After a couple of grim lessons from Cork City on what it's going to take if they are to become genuine title contenders, Shamrock Rovers got just the tonic they needed last night. Beating their old rivals Shelbourne could rarely have counted for more. The cloud of dust thrown up by the two leading clubs must be looking faint to Mick Byrne's side at the moment, but lifting themselves, as they did last night, to win an outstanding game will restore some of the confidence lost over the course of two grueling defeats by the southerners.

Good as the game was overall, though, it never really lived up to the promise of the first 20 minutes. Shelbourne hit the ground running and produced three clearcut chances before some people in the stand had even finished marking the teams down in their programmes.

Dermot Keely's side could have ended the game in that opening spell, but Tony O'Dowd made a fine stop, Dave Campbell's shot came crashing down off the underside of the bar before spinning harmlessly away and Stephen Geoghegan shot wide of the target after Tony Sheridan had sent him clean through inside the box.

Then, suddenly, they were behind. Rovers won four corners in quick succession and having lived dangerously through the first three, the Shelbourne defence lost their grip on things completely on the last. Marc Kenny's ball from the left really shouldn't have been too much of a problem, but this time there was no man on the near post and while Jason Sherlock seemed to be reversing into Alan Gough before making contact, the striker had only to direct the ball away from the 'keeper in order to be sure of scoring.

Two minutes later, the Shelbourne back four were caught again. And again the trouble from a dead ball set-piece, Gough this time making a terrible mess of Kenny's free, Paul Whelan turning the ball across the face of the goal and Dave Campbell, more conscious of the striker on his shoulder than the exact location of his own goal, blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

Within a couple of minutes Shelbourne were back in it, Dessie Baker scoring with a diving header after Sheridan had persevered admirably to get his cross in. Only now, with the visiting side still under the greater pressure to get forward, did the game start to settle into anything approaching as mundane as a pattern.

Last year's runners-up have been looking like also rans so far this season and so there little need for any added motivation.

The goals had been a setback, but through the rest of the half and most of the second they looked like a team who felt they could still win the game if they got their share of luck with the chances.

Sheridan was certainly showing the sort of form that wins games, while Baker was the best of a midfield unit that repeatedly caused their opponents problems by whipping the ball forward at tremendous speed.

Rovers, though, had a couple of things going for them too, not least Gino Brazil's coolness in the centre of defence and the lingering threat of Tony Cousins who, more than once, looked a little unlucky to get hauled back for offside.

Throughout the second half either side could have added to their score. Kenny went closest for Rovers when his curling shot beat Gough but came back of the inside of the post, Tony McCarthy sidefooting just wide for Shelbourne when Neil Trebble, pushed out wide on the left to accommodate Sheridan up front, had picked him out well.

Late on Stephen Geoghegan felt he should have had a penalty and Mark O'Neill clearly felt the striker should have been cautioned for going down.

Shamrock Rovers: O'Dowd; Britton, Brazil, Whelan, Dunne; Kenny, Colwell, Tracey, Morrisroe; Sherlock, Cousins. Subs: O'Neill for Morrisroe (40 mins), Woods for Kenny (75 mins).

Shelbourne: Gough; Heery, Scully, McCarthy, D Geoghegan; D Baker, Fenlon, Campbell, Trebble; S Geoghegan, Sheridan. Subs: Doyle for Campbell (65 mins).

Referee: J Feighery (Dublin).