'Dogged' Shelbourne have more title fight than Derry City says RTE's Alan Cawley

The former midfielder turned pundit, who won the Premier Division title with Shels in 2004, reckons the Tolka Park side's ability to grind out results could hand them a first top flight title in 18 years.

With just seven games to go Shelbourne - boasting just one win in their last six league matches - lead the way by four points with the Reds scheduled to come to Brandywell on the final day of the season.

Cawley predicts a nip and tuck conclusion to the 'two-horse race' but reckons his former club hold the upper hand when it comes to battling in the trenches.

"It's going to be a real dogged fight, especially because Shels are up for the fight, and that's somewhere they may have a little edge on Derry," said the Sligo native.

"They’re so dogged and maybe because it's Derry's style and the way they play, they want to get it down and play ball, but I certainly think there's more fight in Shels at the moment.

"That may change over the next six or seven weeks but all the things I've watched all year with Shelbourne grinding out results, fighting, battling, not the easiest on the eye in a lot of games. I do think it's a bit disrespectful to say they’re direct or long ball. They do play at times as well but they're conservative and cautious and well organised.

"They don't go all guns blazing to pick up the three points whereas Derry would have that approach but that's just down to different managers and different styles.

"There's no one way to win. There's different styles which makes the game great but I think at the moment that's where they (Shels) have a little edge over them (Derry)."

Cawley, speaking on the Journal's 'Talking Derry City' podcast this week, reckons there's more pressure on Ruaidhrí Higgins to deliver the title this term given his financial backing and he expects an 'exciting' finale.

"Ruaidhri has done a really good job up to a point but I'm sure he'd admit himself because of the resources, the budgets, the players he's able to sign - to bring in (Pat) Hoban who I'd always class as the best centre forward in the league – Ruaidhri is able to go out and get the players he wants and this is the year I think he has to win it.

"I'm sure he knows that himself. But I think if you're looking at the two of them at the moment that's where Shels have a little edge over them. I see them as really up for the fight."

Cawley was once on the books at Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday before returning to Ireland where he represented several League of Ireland clubs including Shels, UCD, St Patrick's Athletic and Bray Wanderers.

He'll be on RTE punditry duties for Saturday's crunch FAI Cup quarter-final tie and he's seen enough of both teams this year to predict a tightly contested end to the title race.

He believes Derry have yet to land a telling 'blow' on their rivals having drawn the last six encounters with the Dubliners and that inability to capitalise on Shelbourne's slip-ups could cost them.

"It's been unbelievable. I've been following the league week to week and Shels being top of the league would've been the surprise package. Nobody would've envisaged at the start of the season they’d be top of the league after 29 games but they're there on merit I suppose.

"Regardless of their indifferent form in recent weeks, nobody has capitalised. Who knows, there's only seven games to go and it's going to be an interesting run-in.

"But the inconsistencies with all the teams, I'm not sure if it's made it exciting but it's made your eyebrows be raised week by week with the results. It's been crazy really.

"I'm not sure if it's because the league is more competitive or because it's poor. It's a bit of both probably. But certainly the ones I tipped at the start would've been Derry and Shamrock Rovers.

"Derry probably at this stage, if you were to say Shamrock Rovers wouldn't be in the race with seven games to go, everybody would've said then Derry would definitely win the league this year.

"So I'd say they're a bit disappointed in how it's gone with the fact they haven't really capitalised on Shelbourne's slip-ups in the past few weeks. But I do think we're down to a two-horse race now.

"Derry are still in with a great chance. It will be really exciting and there will be lots of twists and turns because based on the evidence all season, I don't see Shels going on a six or seven game winning run from now until the end of the season and I don't see Derry doing it either.

"They went down to Galway and it's a tough place to go but that's one where you're thinking they need to capitalise. You're thinking they're on top now, they'll kick on and then they slip up away to Galway.

"It's just been indicative of their whole season really. They're not the only ones being inconsistent but if you want to win the league you need to be capitalising on your rivals' mistakes and making a statement win at some point.

"I felt had they went to Galway and won that would've been a real kick in the teeth for Shels. Derry have landed that blow on Shels yet. They can still do it in the next five or six games, and they might be able to land a knockout blow, but they haven't yet been able to hit them where it hurts just yet.

"It would be a great story for Shels being honest, and being a former Shels player, but Ruaidhri's a pal and I'd like to see him get over the line. Will they? I don't know."

While Shels hold the advantage when it comes to league points, Cawley reckons Derry will come out on top this Saturday when the pair meet in the cup quarter-final.

"I think Derry will win on Saturday," he predicted." Both would want to win to the FAI Cup. You often find when a team wins the cup it's the catalyst to go on and win the league, like we've seen with Shamrock Rovers. That's obviously yet to happen with Derry.

"It's an interesting one. It suits Shels as it might be a nice distraction from the league. There’s pressure on them at the moment. It's one win in six. This might be a nice distraction away from the league and they can just have a crack at it.

"If they lose they can say they’ve bigger fish to fry, we're going for the league whereas if they win they're into the semi-finals and if you look at the teams who are left, no disrespect to them but whoever comes out of Shels and Derry will really fancy their chances."