Setanta Cup/ Shelbourne 3; Portadown 3: Even before violence finally brought about its end, apathy had posed a significant threat to the island's last cross-border football tournament a quarter of a century ago as managers left their best players in the stands and supporters ensured there were plenty of seats for them to choose from.
Twenty five years on the fans may not yet be entirely convinced of the new event's worth, but if last night's Setanta Cup encounter at Tolka Park is anything to go by then the clubs, at least, are taking this latest venture a good deal more seriously.
Many more game like this and the crowds will surely pack the stands and terraces.
For Pat Fenlon's side this marked a second drawn home game inside a week, but as a contest it had little in common with the visit of UCD who coped easily with the attacking side of league champions' game in no small part because there was remarkably little to deal with.
Last night it was the defence which proved the home side's undoing in the second half with Owen Heary observing afterwards that, "we were shocking, we made one change at half-time and you'd swear that the back four that came back out had never played together before."
Had Shelbourne led even once against the students they would almost certainly have won. Last night, however, they led Portadown 2-0 at the break and 3-2 after the Northerners had fought back to level terms in what was an impressively open and even game, and still they couldn't put their opponents away.
Instead Ronnie McFall's side, cheered on by 400 or so travelling supporters, provided ample evidence of this competition's huge potential with a spirited second fightback and a stunning second equaliser. Both were down to Wesley Boyle who was the game's dominant figure through the second half.
The midfielder had been subdued early on, but Portadown still contributed a good deal to a lively game over the opening half an hour, matching the pace of the home side's approach and claiming a good deal of possession even if they struggle to make a serious impact in the final third of their opponents pitch.
It was biting stuff at times with referee Paul McKeon occasionally seeming a little too willing to allow play to proceed as players recovered from what might best be described as enthusiastic challenges.
There was little by way of real aggression displayed, though, and it wasn't until the 36th minute when Michael Collins pushed Heary and the local supporters were calling for a card to be shown that the match official brandished a yellow.
By then Shelbourne were looking the more likely to score and their breakthrough came just four minutes later.
David Crawley, who had previously drawn a decent save from Paul Murphy with a long-range free, floated in another from the left which Jason Byrne missed, but Richie Baker turned over the line from no more than five yards out.
When Baker fed Byrne for a memorable second after a swift counter attack by the home side a minute before the break, the game looked as good as over, but while most visitors to Tolka Park could be expected to accept the inevitability of defeat at 2-0 down to Pat Fenlon's side, Portadown clearly had other ideas.
A well-taken close-range goal from Gary Hamiliton put his side back in it and, after Glen Crowe had passed up a clear chance to restore his side's two-goal lead, the Portadown striker got onto the end of a Vinny Arkins flick to grab an equaliser that Steve Williams should have prevented.
Baker put the locals back in front but by then Boyle was more or less running things in midfield and the former Leeds United youth rounded of a fine performance with a 30-yard left-footed strike that left Williams with no chance of making the save.
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Hawkins (Harris, half-time), Rogers, Crawley; Baker, S Byrne, Crawford, Moore; Crowe (O'Neill, 87 mns), J Byrne (Cahill, 77 mins) .
PORTADOWN: Murphy; Feeney, Kelly, Convery, O'Hara; Boyle, Clarke (P McCann, half-time), Collins (Lindsay, 90 mins), Neill; Hamilton (M McCann, 77 mins), Arkins.
Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).
