With their side a goal ahead after 22 minutes, the Scottish supporters at Tolka Park last night were already celebrating. "Can you hear the Shelbourne sing," taunted the 1,500 visitors as they settled in for a comfortable night.

At that stage there seemed every reason to be in loud voice, but within minutes they were to realise that this was going to be no stroll. The next we heard from our Killie friends, they were shrieking for the referee's final whistle and then greeting it with as much relief as joy.

Shelbourne, of course, had come into the game needing a win and, despite playing just one man up front in the continued absence of Stephen Geoghegan, it was clear that they were determined to get it. Dessie Baker hurtled into action from the very first minute while Mark Rutherford, Pascal Vaudequin and Tony Sheridan all did their best to provide support.

They may have started positively enough but, after an opening 15 minutes that lacked any clear-cut chances, Shelbourne were the ones to find themselves under pressure. Kilmarnock once again showed their ability to break down either side with speed, and benefited from the willingness of midfielder Ally Mitchell to get forward in support of the lone striker, Jim McIntyre.

Still, aside from a wayward Kevin McGowne strike off a short free kick, the visitors didn't have too much to show for their greater share of the possession until the 18th minute. Then, out of a harmless looking move down the left, which had started with a throw in by Dave Bagan, the ball was nudged forward to McIntyre just wide of the box. Before the defenders had a chance to even close him down, the 25-year-old unleashed a blistering, right-footed drive that was helped on by the strong breeze before it dipped behind Alan Gough and into the net.

Cue the singing, but also the quickening of the Dubliners' game. After McIntyre had gone close again with a header, the remainder of the half belonged to the home side. They should have levelled it up on the night in the 33rd minute when Rutherford stepped inside his man neatly but misdirected his attempt to head Baker's cross into the bottom right corner.

Six minutes later Dragoje Lekovic, Kilmarnock's Yugoslavian international goalkeeper, gifted the locals the goal they seemed likely to get for themselves. The 29-year-old is probably the Scottish side's most experienced player, but his attempted short pass to central defender Ray Montgomery was terribly mis-hit and 19-year-old Baker stepped up to slot the ball home from just inside the area.

If the Scottish Premier Division outfit looked rattled then, it was nothing to their performance after the break when their defence, which had conceded 10 goals in their last two outings, looked chaotic every time Shelbourne pushed forward in search of a lead that would have forced the game into extra time.

There was no shortage of chances - Dave Campbell's low drive from the edge of the area, Pat Fenlon's rasping drive from 25 yards out that Lekovic did well to push wide and Campbell's header from the resulting corner which was cleared off the line by Davie Bagan - but none that the home side seemed capable of squeezing across the line.

Damien Richardson's men might have brought a premature end to their challenge at the other end when some defensive idiocy of their own might have cost them a goal; it was prevented only by Alan Gough's fine stop of McIntyre's shot. But that aside, it remained one-way traffic.

Kilmarnock manager Bobby Williamson maintained his side deserved to progress for their "backs to the wall" performance. But Richardson, pleased by the performance but bitterly disappointed by the result, argued that "they were on their knees in the last 10 minutes. If we had taken our chances, put away our one-on-ones, we'd have won that match and we would have deserved to."

Unfortunately for him the chances went abegging, and by the time Pat Scully's long through ball set Baker clear towards goal there a growing sense that this would just not be the national league side's night. Baker, in a precise repeat of the best chance he had two weeks ago in Rugby Park, drove his shot straight at the goalkeeper.

The game moved into a frantic closing 10 minutes as the Scots desperately clung on, although the desperation they showed under continued pressure could hardly be mistaken for superiority.

A proud display then by one of our teams, but, as a clearly relieved Williamson made obvious afterwards, that counts for precious little compared to being in the hat for the next round this morning.

Eddie Gormley, St Patricks' influential midfielder, will captain the National League team to play a Republic of Ireland XI in Eoin Hand's testimonial game at Tolka Park next Tuesday.Gormley, who had spells with Tottenham and Doncaster Rovers before returning to Dublin to align himself with St Patrick's.