No logic to these crazy days of December

THESE crazy days of December? Suddenly teams are banging in four or five goals here, there and everywhere, culminating in the weekend's seasonal high of 28 goals in six Premier Division games, and 48 goals in 11 FAI National League ties. Of course, amid some surprising carnage, there's little or no logic to it whatsoever.

Alas, sod's law rules. Friday's EU summit will mean an inevitable drop in crowds on a congested Sunday, the second last for shopping before Christmas. Plough on though we will, and while Felix Healy may maintain that league's are not won in December, these things are relevant.

After all, St Patrick's responded to a 5-1 defeat at Derry exactly a year ago by sneaking away almost unnoticed over December. Four successive wins opened, up a crucial five point lead by the turn of the year and was a launching pad for a 25 game unbeaten run which took them to the brink of a double.

Hence, Turlough O'Connor and his experienced team will not be slashing their wrists just yet in light of Friday's stunning defeat in Inchicore, even if their jittery fans might be. Once off hammerings can be cathartic experiences for prospective champions, witness in the last five years alone, Shamrock Rovers' 5-2 home defeat to Galway, Cork's 6-2 defeat at Shelbourne, the latter's 5-0 home defeat to Derry and Dundalk's 5-1 loss to Shelbourne on the opening day of the 1991-92, all en route to the title.

So it might be that Bray Wanderers' unluckiest break yet in a cruelly unfortunate season thus far will be to run into an angry Bohemians next Sunday. Yet amid the sudden flurry of goals the beginnings of a pattern are starting to emerge. The most striking of these has seen Bohemians come back to the pack, having taken nine points from their last seven games after a start of 19 from their first seven Maurice O'Driscoll's injury perhaps taking it's toll.

The net result is that St Patrick's are back in the hunt and probably over their stickiest spell of the campaign. Ten goals in four games without Eddie Gormley will also have eradicated any psychological dependency on the talismanic player.

Cork too, have moved onto the fringes. Dave Barry's emerging youngsters, centre half Noel Hartigan looking the pick of a talented crop, have a freshness and a freedom about them. But as Barry himself admits, the pressure will truly start to come on them in the New Year.

Derry and Shelbourne are both looking particularly dangerous, the former having the added bonus of sizeable local support to augment the rollercoaster effect.

Against that, Shelbourne have arguably greater strength in depth, and of late again look the classiest around. Tough December programmes will test their resurgences, Derry having Shamrock Rovers (a), Bohemians (h) and Sligo (a) and Shelbourne having UCD (a), Cork (h), Finn Harps (a) followed by St Patrick's (a) on January 3rd.

Five away wins already may underline how much Finn Harps are taking unsuspecting hosts by surprise. The post promotion bandwagon effect, a la Sligo two seasons ago, may similarly sustain them longer than some expect.

Sligo's alarming loss of form could accentuate Jimmy Mullen's need to remould the side in his making, but they'll hardly be sucked into the relegation play off issue. UCD, two points out of a possible 15 since the fixtures toughened, and an erratic, unconvincing Shamrock Rovers had better be careful though.

Dundalk's defeat gives the stranded Home Farm/Everton and Bray marginal hope of the play off, recalling Athlone's recovery last season.

The biggest surprise in an interesting promotion chase is Galway's rash of early defeats. Drogheda and Athlone, promoted thrice and twice before, know this route well. Longford, one of the stories of the season, will do well to hang in but Alfie Hale has more or less re assembled the nucleus of his Waterford Premier Division side at Kilkenny, and they could do so.