No matching Derry's unflinching consistency

CUE then, to the last act in the Shelbourne Bohemians trilogy next Friday night, and suddenly there's a hint of desperation in the air.

True, it's still an important game but it won't equal the drama of last Friday's Shamrock Rovers Shelbourne feast, while Derry City's unflinching consistency suddenly gives both sides little room for manoeuvre. Defeat could consign either of the Dublin teams to making a premature final bow.

Derry are already odds on and by the time either of the chasing duo square up to Derry - Bohemians entertain them on March 14th - even Paddy Powers are likely to have suspended bets on Felix Healy's side. With intervening games against three of the bottom four (Home Farm/Everton at home, Dundalk away and the mercurial Shamrock Rovers at home) Derry are likely to be further clear by then.

After Friday's game, Bohemians have a far from handy home fixture against St Patrick's, before visiting Bray, while Shelbourne have to travel to Sligo and then entertain UCD.

A cursory glance across at other league tables shows Derry are setting a remarkable pace. Juventus have dropped the same number of points from three fewer games and have stretched Serie A to breaking point. Manchester United have only garnered one more point from an extra two games. Derry have won 10 and drawn three of their 13 league games since October.

They tend not to outplay sides through the sheer quality of their passing to the extent of the team of two years ago (which came within a missed penalty of the double). They have dipped their bread hungrily against the weaker sides, scoring 22 goals in six games against the bottom three but they're fit, young and as honest as the day is long.

Sheer power, and maintaining a fast, physical tempo has been a striking characteristic of their performances. Their leg and lung power has ensured that opponents always come off the pitch tired. They have won or drawn most of their games in the second half: witness the four 1-0 wins over Bohemians, Sligo, Cork and, last Saturday, Finn Harps. Even when not playing particularly well, they have eked out results such as the comeback draws at Bohemians, Shelbourne, Rovers and St Patrick's.

Felix Healy makes much of the side's youthfulness, and there's no doubt he has restructured the team along more youthful lines. Yet there remains a strong, experienced spine. Paul Curran and Gavin Dykes at the back, Peter Hutton and Paul Hegarty in the middle, and Liam Coyle up front have been around the block and know the score.

Admittedly, they've been more fortunate than their rivals with injuries - fewer suspensions are a credit to their discipline and nothing to do with luck - and with a smaller squad they've needed to be.

City have, remarkably, used only 17 starting players in the league so far, and of those Ryan Coyle has started once, Declan Devine not since the opening two games, Andy Ramage for a one month loan and, in just their last three games, new signing Declan Boyle. But Boyle's arrival provides further cover in a number of positions, and along with the versatility of Sean Hargan and Darren Kelly, ensures that the astute Healy is pretty well covered except for Peter Hutton and Liam Coyle - irreplaceable anyway.

There are a few obvious chinks for Bohemians and Shelbourne to get excited about, and similarities with St Patrick's as they entered the final third last season are striking. Eddie Gormley's injury and four successive draws in his absence did give the chasers a fleeting chance, but they held firm.

Similarly, Derry will continually keep their fingers crossed over the brilliant Liam Coyle, an ankle ligament injury compounding his well chronicled knee problems.

Healy was warming up Kevin McKeever against St Patrick's, whereupon Coyle manufactured one of his specials he then came off the bench to conjure up two gems in the Cup against Home Farm/Everton, initiated the rout against UCD and, significantly, again lasted 90 minutes against Harps.

The thing about the enigmatic Coyle is that only regular matches seem to achieve anything like a requisite fitness level. Hence, the Players' and SWAI awards which he won two seasons ago were earned more on his second half of the season than the first. If he is about to launch another vintage end of season burst of form, then the league really is done and dusted. But there's plenty of football to be played yet and some of it from Bohemians and Shelbourne.

. Newcastle winger David Ginola could be on his way to Inter Milan. France Football, yesterday published a letter from Ginola dated January 10th authorising his agent Serge Scalet to contact Inter with a view to organising "my transfer from Newcastle to Inter Milan."