Anyone with any lingering doubts about the esteem in which our elected public representatives seem to hold the National League and its clubs must be happy that they've at least gone a long way towards having them answered by events at South Dublin County Council over the past week.

The decision by councillors, a good number of them new to the dizzying effects of power at this level, at their last meeting, to defer a crucial vote on the proposed move by Shamrock Rovers to the area was nothing short of astonishing.

The granting of the licence for a car park that would enable Rovers to finally get started on its new ground had been seen as little more than a formality and its delay has called into question the very future of the club.

No-one at Rovers wanted to say too much about the issue over the last few days, for the vote, they hope, will now take place next month. However, their exasperation at this latest delay is obvious.

Everyone connected with the club, and quite a few who have departed the organisation since the project was first proposed, has put a great deal into the move and a lot of money invested to keep the club afloat while its long term plans are sorted out.

The reaction of some councillors in the circumstances, particularly their efforts to acquaint themselves with an issue that could have a positive effect on Tallaght town centre for generations to come, has been disgraceful. Last week one made reference during the debate on the motion to the 20,000 stadium originally talked about but long since abandoned. Another, bizarrely, suggested that the club seek the land required for the absurd number of parking spaces it has been obliged to provide from An Bord Pleanala.

It's very difficult to imagine any other type of company seeking to bring investment and jobs to an area being treated this way, never mind one hoping to become a binding force for the local community, a focal point for their hopes and aspirations as well as a positive outlet for the young people, talented footballers or not.

The Dublin club is hardly unique, however. Just look at Sligo Rovers where planning permission for the redevelopment of the Showgrounds was obtained without any hitches but any serious level of public funding has proved to be incredibly elusive.

To date Rovers, a club which has long since offered its ground for use by all sorts of groups outside of football and which has impressive plans to further broaden its usage, has either raised or received commitments to the tune of some £350,000 for its £650,000 development, the first stage of which will set them back £370,000.

Remarkably the sum total of public money promised to date is just £50,000 (awarded from the lottery in 1997) with Dr Jim McDaid, who club officials are hoping to meet again over the next couple of weeks, deciding to pass them over during the summer. In general Dr McDaid's attitude to sport, and in particular to football, has been a good deal more reasonable than that of many of his predecessors but, like his colleagues at local level in south Dublin, it seems that his priority list can still become a little jumbled from time to time.

Yesterday, meanwhile, the game here lost another of the men who knew all about the ducking and diving that had to be done to bring the standard of National League grounds up to the level which clubs have been aiming for years.

The development of the Carlisle Grounds was a particular passion of John O'Brien, secretary at Bray Wanderers for almost three decades and a key figure in the clubs evolution from the Leinster Senior League into a prominent player on the national scene.

He is survived by his wife Theresa, son Loman and daughter Tresi. He will be sorely missed by his many friends in the game.