recover from the punishment to which it was subjected over the course of yesterday's 90 minutes.
It never rains but it pours.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Costello (Gough, 28 mins), Scully, Palmer, Byrne (Deans, 38 mins); S Grant, Dimech, Tracey, Keddy (Robinson, 77 mins); T Grant, Hunt.
BOHEMIANS: Bayes; Lynch, Hawkins, McNally, Webb; Harkin (Ryan, 93 mins), Hunt, Caffrey, Rutherford (O'Connor, 70 mins); Keegan (O'Neill, half-time), Crowe.
Referee: A Kelly (Cork)
