National League: Derry City are expected to reveal today whether they plan to contest yesterday's decision by an FAI appeals board to order a replay of the league game between Bohemians and Shelbourne in which under-21 international Jason McGuinness played when he should have been serving a suspension.
Club officials last night declined to comment, saying they were awaiting legal advice - although it is widely expected they will challenge a ruling that could yet prove the difference between them winning the league and finishing runners-up for a second successive season.
Bohemians said they too would be taking legal advice on the ruling, although it seems unlikely they will vigorously contest a decision that effectively hands them a lucrative home game - as long as, as is expected, they get to treat the gate receipts as their own.
The league's Board of Control, meanwhile, will meet tomorrow to decide whether to push what is technically their dispute with Shelbourne to arbitration.
There was speculation last night that senior figures within the league are unhappy with the outcome of the appeal. But given arbitration could force an extension of the season beyond the November 17th date set for the last round of games, it seems unlikely the board's members will look to prolong the matter.
Shelbourne chief executive, Ollie Byrne, last night criticised the board for not convening more urgently to clarify its position.
He also said he had written to the league making it clear he believes the organisation acted in contravention of its own rules when dealing with Seán Hargan's suspension and Dublin City's resignation from the league.
The clear suggestion was that these are matters he intends to return to, particularly, one presumes, if Shelbourne end up finishing second.
His immediate priority, however, is to fit the refixed Bohemians tie into his club's championship run-in.
Monday, November 13th, looks the most obvious date, but Shelbourne are reluctant to travel to Cork tomorrow week, just three days after playing in Sligo, and then take on Bohemians twice in five days the following week.
They therefore wish to have the Sligo tie put back a week in order to bring the Bohemians game forward to next Tuesday.
Byrne played down the significance of the appeal victory last night, insisting many within Shels were disappointed the club had not been given a walkover.
"I can understand their point of view," he said, "but I've been pissed off with the way some clubs have vilified me for standing up to the league when it's been guilty of either poor leadership or contravening its own rules. And I was determined that nobody would be able to say this time that Shelbourne weren't prepared to win their games on the pitch. I'd ask Derry City to take the same approach, and hand back the points they got out of the Dublin City affair so that we could all say the league was won and lost where it should have been."
The suggestion will, perhaps, be viewed with some disdain by Derry City officials, who have already inflicted an embarrassing defeat of their own on Merrion Square's bureaucrats this season.
By this evening we should have a better idea of how confident they are that they can do the same again.
