A faulty sprinkler system stopped play to inadvertently provide the chief talking point of this scoreless draw at the UCD Bowl.
The game was delayed for eight minutes midway through the second half when two water sprayers came on in turn on the dugout side of the pitch.
A UCD official eventually managed to turn them off with the aid of a wheelbarrow to provide further comedic value to the bizarre situation.
It ruined the flow of an otherwise lively clash between two sides who tried to play football.
Shelbourne had started on the front foot with Jack Moylan prominent from the get go.
Passing it well, Damien Duff's side troubled the home defence for the first time on six minutes.
Right wingback John Ross Wilson worked a one-two with Sean Boyd to blast in a shot that was frantically blocked by College skipper Jack Keaney.
Despite their bright start, Shelbourne had to survive a right scare on 12 minutes as UCD almost snatched the lead with their first incisive attack.
Evan Osam's ball found Collie Whelan who turned adroitly to get to the end line.
The cross was whipped into the near post for Mark Dignam whose effort was deflected out for the first corner of the game.
Seven minutes later UCD’s reasonable calls for a penalty weren’t entertained when Sean Brennan went to ground having scampered into the area.
The home side continued to enjoy a good spell. Dignam cut in from the left to work Lewis Webb between the Shels post for the first time.
As the half hour approached, Liam Kerrigan galloped forward to find space only to scuff his shot wide.
Shels did remain dangerous when they got forward in a very open game.
Sean Boyd wasn’t far off target when cleverly improvising to hook a volley past a post on 36 minutes.
A mistake by College midfielder Sean Brennan then gifted the lively Moylan a half chance which the 20-year-old rifled wide.
A scrappy start to the second half meant the game was slow to reignite.
Keaney drove a free kick from distance over the top before Shels reawakened.
Moylan again with a chance, collecting Boyd’s pass to tee up a shot he arrowed narrowly wide.
College responded with perhaps the chance of the night on 70 minutes.
Substitutes Evan Caffrey and Dylan Duffy combined with the latter's effort snuffed out one-on-one by the alert Webb who saved well with his body.
Cue the sprinkler incident on 73 minutes.
When play resumed eight minutes later, UCD carved the only other chance of the game deep in stoppage time.
Whelan just failed to get enough on a close range attempt that was snuffed out by Webb following a scramble in the Shels area as UCD remain without a goal from their opening three games.
UCD: Lorcan Healy; Evan Osam, Eric Yoro, Sam Todd, John Ryan; Jack Keaney; Liam Kerrigan, Sean Brennan, Adam Verdon (Dylan Duffy 63), Mark Dignam (Evan Caffrey 63); Colm Whelan.
Shelbourne: Lewis Webb; Aaron O’Driscoll, Luke Byrne, Kameron Ledwidge; John Ross Wilson, Mark Coyle, Brian McManus (Aodh Dervan 63), Conor Kane; Jordan McEneff (Dan Hawkins 23), Jack Moylan (Shane Farrell 86); Sean Boyd (Stanley Anaehonam 63)
Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin).
