Urgent need for level playing field

SO THE title trophy is in Derry's safe keeping, and the relegation issue has long since been resolved, as has Kilkenny's historic First Division win.

All that has to be resolved in the final week of the league campaign is the Drogheda Waterford battle for the second promotion spot and the consolation prize of the play off against Dundalk as well as the matter of the UEFA Cup and InterToto Cup places.

Bohemians are best placed, ahead of Cork and, in turn, St Pat's, in this mini-league within a league. Bohemians could secure their UEFA Cup passage regardless of Cork's result in Derry tonight by beating Shamrock Rovers on Thursday. Thus, the only issue that might still have to be resolved come Sunday's final round of matches will centre on the games involving Drogheda (at home to Galway) and Waterford (at home to Monaghan) with literally a goal between them.

It could be a fairly anti-climactic finale then, as we have been spoilt in recent years. The title has been decided on either the last or penultimate games in each of the last four years.

Nevertheless, the Premier Division programme could be utterly academic, further calling into question the dictate from National League chiefs that the final round of games kick off simultaneously next Sunday afternoon. Funny how it changes, but the once traditional day for National League games throughout the country until the 90s has given way to Friday and Saturday nights.

Turlough O'Connor has stressed, his, and by extension, Bohemians preference for the UEFA Cup place. He and they know what they're talking about, having competed in both competitions over the last two seasons. Certainly, the early start for the InterToto participants prolongs their season to a ridiculous degree, effectively meaning they return to training in June.

Alas, due to the break up of the old Eastern Bloc and the carve up among Europe's elite, this concern for National League clubs has been exacerbated by increasingly early preliminary round ties in all three main European competitions.

It is thus interesting to note that Derry City are the eighth successive National League champions not to have taken part beforehand in any of the European competitions that same season. By contrast, three of their main challengers Bohemians, Shelbourne and St Patrick's all were. It may partially explain why no champions have retained the title since Shamrock Rovers in 1987.

Going through the records, this is a strikingly familiar theme ever since Derry themselves overcame a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Cardiff in the Cup Winners' Cup prior to winning the treble in the 1988-89 season. Perhaps significantly, those ties were played in September and October, after they already had five competitive domestic games. It mightn't have done much for their European performances, but it clearly didn't affect the bread and butter stuff.

Indeed, given the National League's European qualifiers haven't always had the best of results in recent times, it suggests that they are falling between a rock and a hard place. All of this reinforces the view that if we are ever to take our participation in European club football seriously, then the structure of the domestic season has to be changed either with a summer season, an earlier start incorporating a mid-winter break, or perhaps even Brian Kerr's idea of a later end with the European representatives remaining in training (the latter proposal runs the risk of conflicting with UEFA's entry deadlines for all competitions).

In any event, something has to be done if there is to be a level playing field for all. And now is the time to do it. The clubs could start doing it for themselves too. Take Shelbourne, who are entering European competition for the fourth time in five years next season, yet haven't won the National league for five years now. At the very least, they'll have to strike a better balance between lucrative (or not so lucrative) early season friendlies and competitive games.

The long season can also take its toll in the form of injuries. Felix Healy is right to an extent, in arguing that his team have not been that lucky with injuries and that they have covered this due to the versatility of a smaller squad.

But, whereas they have used 17 players in their starting line ups for the league, Bohemians have employed 21 and Shelbourne 19. Also the other two clubs have had long term injuries to several key players.

Could all of this be in any way related?

. Richard O'Hanlon from Waterford has been chosen to referee his first FAI Harp Lager Cup final when the holders Shelboume meet the league champions Derry City at Dalymount Park on Sunday week, May 4th. The assistants will be Paul Mooney (Waterford) and David McKeon (Dublin), with Aidan O'Regan (Cork) as the fourth official.