Neutrals might have been a little bemused by the amount of time devoted in the official Bohemians video of their double-winning season to the 6-4 win over Shamrock Rovers but the club's new media wing can't be blamed for giving the people what they want.
For a while last night it seemed that we were witnesses to the centrepiece of next year's televisual feast. It looked nicely set up, at least, when the champions again founded themselves 4-1 down to bitter Dublin rivals. Somewhere along the line, though, the script got messed up this time around and after fighting their way gloriously back to 4-4 in another thrilling contest, it was Shelbourne who finally stole the show.
It was lively stuff from the very start with both sides throwing themselves into the search for what would be a surprisingly rare win. Both opted to throw an extra body into midfield and while the approach meant there was precious little space in there, it opened things up in front of the Bohemians goal.
On the face of it, the home side's three-man defence should have been well capable of coping with the threat posed by the solitary figure of Stephen Geoghegan but the visiting side's ability to get players forward at speed and then to play nicely weighted balls into the paths was something that Pete Mahon's side took a little time to come to grips with.
Well, four minutes anyway. But that was enough time for Pat Fenlon, Richie Baker and Stephen Geoghegan to put the visitors into what would have surely been, under normal circumstances, an unassailable lead.
This, though, was no ordinary game and with Bohemians suddenly getting anything that was going from the match official they launched a spirited fightback after conceding the third in the 13th minute, producing a period of sustained pressure that really should have gone some way towards narrowing the gap.
Twice Gary O'Neill did at least go close while Fergal Harkin did sufficiently well in the 25th minute while creating a good shooting chance for himself that he probably didn't feel so bad when he eventually wasted the shot itself.
Finally, with a third of the half to go, the pressure exerted by the hosts bore some reward with Trevor Molloy setting up Glen Crowe for a fine headed goal. But almost from the restart Dessie Baker fed his brother who hit the crossbar and before somebody could get in a clearance, Tony McCarthy turned the ball low towards the far post from where Jim Glennon tapped it home.
For Glennon and a number of his teammates, the suggestion earlier this week that alternative employment might be sought, seemed to be acting as a rather powerful stimulus but Bohemians were by now matching them in every area of the pitch and so it was no great surprise on the stroke of half-time when Paul Byrne's cross from the right was flicked on neatly by O'Neill for Dave Morrison who made it 2-4 with a powerful diving header.
Roared on by a passionate if slightly disbelieving crowd, Bohemians picked it up where they'd left off, steadily tightening their grip on the play and further narrowing the gap when Crowe's fine work set O'Neill up for an excellent headed goal eight minutes into the second period.
The equaliser was little longer in coming but then it was worth the wait, Byrne slipping the ball out to Tony O'Connor who had arrived on the overlap and his low curling cross was met by Crowe whose perfectly-timed run made the finish something of a formality.
At that stage it seemed impossible to see the home side's goal rush being halted and the club's video department must have been struggling to contain their glee. Their joy will have been short-lived, though, for within a matter of seconds Jim Crawford capitalised on Richie Baker's good work to restore his side's lead with a low driven shot.
Now, at last, the wind was knocked out of Bohemians and though they kept at it, it was Crawford who took the game's tally of goals into double figures during injury time with the Shelbourne substitute rounding Wayne Russell and tapping home after yet another defensive error.
BOHEMIANS: Russell; O'Connor, Shevlin, Hill; Byrne (Field, 80 mins), Harkin, Hunt, Molloy, Morrison; Crowe, O'Neill.
SHELBOURNE: Jones; Heary, Hutton, McCarthy, Minnock; R Baker (B Byrne, 86 mins), D Byrne, Gannon (Crawford, 56 mins), Fenlon, D Baker; S Geoghegan (McCann, 78 mins).
Referee: J O'Neill (Waterford).
