Keith Treacy still has St Patrick's Athletic down as his tip to win the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division but the former Saints and Republic of Ireland winger feels Stephen Kenny's side missed a golden opportunity to lay down a marker against defending champions Shelbourne.
The sides played out a 0-0 draw at Richmond Park on Friday night in a result that would have left Damien Duff the more satisfied given how depleted Shels' defence was going into the game.
St Pat's, on the other hand, are still well-placed in second spot in the table behind Drogheda United but did not take the opportunity to stretch their gap over Shels beyond the current one-point margin.
"It's a much better point for Damien Duff's Shelbourne given the fact that they were missing Paddy Barrett and Sean Boyd," Treacy said on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast as he and former Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers midfielder Richie Towell analysed the latest round of LOI action.
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"I know Aidan Keena was out from a Pat's point of view but when the champions come to town and you're at home and you want to win the league, you've got to make a bit of a statement and Pat's didn't really make that statement. So I think it's a much better point for Shels."
Towell echoed that view, saying that, "Shelbourne were down numbers, they were down their main man up front, they were down their main man at centre-back, they were down Sean Gannon. Pat's should have grabbed that game by the scruff of the neck and really went for it but they didn't and that could really cost them come the end of the season."
While Pat's are potent going forward on their day, defensive vulnerabilities especially at the base of midfield when the opposition counter-attack are a concern from Towell and Treacy's points of view.
"You could see that Shelbourne really got to grips with (the midfield battle) in the second half," said Towell of a front-footed approach that can leave defensive midfielder Jamie Lennon overloaded at times if Pat's lose possession up the pitch.
"(Shels) played Harry Wood on one side of the high box and Ellis Chapman on the other side of the high box and Jamie Lennon was caught in between no man's land because Pat's just go (forward in numbers) and if I'm playing against them I would love that because as soon as the ball's turned over - and as Keith said - (Jake) Mulraney and (Zach) Elbouzedi weren't at the races so they kept turning the ball over constantly.
"And then as soon as Shelbourne got that first pass through the Pat's press, Jamie Lennon was caught in no man's land. They had players on either side of him and they were able to turn and go straight at the Pat's back four. On another night, Shelbourne could have nicked it in the end."
But is there a way for Pat's to find a better balance without overly sacrificing their attacking intent?
"Chris Forrester could do it, he could go and stand beside Lennon instead of that 5-10 yards ahead of him but again with the game in front of him, I'm not sure Chris would go and create that sort of pressure - turnovers, mistakes - I don't think that's his type of game," said Treacy.
"Do they have another Jamie Lennon in there? Probably not. But I always think it's the easiest part of the game to run around and try and win the ball back and if you can tell somebody 'just run around, try and win the ball back and when you do give it to Chris Forrester', there's a lovely little relationship that can develop there.
"But if it's only Jamie Lennon running around and getting the ball back and the other lads are thinking, 'I'm not really here for that part of the game, I'll come alive when we have it', I was always told from an early age if you're not Messi, you're not Ronaldo, you've got to run around, so Forrester's brilliant, Brandon Kavanagh's has been absolutely excellent this season but there's a work-rate off the ball that you've got to adhere to and if you don't, the likes of Shels will come, they'll work you out and like Richie said, they'll go either side of Lennon and Lennon will be in no man's land.
"Unless one of the centre-halves spring out which again is dangerous stuff to be doing, I'm not sure what St Pat's can do.
"But this is why St Pat's are so exciting to watch because you know Stephen Kenny will set up and he will let his wing backs go, his centre midfielders will go and they will be exposed if they lose the ball.
"So it's very exciting stuff to watch but with that style of play, St Pat's have to turn up and they have to be on the money, they have to play well. The passing accuracy has to be really good. If they come down a few levels, they will lose a handful of games this season and they won't be able to win the league."
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