Shelbourne stylists capture Cup again

FOR SHELBOURNE, a game they had to win. For Derry, a game too far. Goals in the final 11 minutes by Davey Campbell and, quiet surprise, Stephen Geoghegan earned this Shelbourne team their little place in history - only the third club to retain the FAI Harp Lager Cup.

They deserved it too, raising their game after a tight, tense, scoreless opening half in yesterday's final at Dalymount Park to largely dominate the second half. Derry, the champions, had travelled a long old road and just didn't have any fuel left in the tank.

But league form, as ever, counted for nothing and Shelbourne's recent flatness underlined the old maxim about form being temporary and class being permanent. This is the club's third Cup win in five years since winning the league title in 1992.

They have a certain style about them as well; the big name signings, the big occasion players, and playing the game with a certain flair. Has there been a more exciting and bold signing in recent years than Tony Sheridan? They are probably the most talked about club and team around in the domestic game. They are also probably the most admired and the most envied at the same time.

Shelbourne have set high standards for themselves this decade, and by extension for everyone else in some respects. And so it's good that they have something to show for a season in which their football enriched many a wintery Friday night or shivery Sunday afternoon.

However, retaining the Cup is not enough for manager Damien Richardson, who would like the club to rid itself of this curious contradiction between their Cup and League form. "There's no doubt Shelbourne have had a problem in this regard for some time. As long as I've known Shelbourne they've always had exciting players, but one league championship in 32 years suggests that's something to do with the whole of Shelbourne Football Club," he said.

"It's something we have to look at in the next few weeks. We have to harden Shelbourne Football Club."

Aware that they had let themselves and their supporters down in the league, especially in slipping back to third place over recent weeks, Richardson added: "It's only natural that we had something to prove today to ourselves but also to our own supporters. I know that sounds corny but it was very important for me that we won the Cup for the supporters this afternoon."

The Shelbourne fans were predictably outnumbered by the near 10,000 Red Army invasion from Foyleside, though a good 5,000 supporters of the Tolka club helped swell the attendance to around the 15,000 mark.

Both sets of players wore black armbands as a mark of respect for the recently deceased Conor O'Dowd, 18 year old brother of regular Derry goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd, who watched the game from VIP box. A minute's silence was observed before the kick off, which was briefly interrupted by warm applause when the teams linked hands in the centre circle.

It was a very poignant, moving moment. It set the tone for a sporting if non vintage contest. Casual TV viewers especially might still be wondering what all the fuss is about when it comes to these Shelbourne stylists. But they've played better and not won, and ultimately they were too good to win nothing.