Shelbourne - 1 Finn Harps - 0: When the fixture list was drawn up at the start of the season, it would have been considered inconceivable to suggest that the main topic of interest at Tolka Park last night would be the fate of Shelbourne's opponents.
But with the Dubliners' hopes of taking a third successive league title long since disappeared, despite last night's remarkable results at Turner's Cross and the Brandywell, their only achievement in this game was to make Finn Harps' chances of escaping the drop even more remote.
Ironically, last night's comfortable victory was Shelbourne's eighth win from nine league starts. Unfortunately, it's taken the pre-season favourites far too long to click.
The same could be said of Finn Harps, who have shown brief signs of a revival in recent weeks, but with just three games remaining the clock is against them. They didn't look like a side on the brink of a remarkable recovery.
When these teams clashed in Donegal last month, Finn Harps manager Tony Gorman admitted his charges should have been three goals down after five minutes, and the same could have been argued last night.
Within 60 seconds of kick-off Shelbourne's Wesley Hoolahan darted down the left wing and crossed for Jason Byrne, who smashed the ball off the crossbar from 10 yards.
Three minutes later, the same duo combined to open the scoring when Hoolahan's quick free found Byrne, who ghosted past a static Harps defence before firing past Gavin Cullen from the edge of the area.
Not content with that, Shelbourne almost doubled their advantage from the restart when Byrne's strike-partner O'Neill forced Cullen into making a clumsy save at his near post.
With Waterford and St Patrick's Athletic winning, this was a thoroughly miserable night for Finn Harps who look certain to return to the abyss that is Division One.
SHELBOURNE: Delaney, Heary, Cahill, Rogers, Fleming, Crawford, Ndo, Ryan, Hoolahan, Byrne, O'Neill (Crowe 61 mins).
FINN HARPS: Cullen, McGowan, Minnock, Boyle, Bradley, Funston, Capper (Crossan 75 mins), McGrenaghan, Gorman, Breen, McHugh.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork)
