Fans face longest night as title battle takes final turn

FOR the fans of Cork City and Shelbourne in Turner's Cross and Richmond Park this evening, it won't be a game of two halves so much as a night of two games.

Eyes on the action and ears to the radio, they will try to absorb 180 minutes of football inside the standard 90, as the Eircom League season concludes with the prospect of some Friday night fever.

Three points clear at the top, Shels need only a draw against St Pats to secure back-to-back titles. Cork City, having come spectacularly good in the run-in, need to beat Bohemians and hope that the team for so long deemed champions-elect collapse at the finishing line.

It's a mouth-watering prospect, the kind of occasion set up for roller-coaster emotions and shouts of 'hold the back page', as the league takes on the trappings of the cup for one night only.

At least, that's how those on the outside would like to see it. But for pragmatic Shelbourne boss Pat Fenlon, it's strictly business as usual.

"There's nothing different about the way we're approaching this," he says. "It's the same as usual - three points for the win - even if there is a bigger prize at the end of it. I don't have to keep the lads' feet on the ground for this.

"They're all well able to take care of themselves from that point of view. They've trained well and they all know that they've got to perform in the game to win it."

And for Fenlon that winning mentality is the key - the fact that a draw would be enough to deliver the title is not something he's inclined to dwell on.

"No, it doesn't affect my thinking," he says. "We don't go into games looking for a point, to be honest, we go into games looking to win the match. And that's what we'll try to do against Pats."

But surely he'll be keeping at least an ear tuned to proceedings in Cork? "No, I won't but I presume the supporters will probably keep us informed," he says.

"It's very tight around Richmond so we'll know either way whatever's going on down there. But it's not something I can pre-occupy my mind with. I've just got to concentrate on what my club is doing and not worry about anyone else.

"There's no-one else can influence what we're doing and I can't influence what anyone else is doing, so we'll just worry about ourselves. We know if we win, we'll win the league, and that's the way we're approaching it."

If Shels do it, it will be the crowning moment of a season already made memorable for the club by their extraordinary run in Europe. For those who were in Tolka Park on that pulsating evening, the 2-0 defeat of Hajduk Split in front of a delirious full house will forever rank as one of the great nights, not just for Shels, but for League of Ireland football.

A draw against mighty Deportivo La Coruna at Lansdowne Road was another prestigious notch on the belt and, again, when they seemed to be down and out against Lille at the same venue, a battling late comeback to force a 2-2 draw spoke volumes for their character.

But, inevitably, critics have pointed out that their Champions' League and UEFA Cup exploits eventually took a toll on Shelbourne, as a side which at one point seemed unassailable at the top of the league began to backslide just as Cork City came through with a surging run, which has seen them claim nine victories in their last 11 games.

Pat Fenlon, however, sees no downside to the Summer's European adventure.

"The run in Europe was a huge advantage to the club and benefited everyone on and off the pitch," he says.

"The players learned a lot, the club made a few bob and so no matter what happens in the league we've made huge strides. So I never saw it as a hindrance, only as a big help. People talk about us stumbling but I've always said that the league is too hard and too competitive that it's going to be won early. We were no under no illusions from the start - or even 10 weeks ago - that it was going to be very difficult to win it and we still know that," he says.

The recent scoreless draw at Tolka Park between the top two suggested at this climactic stage of the season there's little enough to separate City and Shels in footballing terms - by some distance they look comfortably the two best teams in the country.

But no matter what the Cork side do tonight, the fact remains that even with the league going right down to the wire, Shelbourne's destiny remains entirely in their own hands. In their final game - given added spice by virtue of being one of those tasty Dublin derbies - the title is still there for Shels to win or lose.

For the neutral observer, it seems the perfect way to wind things up after a long, hard campaign - two games, two cities and two teams slugging it out for the grand prize. But football management, so they keep telling us, is all about pressure, so presumably tonight will be a trial rather than a treat for Pat Fenlon.

However, he offers a refreshing perspective: "The way I look at it is I could be not managing in a couple of years. I always look at it like it might be my last chance. When I played I looked at it the same way - this may be the last game I'll ever play in.

"So I enjoyed it while it was around and it's no different when I'm managing. This could be the last game I'll coach in, so that's the way I look at it. I could be sitting just watching the game as a spectator. Instead, this is something I get paid for, and I'm working on the training pitch with players every day - so there's no way I could say I don't enjoy it."

And he'll enjoy it even more if his team delivers the right result on a night when, with the exception of the suspended Dave Rogers, Shelbourne expect to be at full strength for their final test of the season.