Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time

Quoting Van Morrison, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: "wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time..."

That concluding line from ‘Coney Island’, the Belfast Cowboy’s rapturous meditation on a perfect day, pretty much summed up the collective mood at Oriel Park last Friday night, as the turnstiles whirred, the stands filled up, the flares blazed and the noise levels skyrocketed in the breathless minutes leading up to kick-off in the title decider between Dundalk and Cork City.

For hardcore League of Ireland devotees — not least in Dundalk itself — who’ve had to endure more days of famine than feast, here was the longed-for, authentic big match atmosphere, the kind of spine-tingling occasion which, especially for any young first-timers present, you’d like to think would have them hooked for life.