Shamrock Rovers stand on the cusp of winning their fifth SSE Airtricity League Men's Premier Division title in six years as they finally beat their great Dublin rivals Bohemians for the first time this season thanks to goals in either half from Graham Burke and Danny Mandroiu.
Indeed, Stephen Bradley's side would have won the title with five games to go had Derry City lost in Drogheda, instead of drawing their game at Sullivan and Lambe Park.
Rovers must now wait until Friday, 10 October when they face Shelbourne, also in Tallaght, where they will have another opportunity be crowned deserving champions.
The game had kicked off in a welter of excitement and a cauldron of noise from both sets of supporters, a full house with the sold-out signs out early for the sides' fourth league meeting, with Bohemians having won the previous three.
After a period of possession football which yielded nothing, the visitors were undone in the 12th minute as Bohemian midfielder Archie Meekison was pressured into a poor pass that went straight to Burke.
There appeared little danger, but Burke seized his opportunity to plant a left foot shot from 25 yards all along the ground, which beat the diving Kacper Chorazka and having clipped the post, ended up in the back of the net.
The Hoops one up, and the home fans in ecstasy as Burke wheeled away to celebrate his eighth league goal of the season.
Rovers tried to press home their advantage and Chorazka had to be alert to push away a Josh Honohan effort from just inside the area which looked to be sneaking in by his near post.
Bohs found the home defence hard to break down, but they came close to an equaliser in the 34th minute as Ross Tierney stabbed a shot goalwards, Ed McGinty saving one handed with the loose ball falling invitingly for James Clarke who drilled a shot inches wide.
But six minutes from the break, Bohs equalised and Clarke didn’t miss this time with a powerful close range header which had McGinty grasping at air after the goal scorer had been set up by a sumptuous left wing cross by Dayle Rooney which Clarke met with aplomb to leave it level at 1-1 at the break.
The smoke from the home fans' half time flares hadn’t dissipated before Rovers almost hit the front again as a jinking run by Matt Healy, just seconds after the restart, saw his cross find the head of an unmarked Rory Gaffney, but his downward header couldn’t beat Chorazka from close range.
However, Chorazka was beaten for the second time in the 52nd minute as Rovers retook the lead with Honohan teeing up Mandriou who took his time before planting his shot from inside the area past the outstretched arm of the diving Bohs keeper.
Chorazka was called into action again with just over 20 minutes to play, firstly saving a Pico Lopes shot with his legs and then producing a brilliant one handed save to push over a rising shot from Burke as the home side looked to kill off the game.
After being under the cosh, Bohs finally had a chance to equalise in the 70th minute as McGinty hit a misplaced pass straight to Clarke who hit it first time, but shrunk to his knees in disappointment when the home keeper made amends with a save, diving full stretch to deny Clarke his second of the night.
Rovers had to soak up all that Bohs could throw at them in the remaining minutes. Indeed Alan Reynolds' side almost snatched a draw in injury time as sub-Colm Whelan just missed with a header from a Dayle Rooney corner as Rovers held on.
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes (c), Cory O’Sullivan; Daniel Grant (Adam Mathews 89), Matt Healy, Danny Mandriou, Dylan Watts (Darragh Nugent 82), Josh Honohan; Graham Burke (Aaron McEniff 82); Rory Gaffney (Michael Noonan 62).
Bohemians: Kacper Chorazka; Jubril Okedina (Rob Cornwall 70) Niall Morahan, Cian Byrne (Colm Whelan 85), Jordan Flores; Dawson Devoy (c), Dayle Rooney; Ross Tierney (Adam McDonnell 70) Archie Meekison (Conor Parsons 70), James Clarke, Douglas James-Taylor
Referee: Paul Norton
Attendance: 9522
