Shelbourne 3 Longford Town 1: Shelbourne, Jekyll and Hyde in recent weeks, may look back on these three points as being pivotal in retaining their title, which seems inevitable as they hold a seven-point lead with three games to play.
If Cork City, who have a game in hand, fail to beat Derry City on Friday night, Pat Fenlon's champions will be going for back-to-back championships when they visit Flancare Park for a return of this, at times, fractious encounter.
Longford still need points to secure their future, and with enough needle carrying over to the weekend, will be hoping to put any celebrations on ice. Searching for a first win in six league games, Longford made four changes from the side beaten 1-0 by St Patrick's Athletic on Friday night against an unchanged Shelbourne side.
An experimental 4-5-1 formation, with Alan Kirby in a free role across the middle, Dessie Baker on the right flank and Paul Keegan the target man, worked well, at least initially. Not even when they fell a goal behind to Shelbourne's first attack on 10 minutes did the visitors panic, equalising 11 minutes later.
Longford will have asked questions about the concession of the lead goal, and indeed, Shelbourne's second eight minutes before half-time.
For the opener, Longford were not tuned in as Wes Hoolahan's quick free-kick down the right to his captain Owen Heary left them exposed. Heary picked out Alan Moore whose flicked header looped over Stephen O'Brien.
A clumsy challenge by Stephen Paisley on Stuart Byrne five minutes later almost brought a second Shelbourne goal. O'Brien got down well to push away Jason Byrne's low free-kick and Sean Dillon completed the clearance.
Byrne glanced a header from a cross by Hoolahan well over the bar within a further minute as Longford struggled to regain composure.
If Longford's defending was questionable, Shelbourne's stood indicted for the equaliser on 21 minutes. Baker was given too much space 20 yards out to collect Kirby's square ball. The former Shelbourne winger drove a right-foot shot to the corner of Steve Williams' net.
Baker was marginally wide with a free-kick while then providing Dillon with a headed chance from another as Longford fought back.
A bizarre incident would change that on 37 minutes as Shelbourne regained the lead. Referee Dave McKeon blew for a somewhat mysterious infringement on the edge of the Longford area as a free-kick was about to be sent over. There was little ambiguity about David Crawley's execution as he blasted the ball to the roof of the Longford net.
It was a far tighter game in the second half, with Longford exposing Shelbourne down the right on 56 minutes with a move that deserved a second equaliser. Baker's cross was flicked on by Keegan, who suffered a cut head that led to his substitution, with Dave Rogers having to hack the ball away from Philip Keogh.
Heary then headed away an Alan Murphy cross before Jamie Harris blocked Kirby's follow-up. Heary was there again to head away a Baker shot before doing likewise, off the line this time with the help of Harris on 77 minutes.
Two minutes later Shelbourne killed the game off. Hoolahan crossed and the otherwise anonymous Moore scored his second of the night with a diving header. Rogers might have put an even more flattering face on the scoreline minutes later, but his curling shot came back off a post.
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Harris, Rogers, Crawley; Hoolahan, S Byrne (Fitzpatrick, 58 mins.), Crawford, Cahill, Moore, J Byrne.
LONGFORD TOWN: O'Brien; Murphy, Ferguson, Paisley, Dillon; Baker, Kirby, Fitzgerald, Keogh (Martin, 63 mins), Barrett (Perth, 86 mins); Keegan (Lavine, 59 mins).
Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).
