BOHEMIANS maintained their own title hopes and almost certainly extinguished Shelbourne's by virtue of a well-taken 78th minute winner from a former Shclbourne player, Brian Mooney, at Tolka Park last night.

Likened to a game of Russian Roulette by the Shelbourne manager Damien Richardson, it was almost a pity that such a crunch encounter came so early in the run-in. A capricious wind kicked up as the match wore on and the tension, far from easing, intensified as the minutes ticked slowly by.

It was always absorbing but it fell short of the high standards set by previous meetings between these two. Shelbourne gave it a good go in the first period, looking the hungrier side throughout and often the better one.

However, they hardly created anything after the break as Bohemians squeezed the life out of them. Having survived what Turlough O'Connor conceded was a ropey first 20 minutes ("when Tony Sheridan was almost unplayable"), they defended with increasing comfort as the match wore on despite the disruption of Tommy Byrne being carried off.

Donal Broughan and Eoin Mullen were rarely given a moments respite by a voracious Pat Morley and Stephen Geoghegan, who often won balls they had no right to. But as Shelbourne fell into a long ball approach, and Bohemians squeezed in from the flanks and cut off the space between midfield and the back where Sheridan attacked so successfully early on, the makeshift central defensive pairing began to win everything that came their way.

Bohemians cut off Shelbourne's supply lines to the flanks, where so much of their game emanates from, but an out-of-position Dessie Baker and Mark Rutherford rarely had time or opportunity to service an under-nourished Geoghegan-Morley front line.

Derek McGrath, not always known for his work ethic over the years, epitomised Bohemians' disciplined approach often dropping back to lend support to his right-back, first Byrne and then debutant sub Sean Maher while also breaking forward more regularly than an otherwise cautious midfield.

Content enough to play the ball early and skyward toward the rotund figure of Tommy Gaynor, and hope Derek Swan could nick something off him, Bohemians did not count that much more as an attacking threat and there seemed little likelihood of a breakthrough until Mooney struck.

An altogether different encounter might have ensued had either Stephen Geoghegan or Swan availed of early chances - especially had the former taken his and put the onus on Bohemians. Latching onto Mark Rutherford's header, Sheridan played Geoghegan in delightfully but the Shelbourne striker clipped the ball wide of the advancing Dave Henderson and the near post. A sharpish chance, but one he'd normally take.

The same applied to Swan after 14 minutes - Gaynor challenging for Henderson's long kick out and the ball breaking for Swan who lifted it over the advancing Alan Gough but wide. However that surprisingly loose start was not to prove indicative of things to come.

Six-minutes later Broughan did misdirect a header from Vaudequin's through ball into Geoghegan's path, but managed to deflect the shot wide. A patient passing Shelbourne move across and back across the pitch after 34 minutes summed up the first-half, Bohemians sticking to their men diligently before ultimately Sheridan found Geoghegan for a shot on the turn which drifted wide.

Dave Campbell did test Henderson when meeting Sheridan's 38th minute corner and two minutes later one of several nod-ons by Morley instigated another elaborate Shelbourne move which ended with Sheridan miscuing Baker's lay-off. Moments later referee John McDermott ignored home appeals for a penalty when Mullen appeared to play the ball with his hand under pressure from Geoghegan.

The pressure intensified as Henderson slipped in leaving his area only to head away from the incoming Geoghegan and then Bohemians came to life when Gaynor was adjudged offside after Swan's mis-hit shot from McGrath's corner.

After Swan rushed an attempted lob when played in by Doolin, the second period was a bit of a let down. Tension gripped the exchanges, balls were hurriedly played and there was scant time or space in a congested midfield.

There seemed little or no hint of the game's stranglehold being broken, but then again there often isn't with Bohemians before they strike out of the blue.

Sure enough, a free from around half-way by Broughan was launched toward the Shelbourne area where a back-pedalling Campbell headed downward only as far as the lurking Mooney on the edge of the box. Bringing the ball down, Mooney drilled a shot beyond Gough with his much under-rated left foot.