It's hard to imagine that between now and the end of January we'll be treated to a more exciting conclusion to a game than the one witnessed on Friday in Inchicore where St Patrick's Athletic once again asserted their superiority over their bitter rivals Shelbourne.

Pat Dolan's side deserved their win and the place in the quarter-finals of the Carlsberg-sponsored FAI cup that goes with it, but having looked to have earned themselves an equaliser with a couple of minutes of normal time, thanks to a brave and brilliant finish by Stuart Byrne, it was hard not to feel a little sorry for Shelbourne when Paul Osam scored well into injury time.

Not too many amongst the home side's supporters were so soft-hearted about the beaten side, of course, but after all that has gone on between the two clubs over the past year that's not so surprising.

The loud claims of the locals to be the real league champions must have stung as Pat Fenlon and his side made their way out of the ground and home after a second defeat in eight days at the hands of a side that, though less expensively assembled, again looks to have the edge over their rivals.

Fenlon was upset afterwards with some of he refereeing decisions made by Alan Kelly, but given their recent scoring record - even without a couple of their established strikers - a more genuine source of disappointment for the new manager must have been the surprising inability of his side to pose a real threat to Seamus Kelly's goal over the course of what developed into an open and exciting game.

By the end, in fact, it was about the best case made so far anywhere for a league format that ensures these two will meet no fewer that three more times over the months ahead.

What happened afterwards, though, was a grim reminder of just how badly clubs can squander the opportunity presented by big matches like this one to win over the game's critics. The trouble started during the game when a considerable number of the home side's supporters in the main stand began taunting Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne about the fact that Shelbourne were a goal behind.

When his side finally equalised Byrne reacted in kind and some of the sponsors and guests of the Inchicore club that were also present in the directors box must have been astonished to witness a director and leading official of one of the country's leading clubs behaving in the way he did.

St Patrick's weren't entirely blameless when Byrne again lost his temper at the end of the game. Around a hundred fans were allowed to gather on the pitch in front of the centre of the stand - others rushed to the end from which Shelbourne fans were leaving - from where they chanted and hurled abuse at a man they have long loved to hate. Predictably, they got just the sort of reaction they wanted.

During all of this, stewards stood by within a few feet making no attempt to clear the pitch or to prevent supporters joining those already on it. Up in the directors' box, meanwhile, Byrne, who had been spoken to by a Garda regarding his behaviour during the game, was again the focus of attention and his eventual departure was marked by a considerable commotion.

His behaviour, of course, is entirely unacceptable in a league with enough of an image problem without senior club officials rising to the bait dangled in front of them by the disgruntled supporters of rival clubs.

The fans hardly covered themselves or their club in glory either, though, by first goading Byrne into action and then reacting in mock horror and calling en masse for his expulsion from the ground when he finally reacted in just the way that they had hoped he would.

A worse example of this sort of thing was witnessed a few weeks ago in Tolka Park where a small number of Shamrock Rovers supporters began to hurl first insults and then missiles at the Dundalk goalkeeper John Connolly during a second round cup replay. During the fracas that followed at least two of the spectators hit stewards who attempted to intervene but afterwards Connolly was reported to the gardai for throwing a bar of chocolate back into the crowd.

Obviously neither incident is all that serious and happily the game here has never had a real problem with violence at grounds, even if there have been a few minor difficulties down the years.

Before we start drawing lessons from the way in which the Scandinavian clubs have improved on the pitch, though, we should take a look at what has happened off it. In the past 10 years average crowds at Swedish first division games doubled to over 10,000. The improvement is almost universally credited to the success of clubs in winning back parents who had been frightened to bring their children to games during the eighties.

With generations of children here being raised on televised games that provide no atmosphere at all, the live experience has to be a major selling point for the Eircom League if it really is to embrace a wider audience. Friday night was a reminder, though, that while the game here can produce the sort of entertainment value required to make a lasting impression on the fans of the future it has an unfortunate habit for selling itself short.