SOCCER: Shelbourne are this morning counting the cost of their Champions League elimination after Wednesday night's 4-1 defeat by Steaua Bucharest.

A victory would have guaranteed Shelbourne a minimum of €50,000 from UEFA for progressing through the round and with a clash against ailing Rosenborg in the third qualifying round, the club would never have a better chance to reach the lucrative group stages.

But no one at Shelbourne was complaining about the defeat admitting that Steaua were simply the better team, though there were plenty of complaints about the Romanians' supporters' behaviour and that of the club.

Shelbourne will officially complain to UEFA over the behaviour of Steaua's supporters who subjected Cameroon international Joseph Ndo and Curtis Fleming to racist abuse as well as hurling missiles onto the pitch.

Alan Moore was hit by a cigarette lighter when sitting on the bench while a number of objects were hurled in Dave Rogers' direction after his dismissal. Even Shelbourne players in the stand were not safe with a brick being thrown at Alan Reynolds and Colin Hawkins.

"It was sickening and something must be done. UEFA want clubs to come to places like this, but why should we with what goes on?" said Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne.

Shelbourne were also disappointed with some of the antics in the build-up to the tie as they broke with normal sporting etiquette by not supplying videos of their previous games and not marking the training pitch in Bucharest for Shelbourne to train on.

"They're a big club and they played all sorts of funny games in the build-up to the game with no marking the pitch or not cutting the grass," claimed midfielder Moore.

"They try and mess you about. I think we could try to do that at home; I think we're too nice to clubs when they come over. We try to make them feel welcome," added Moore.

But that is a lesson that Shelbourne and manager Pat Fenlon will take on ahead of next season, if they qualify for Europe next season.

At the start of the year, there were very little protests made to anyone who suggested that Shelbourne would walk away with the League title this year, but as things stand now, they trail Cork City by 14 points.

With a game in hand and two games to play against Cork, the race certainly is not over though, at this stage, even Shelbourne will admit that Cork would need to slip up badly not to claim their first title since 1993.

However, as captain Owen Heary points out, Shelbourne themselves let a similar lead slip in 2001 while Moore is certain that Cork are due a slip-up soon.

"We've got three big massive games in the League when we've got to take the three points in each from and that's the be all and end all of it. I think Cork are flying at the minute but they must be due a blip at some stage. Every team has one," said Moore.

"The gap is massive, but we have to play them twice. The run they're on at the minute, they can't keep that going, but if they do they will be deserving winners."