National League Column: Clive Delaney's decision to join St Patrick's Athletic rather than effectively become a full-time professional at Shelbourne throws up an interesting debate on just how thin the dividing line between part-time and full-time professionalism can become as the National League clubs continue to try to get it right.

The disheartening results in Europe this season - in particular the defeats to Slovenian and Cypriot opposition suffered by Shelbourne and Derry City respectively - were a reality check, highlighting again how far we are behind even nations of smaller population size.

Professionalism, and full-time at that, was seen as the cure to the domestic game's ills. Players would be fitter and concentrating only on football and tangible improvements would soon be seen, with better results in Europe the benchmark. Whether it's just a little slower in working than we would have wished for clubs like Shelbourne and Bohemians who have gone full-time remains to be seen. But, even with the advent of summer soccer, improved results in Europe have not yet materialised as was forecast.

Shelbourne and central defender Delaney, who gave up on his search to extend his short career as a full-time professional in England to return home and finish his accountancy training, had agreed terms. But when Delaney's employers refused permission for him to train four mornings a week, as Shelbourne do, the deal collapsed.

Under their astute manager, Eamonn Collins, St Patrick's have cut their squad almost in half and essentially adopted a part-time, training two mornings a week and on two evenings and on Sunday morning. A regime more conducive to players who are in employment outside football.

Judging by the success Collins's rebuilt team has had this season, it's a formula - foisted upon St Patrick's financially - that has worked. The League Cup is in the trophy cabinet at Richmond Park, first division Kildare County stand in their way of an FAI Cup semi-final while four wins in succession sees them second in the Premier Division.

"I played in Denmark and Norway and I looked at their way of doing things and thought it very interesting," said Collins. "Their players were still working full-time. They are able to do that by the club going to the player's employers and getting permission for them to train early in the morning, go back to work at 12 o'clock and make up the hours in the evening."

St Patrick's have six full-time players, but the rest have jobs outside football and train under Collins' Scandinavian concept.

"I got together with our chairman Andy O'Callaghan and that's what we did with the likes of Colm Foley, Darragh Maguire, Paul Osam, Paul Donnelly, Barry Prenderville and others," said Collins. "We thought it was a good way to get them training in the morning, which is better for them physically because they are fresher rather than train after a day's work, and the lads can keep their jobs and we don't have to pay extortionate wages. That's the model we've looked at and it's worked very well for us.

"Certainly what Shels and Bohs have is the best way for it," said Collins. "We're not ready to take that step yet. I don't know whether the league could sustain 10 full-time professional teams financially. The system we have now is far better than the old one when players rushed to training from work without having eaten properly and then not getting home until 10 o'clock at night."

Collins is quick to point out the league is going the right way, but it will take time: "The league has massively improved since I came back in 1994. The clubs are more professional and so are the players."

For the moment, getting the part-time/full-time mix right appears to be the trick. St Patrick's Athletic are testament to that.

In a column by Emmet Malone on July 8th it was reported that Fairview Rangers declined to postpone a local cup match which was scheduled for the same night as a Limerick Eircom League game. Fairview officials point out they had been in favour of putting back the game and that the decision that it go ahead was taken by the Limerick and District management committee.