Shamrock Rovers win the battle but lose the war on a night of high drama

Shamrock Rovers' five-in-a-row ambitions were foiled by Damien Duff's Shelbourne on a night of unforgettable drama in Tallaght and Derry.

As news emerged that Shelbourne had taken a late lead at Brandywell, Waterford fans began to goad the hosts – only for a false-flag-celebration within minutes among the home fans, at least one of whom must have at one stage believed Derry had equalised.

It was so loud one assumed that Derry had equalised – it was not to be, and Rovers have finally surrendered in a title battle for the first time in five years.

It was all hard to take in, with TV footage on the laptops in the press area a long and haunting delay from being live, and a raucous Tallaght became more funereal as reality set in: Derry were going to let Rovers down and Duffer's Shels had pulled off an incredible shock – unconsidered at the start of the season.

An early Johnny Kenny's goal on four minutes was followed by Dylan Watts' apparent safety net on 55 but Podge Amond's 69th-minute reply had Rovers rattled. They held on for the win that ultimately was not enough; the Hoops' poor first half of the season was their undoing.

With the Conference League going well for Stephen Bradley's men, their year will go on for another couple of months or so, but Duff, a former Hoops player and underage coach here, had the last laugh.

Perhaps neutrals across the league will be relieved that Rovers' gallop has come to a halt, and the home fans' reaction afterwards reflected that they were proud of what Stephen Bradley's men achieved even in a disappointing league season. His players oh so nearly pulled it off, having looked dead about a couple of months ago.

Rarely if ever has Bradley played a team with such attacking intent and rare too does