ON the official day of national celebration, it was, perhaps, fitting that both teams should have cause for satisfaction after this novel attraction had built to an exciting finish at Tolka Park.

Only five minutes separated the National League from the surrender of their jealously guarded unbeaten record when Pat Morley delivered on his reputation as one of the more resourceful finishers in the game here, with a finely executed equaliser.

Pride was the spur which drove, Morley after he had been controversially left out of the starting line up and then reprieved, as a replacement for Ollie Cahill in a rash of substitutions in the second half.

Mick McCarthy would later question the circumstances which led to the equaliser, but there was no disguising either the quality of the goal or the manner of its execution, after Tony Sheridan's quickly taken free had released his Shelbourne clubmate on a long run to goal.

As the pursuit converged, he needed to hold his nerve and his balance on the 30 yard dash, but managed both with sufficient ease to squeeze the shot into the space between deputy goalkeeper, Seamus Kelly and his left hand post.

There were occasions when the game came dangerously close to violating the Trades Description Act. Deprived of almost all the players he had intended to use in the game, McCarthy sent out a team which scarcely matched the quality of others which have represented the country at `B' level.

Yet, in spite of conceding almost all the advantages in maturity to the opposition, they competed sufficiently well to earn the commendation of the manager.

"There was always the risk that some of the younger lads were going to be hustled out of it by players who were physically stronger but I thought they hung in well and perhaps, deserved to sneak it in the end."

What the game will have done to reassure the manager about future needs, is a moot point. Perhaps, the cruellest commentary is that the most likely cads emerged in the positions in which he least needs new talent - at full back.

Steve Finnan, the Notts County player who has served a useful apprenticeship in international competition at under 21 level, often looked the most composed player on the park at right back and on the opposite flank, Tottenham's Peter Gain grew from an uncertain start to catch the eye in the second half.

And McCarthy had words of admiration, too, for David Dunne, the 17 year old son of the former Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda defender, Dick Dunne, who has already played in Everton's first team.

"For one so young, he was remarkably comfortable," he said. "I was looking forward to seeing him play the full game but an unnecessary strong challenge, meant that he had to be replaced."

For years now, locally based players have felt hard done by in the selection of Ireland teams at senior level and to that extent, they were never short of motivation yesterday.

Inevitably, the Shelbourne pair, Stephen Geoghegan and Tony Sheridan were singled out as players who could perhaps, make the national team but had McCarthy seen anything to make him change his mind?

"No, not really," he responded. "Why Tony Sheridan is still playing over here only Tony Sheridan can say and, of course, Stephen also has lots of ability. But I thought that we coped well with the threat today.

"I suspect that in the build up to the equalising goal, Sheridan struck the ball while it was still rolling and Morley was, possibly, in an offside position. But Sheridan deserves credit for quickthinking - it's something that I'm constantly trying to instill into my senior players."

Sheridan, reaching out for the chance to prove that when the mood takes him, his are special skills, might have scored twice and a subdued Brian Mooney shot recklessly over the top before the `B' team went in front, six minutes into the second half. The National League's defence was still only adjusting to the loss of John McDonnell when Dominic Foley, at the highpoint of a chequered performance, volleyed home a corner by Finnan.

Apart from a couple of incisive early runs by Gareth Farrelly, that was the only occasion on which the National League got into serious trouble. Generally, the traffic was flowing in the opposite direction, particularly after Morley, Pat, Fenlon and Tony Cousins had arrived to bring new running power, to the locally based team.

To that extent, Morley's equaliser was no more than they deserved and they might even have snatched a winner before the end when the same player was just off target with a snap shot in a crowded goalmouth.

Earlier, a cunning lob from Gain had demanded some goalline heroics of Declan Geoghegan but overall, Pat Devlin, the National League manager, was entitled to be happy with what he had seen.

"I think we got no more than we deserved out of the game," he said. "It was hard to have to tell Pat Morley that he was not in from the start but I think the decision was justified by the manner in which Tony Sheridan took his place."