Shelbourne 2St Patrick's Athletic 0If Shelbourne do go on and capitalise on the eight-point lead they enjoy this morning at the top of the eircom Premier League they're likely to look back on September as the month when they fastened their grip on the coveted championship.

This, a surprisingly comfortable and impressively good-natured victory over their bitter rivals of recent years, was their fifth of the month so far. A sixth on Monday, when they visit Dalymount Park, and they will certainly take some catching.

By half-time last night the home side must have felt the points were already theirs with Jason Byrne having given them a deserved lead after 22 minutes and then played a key part as the advantage was doubled three minutes before the break.

The former Bray striker's return to form has been critical to his side's rediscovered ability to take full points from games that, for some time, they were too often drawing.

Last night's opener was Byrne's eighth in seven games and maintained a sequence of at least a goal a game in the league that stretches back to early July.

None will have come much easier than this one, with Gerard Rowe's flicked pass into the box not appearing to pose much danger until the difference in pace between the striker and his marker, Barry Prenderville, was suddenly revealed.

Having poked that first effort into the bottom right corner, Byrne received a little help for the second with Darragh Maguire attempting to block what turned out to be a rather tame crack at Dave Rogers only to turn it between Chris Adamson and the goalkeeper's left-hand post.

The two-goal margin might have flattered Pat Fenlon's side slightly at that point but the fact that they led at the break certainly did not.

In midfield they were clearly superior with Stuart Byrne and Jim Crawford consistently getting the better of their rivals in the centre and repeatedly providing their wide men with opportunities to get behind the St Patrick's defence.

Jason Byrne, in fact, should have taken his tally for the season to 15 as early as the quarter-hour mark when Ollie Cahill got down the left well and swung in a cross to beyond the far post from where the striker really should have done a good deal better.

Beside him Rowe also performed strongly and the pair gave the generally capable St Patrick's defence a night that they will surely prefer to forget.

At the other end, the visitors had very little to shout about with Tony Bird drawing one decent stop from Steve Williams with a glancing header and Gary McPhee forcing him into action a couple times more with shots that were easily pushed away.

Not until well into the second period was Williams finally beaten, by Keith Foy, and this time former St Patrick's player Jamie Harris was on hand to clear the left back's powerful low volley off the line.

Byrne twice went close to finding the target again and looked as though he could barely believe it when his close-range effort 15 minutes from time came back off the right-hand angle.

It made no difference, though, the points were already comfortably in the bag and the news from Waterford at the end that Bohemians had been beaten widened the smiles on the home side's supporters as they made for home.

SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Harris, T McCarthy, Rogers; Hoolahan, S Byrne, Crawford (Morgan, 78 mins), Cahill; J Byrne, Rowe (G McCarthy, 83 mins).

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Adamson; Quigley, Prenderville, Maguire, El Khebir (Foy, half-time); Dunne (Byrne, half-time), Fahey, Osam, Mbabazi (Freeman, 73 mins); McPhee, Bird.

Referee: A Kelly (Cork).