SHELBOURNE and Shamrock Rovers will welcome the opportunity to prove that the first FAI Cup meeting in 12 years of time-honoured rivals deserves a better setting than the RDS provided yesterday.

The bleak surroundings, with one side of the enclosure closed to spectators because of a stand redevelopment project, served as a fitting backdrop to a treacherous pitch which was waterlogged in places.

Given that it had been drenched for much of the last three days, that was scarcely unexpected. Indeed, the great surprise for many people was that it was declared playable after an 11 o'clock inspection.

Shelbourne claimed later that the state of the playing surface was responsible in part for two of, their players, Stephen Geoghegan and Henry McKop, sustaining ankle injuries which make them doubtful for tomorrow evening's replay at Tolka Park.

Rovers were more fortunate - or perhaps more nimble - in escaping serious injury trouble, but no less than the opposition, they were glad to escape to the relative warmth of the dressing-room with their Cup hopes intact, at least temporarily.

There were a couple of nervewracking moments, notably in the 40th minute, when it seemed as if they might not be so fortunate. The width of a crossbar separated their season from total ruin after Greg Costello curled a 20-yard free-kick against the woodwork, with the resourceful Alan O'Neill for once in trouble.

They rode their luck well on that occasion, but in fairness to Ray Treacy's beleaguered team, they recovered well from the punishment of a bad spell approaching half-time to trade at parity in the second half.

The fact remains, however, that they have now lost four and drawn one in a depressing five-game sequence, and one of Treacy's bigger challenges tomorrow evening will be to convince his players that they are still capable of getting it right.

The other problem awaiting both managers is how, after this classic exercise in commitment, to get the sap flowing again in tired legs. On the face of it, an interval of just 48 hours scarcely seems long enough to reactivate the energy cells of part-time players, and the point was not lost on Richardson.

"This arrangement simply doesn't give players the chance to recover, he said. "Even in the full-time professional game in England players are given a reasonable respite between games, but not it seems here. When you add in our championship fixture against Athlone Town next Friday, it means that we will have played three games in five days - and that's far too much for part-time professionals."

Whatever their preferences before they got to the ground, survival was the top priority for both managers after they had looked at the pitch and it showed in their respective formations.

Shelbourne pitched their game plan, yet again, on a 4-5-1 formation, which on the day simply wasn't fluid enough to produce the desired result. Paramount to its successful implementation was the need for Costello or Gary Howlett to get forward to support the forlorn figure of Stephen Geoghegan, but, too often, he was required to take on the central defenders unaided.

Tony Sheridan, breaking down the right, improved on a muted first-half display, but by that stage Geoghegan had departed the scene, depriving the visitors of the one player who looked capable of ending the deadlock.

With Terry Eviston nominated to give added running power to the side, Rovers were marginally more enterprising in the deployment of their resources, without ever exerting sufficient pressure on Mick Neville and his partners, McKop and Ray Duffy, at the centre of Shelbourne's defence.

John Toal, as tireless as the drizzle, worked hard to complement new arrival Rod de Khors in central midfield, but Derek Tracey and Derek McGrath, both potential match-winners, were largely disappointing.

No less than Geoghegan at the other end, Padraig Dully often. seemed no more than a distant speck as his defensive colleagues sought him out with the long ball and apart from one mis-timed header, which Howlett cleared without undue trouble, the tall. man never threatened to turn the day sour for his old clubmates.

Karl Gannon had a couple of good first-half attempts, notably a strongly driven shot from 25 yards which extracted a good save from Alan Gough, but generally the home team's finish again lacked sharpness.

David Tilson, delivering only rarely on his reputation, missed a feasible chance for Shelbourne in the first half and after Costello had tested the timber, Stephen Geoghegan might well have won for Shelbourne approaching the interval with a rising shot which O'Neill, at full stretch, did well to touch over.