THE outstanding tie of the FAI Harp Lager Cup second round was true to its billing. Like the match, some of the defending was good and some was so porous it was of the soup strainer variety, and not all the goals were things of aesthetic beauty, but all of that contributed to the rollercoaster it was.
The holders were twice behind, played in fits and starts and rode their luck, but they got there in the end with a repeat of their first round scoreline, and even did so with some of their customary swagger.
Despite being depleted, Dundalk's performance belied their lowly league position. But that shouldn't be so surprising. Any team with Brian Byrne and a rejuvenated Joe Hanrahan on the flanks, and the sharp Joe Gallen up front, can play a bit.
Their problem is that they rarely do it two weeks running, or even more than once a month, but they were always liable to raise themselves for this reprieve from relegation dogfighting. True, they sometimes took the fighting instincts to extremes and their occasional ill discipline was grist to the set piece mill of Tony Sheridanas a disappointed John Hewitt acknowledged afterwards.
Nor did they try to play too much from the back, where the first instincts of Tom McNulty and Mick Doohan in a restructured back four were to hoof the ball skyward and forward. However, the visitors were not in Tolka Park purely on a survival mission, and when the Dundalk midfield or attack got it down they used it skillfully.
The wide men were a handful, particularly the slimline Hanrahan, and despite the composure of Mick Neville, a Shelbourne back four missing Greg Costello has not been troubled like this since they began this unbeaten run of 15 games.
Shelbourne were punished for a sluggish start after 10 minutes. An unmarked Jonathan Prizeman had ample time to cross from Robbie Devereux's quick throw, Alan Gough only punching the ball as far as Byrne inside the area. Calmly turning wide of a defender on to his left foot, he drilled his shot above the cluster of defenders on the line with some elan.
Dundalk meant business, which was the cue for Shelbourne to do the same. Their wide men, Pascal Vaudequin and Mark Rutherford were brought into play, the service to the peerless strike force of Stephen Geoghegan and Pat Morley improved, while in addition to his visionary prompting, Sheridan's work rate was phenomenal.
Sheridan shot over from an indirect free when the erratic Les Fridge picked up Hewitt's back pass, the keeper then denying Stephen Geoghegan one on one from Sheridan's through ball, before the latter's inswinging 19th minute free was touched on by Morley for Geoghegan to score with a deflected header.
Dundalk were being carved open, Morley flashing a header from Vaudequin's cross wide before the livewire Sheridan tested Fridge.
But Shelbourne relented, and back came Dundalk, Sheridan clearing off the line after Byrne had cut past Declan Geoghegan delightfully.
That would prove a portent of things to come in the 54th minute after Dundalk weathered Shelbourne's post interval pressure, this time Gallen rose between Declan Geoghegan and Flood to convert Hanrahan's corner.
Crucially, Dundalk couldn't protect the lead, Shelbourne equalising after 61 minutes. Morley picked himself up from Doohan's foul to win Sheridan's ensuing free, the ball rebounding off the near post across the line where Doohan's clearance hit a prostrate Fridge in the head and went over the line.
If that was lucky, the next goal 10 minutes later was less one for the purists, more pure Route One. Gough's long kick out bounced on the edge of the area, Morley's flick on enabling Rutherford to score with an overhead kick past a leaden footed Fridge.
The traffic was now one way. The Dundalk keeper did deny Stephen Geoghegan once more after 85 minutes but was powerless two minutes later. This was one for the purists. Sheridan played the ball in from the right and Morley's deft volleyed lay off gave Stephen Geoghegan sufficient sight of goal to score with an angled drive into the roof of the net. The best had been kept till last.
