SOCCER/Shamrock Rovers 1 Bohemians 0:HAVING SETTLED nicely into their new home over the last few months, Shamrock Rovers fans found voice in some style in Tallaght last night. For the best part of a game that will mainly be remembered for the high drama of its last 10 minutes, they taunted their fierce cross city rivals with chants about their club's achievements in years gone by.

As the disconsolate Bohemians players left the pitch at the final whistle, though, the tense had shifted and the locals were raising the roof with a confident chorus regarding the destination of this year’s title.

Pádraig Amond’s goal 10 minutes from time, and just three after he had come on for Stephen Bradley, invigorated what had been a poor enough contest. But the night’s real excitement came as Bohemians fought desperately during the closing minutes to avoid defeat.

Glen Crowe went down under a clumsy challenge from Pat Sullivan and Alan Kelly quickly pointed to the spot. The bulk of the 6,000 spectators bit their lips, hid behind their hands as Jason Byrne stepped up to take the penalty, then exploded as one in joy as the striker powered the ball what seemed a mile over the crossbar.

The win sends the southsiders two points clear of their title rivals with six games to go. The situation would strike most reasonable neutrals as still a little too close to call but at the final whistle it was clear from the singing the locals reckon after many years of wandering and sundry tribulations, they will be soon be celebrating a first league title in 15 years.

It was quite a way for them to end the night but Rovers had also made just about the brighter start even if neither side was impressive over the first quarter of an hour or so. A combination of misplaced passes and poor touches ensured possession changed hands with a frustrating regularity and nobody seemed to be able to exert any real control on the contest.

The hosts edged the early exchanges, though, even if they seemed a little too happy at times to lift the ball high in the general direction of their opposition’s box.

To be fair, the approach nearly paid off for them 17 minutes in when Sullivan volleyed a Brian Murphy kick out back down field for Gary Twigg, who got in behind the Bohemians central defence only to miss the target after gently lofting the ball over the stranded goalkeeper.

It was, as it turned out, the best chance of the half by some distance. The closest the visitors came to matching it was when Gary Cronin looked to release Byrne down the left side of the box but the striker’s first touch was uncharacteristically poor and the delight of the Rovers fans was clear as the ball ran away from him and out of play.

The bulk of the game, meanwhile, consisted of a midfield battle which the home side’s central partnership of Shane Robinson and Stephen Rice initially had the better of.

Without the suspended Killian Brennan, Bohemians lacked any real creativity out wide and Joseph Ndo made little or no contribution of note prior to a floated corner just over an hour in which Ken Oman, having been allowed a free header, should at least have turned towards the goal.

By then, things were going a little better for Pat Fenlon’s men who had come close to taking the lead shortly before. Paul Keegan and Cronin had linked up well 30 yards out before the latter sent Byrne scampering away down the right. The striker then fired the ball low across the face of the goal but with a little too much power on it for Ndo who arrived too late.

The chance marked an improvement generally in what had been a fairly frantic game up until then. Paddy Madden looked impressive up front for the champions, holding the ball up well, looking to bring others into play and even producing a couple of half chances around goal.

But as things opened up there were chances for the locals as well with a Craig Sives shot towards the bottom corner, which forced a decent stop by Murphy, the best of them before the goal. That came courtesy of a Seán O’Connor free won by Amond which the striker then drove home off Brian Shelley from a tight angle at the far post after he and Rice had both gone for the ball without serious interference from a defender.

Bohemians suddenly cranked up through the gears and should have been able to save themselves with the penalty but Byrne blasted over and the only disappointment for O’Neill was the dismissal of Sullivan who had been booked for protesting Pat Kelly’s decision to award a spot kick in the first place and then picked up his second yellow for shaking his fist in the referee’s face as he celebrated the miss.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan, Sives, Price, Cahill; Bradley (Amond, 77 mins), Rice, Robinson, Chisholm (O’Connor, 56 mins); Barrett, Twigg (Kavanagh, 62 mins).

BOHEMIANS: Murphy; Heary, Shelley, Oman, Powell (Fenn, 88 mins); Rossiter (Crowe, 66, Cronin, Keegan, Ndo; Madden, Byrne.

Referee: A Kelly (Cork).