AN academic end of season match it may have been, but it was endemic of Shelbourne's all too typically limp finale to their league campaign. For the fifth year running they have failed to finish in the top two, tossing away second place and barely holding on to third after taking two points from their final five games. Down Tolka Park way, it seems, some things never change.
All has changed, changed utterly in Dundalk, but at least this victory will have given them a timely fillip before next Thursday's navigation into unchartered waters in the first leg of the promotion/relegation play off at home to Waterford. Despite rumblings of unpaid wages and discontent within the club they showed a willingness for the fray which delighted manager Eddie May.
"The important thing was the performance. Today everything was lifted. It will get everything buzzing again and if we play like that against Waterford we should have no problems."
It may be no coincidence that next Sunday Shelbourne will be participating in their fourth FAI Cup final over these last five years in which they have under achieved in the league. Had they beaten Derry five games ago to keep the title alive, it's hard to believe Shelbourne would have taken just one point from four games against the bottom quartet.
Describing the performance as an insult to the supporters, the club and to the Shelbourne shirt," manager Damien Richardson said: "They (the players) were dishonest. I can't accept that. Die hard Shelbourne fans (about 1,000 of them) paid their money and they didn't get what they deserved. The performance annoyed me more, than anything else as a manager.
To compound Richardson" woes, Pat Morley lasted only 45 minutes after a midweek injection into his troublesome right knee making him very doubtful for next week's final. Against that, Brian Flood did come through the full 90 minutes in typically robust competitive manner to give Richardson another option for next week. He has plenty of them probably more than he wants.
May too, has his posers, for in the absence of the suspended Stephen Napier and Peter Withnell, he was obliged to push right winger Raymond Campbell up front alongside Joe Gallen with Brian Byrne playing in behind the front two in a 4-3-1-2 formation. The ensuing reshuffle gave Dundalk their first win in seven matches.
What's more, aside from giving their front line more mobility, Campbell also turned match winner with only his second goal of the season after 23 minutes. When an out of touch Stephen Geoghegan was dispossessed on half way, Byrne fed Campbell who cut inside and drilled a vicious, swerving 25 yard drive past Alan Gough.
In incessant rain, Shelbourne created little despite some clever promptings from Tony Sheridan and were occasionally vulnerable to Dundalk's late runs from mid field. However, after 37 minutes they came alive, Sheridan and Brian Flood skillfully releasing the wide men in turn for Mark Rutherford and Pascal Vaudequin (twice) to pepper the Dundalk area three times in quick succession - Stephen Geoghegan flicking the last chance just wide.
Reverting to 4-5-1, Shelbourne were an altogether more motivated force after the resumption. Geoghegan hit the upright with a 47th minute overhead kick from the first of five corners.
Dundalk threatened occasionally, Robbie Devereux testing Gough with a direct free before Shelbourne laid siege once more; Vaudequin and Rutherford each missing the target with chances which were the result of pure sleeves rolled up pressure. But, in Richardson's eyes in any case, it really was too little too late.
