Finn Harps secured a vital win, their first of the season, at the expense of a shockingly out-of-sorts Shelbourne in Drumcondra.
Goals from defenders Ethan Boyle and Conor Tourish before Eric McWoods' first for the club eased Harps' relegation concerns and, on the evidence of this game alone, Shelbourne have their own.
Perhaps three quick matches within seven days were too much for the Reds but it was they rather than Harps who looked as if they had spent much of the day on the road, this within days of a Finn Harps' tweet mocking Chelsea's travel problems which got over two million hits on social media.
The tweet went around the world and so did Ollie Horgan to cobble together a Harps side that was much the best on what must rate the worst night of Damien Duff's fledgling managerial career.
This represented a realistic chance for Finn Harps to win their first game this year. Having had much upheaval, even by their standards, they can be expected to improve, but this was a game in which they would have fancied their chances.
For Shelbourne, who had contested 1-1 draws against Bohemians and firstly Dundalk in the past week, this was another challenge and one for which they would have to rise.
This was much lower-key, with a smaller crowd and less of an atmosphere.
There's no doubt that Filip Mihaljevic has shown more than implied by his failure to score since he joined Harps and he was desperately unlucky two minutes in.
Boyle's long throw fell the Croat's way and his acrobatic effort hit the crossbar. Incredibly, he did the same three minutes later, this time following a header from Barry McNamee's beautiful cross.
Sean Boyd, scorer of the goal Monday against Bohs, had a sluggish start, prompting assistant boss Joey O'Brien to implore him to get going 18 minutes in, some expletives for effect.
Ex-Red Yoyo Mahdy forced Lewis Webb to parry wide from a free-kick shortly afterwards.
The first half hour was pretty appalling from a Shels perspective: lethargic, lacking quality and belatedly getting some emotion, that of anger, from a subdued home audience.
Dan Carr came to life 13 minutes shy of the break, showing strength, guile and skill; he squared to Brian McManus, who blazed over; it was that sort of half for the Reds.
Luke Byrne then admonished his own long ball that careered straight out over the goal-line, manager Duff looking at the ground at his feet in that spirit.
Carr then linked up really well with Conor Kane whose cross produced an inexplicably ill-directed header from Jordan McEneff. Harps' lead goal on 43 minutes was not undeserved.
Mihaljevic again excelled down the right, showing too much for JR Wilson; he passed into Mahdy who laid the ball off back for Boyle, whose shot Webb may well have done better with.
Wilson suffered what looked a serious injury in the build-up and had to be stretchered off. Harps made it two on 62 minutes. Ryan Connolly's beautiful delivery was headed across goal by Ryan Rainey and centre-back Tourish prodded home.
Plenty of hot favourites came in during the week at Cheltenham and Ollie Horgan's yellow card for demonstrating with the officials midway through the second half followed the theme, though there was no doubt he was smiling inside, the game very much going Harps' way.
And it got better as McWoods poked home from another free-kick with two minutes to go.
Shelbourne: Webb; O'Driscoll, Byrne, Ledwidge; Wilson (Farrell 45), McEneff (Anaebonam 71), Coyle (Hakiki 70), McManus (Dervin 57), Kane; Boyd (Hawkins 57), Carr.
Finn Harps: McGinley; Boyle, Webster, Tourish, Carrillo; N'Zeyi, Rainey (Alkan 83), Connolly; Mahdy (McWoods 70), McNamee (Hery 90), Mihaljevic (Timlin 90).Referee: John McLoughlin.
