Shamrock Rovers ... 0 Shelbourne ... 1: Even Shelbourne supporters concede their Christmas wish list for a Bohemians slip-up makes for far-fetched reading but at Richmond Park yesterday Pat Fenlon's side pretty much wrapped up second place in the title race and with it the place in the UEFA Cup that has, on more than one occasion recently, presented more profitable opportunities than the earliest stages of the Champions League. Emmet Malone reports from Richmond Park.
They did so by killing off the challenge of a Shamrock Rovers side that had much the better of the first half of an entertaining game but who lost most of their sparkle after falling behind to a Mark Roberts goal early in the second half.
The outcome was slightly harsh on the home team for through the opening spell it was the swift movement of players like Stephen Grant, Trevor Molloy and particularly, Shane Robinson that generated most of the excitement.
Had Kevin Hunt, the subject of talks between Rovers and Dunfermline and watched yesterday by Hearts, Kilmarnock and Sheffield United, enjoyed one of his better games his team might have taken something from the match but sadly for Liam Buckley the opposition's goal area was where things didn't quite gel for his team.
For all their possession and the impressive way they sought to take the game to their opponents there were relatively few notable chances on goal, only one of which actually forced Steve Williams into making a decent save.
Shelbourne looked second best for the opening period but should, as Fenlon pointed out afterwards, have had a couple of goals. With Stephen Geoghegan rested because of a lingering knee injury, however, there was no one to provide the required finish.
After Jim Crawford had passed up a free header from six yards out early on and Wes Hoolahan had somehow lifted the ball over an empty goal from a similar distance, Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd kept the sides level going into the break with a superb stop when Roberts hit the target in the 45th minute.
The tendency of the Rovers defence to lose their men on occasion might have been partly down to the fact that with Buckley having fallen out with Pat Scully and apparently unwilling to bring back Stephen McGuinness, Richie Byrne was again partnering Terry Palmer in central defence while, far more implausibly, James Keddy was at left back. Palmer was, once again, outstanding but Richie Baker and the right flank became a reliable route forward for the visitors.
After the goal, which came on 57 minutes from a quick Owen Heary throw, a low Baker cross and fairly straightforward tap-in for Roberts, they looked far more comfortable with Stuart Byrne and Jim Crawford gaining control in central midfield.
Hunt almost scored what would have been an important goal for both him and the team seven minutes from time when he controlled a high ball into the box well but couldn't steer his shot past Williams. The rebound fell his way but not especially kindly and so the follow-up flew wide of the target.
By then, however, Rovers were having to live a little dangerously at the back themselves and either Hoolahan or Paul Beavers might have doubled Shelbourne's lead in the closing stages.
"It seems like we've had to win the last eight or nine games now," observed Fenlon afterwards, "and we have done most of the time. All we can do now is keep going until it's mathematically impossible to catch Bohemians."
Thanks to this win that won't be for another couple of weeks at least. What doesn't change, though, is that this title race still appears to come down to a question of "when" rather than "if".
SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Gough, Palmer, Byrne, Keddy (Fitzpatrick, 85 mins); Robinson, Dimech (Colwell, 69 mins), Caffrey (Costello, 69 mins), S Grant; Molloy, Hunt.
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Doherty, Gannon, Crawley; R Baker, Crawford, S Byrne, Cahill (Nesovic, 76 mins); Hoolahan, Roberts (Beavers, 92 mins).
Referee: A Kelly (Cork).
