A NEW competitive spirit having broken out off the pitch between St Patrick's Athletic and Shelbourne, the former have tonight's Premier Division fare all to themselves when entertaining the leaders Derry City. It is certainly worthy of the billing champions v champions elect.

Ticket touts were spotted outside Richmond Park last week and may appear again tonight as champions St Patrick's Athletic set out to bridge that imposing nine point gap. For Derry, it is yet another huge game and as much a test of their nerve and character as anything else.

The Shelbourne manager Damien Richardson, was perhaps engaging in some form of psychological warfare when observing a "them and us" attitude at the Brandywell last week. While an Alex Ferguson like "us against the world" mentality can serve a club well, it could do them more damage than good.

Last week's programme notes referred to a feeling with Derry City that the club was no longer "welcome" in the National League amongst some Dublin clubs. That was perhaps inevitable after the decision by Bohemians directors to boycott the Brandywell in light of the clubs' infamous encounter there last month, and the ensuing decision by National League chiefs to fine the club for inadequate stewarding.

That the latter was quashed on appeal in midweek may go some way toward alleviating what last week's Brandywell programme also admitted, self deprecatingly was Derry's "paranoid". It would also surely help if the Bohemians' directors also revised their decision which, no matter what they say, has insulted Derry people.

In any event, there remains a real danger that Derry are wrongly perceived as the pariahs of the domestic game, or that the club themselves wrongly perceive themselves to be so.

This weekend, of all weekends, underlines Derry's unique standing in the National League. There may be some irritation regarding the Bosman ruling, which has further compounded that standing, but there's no point in the other clubs bickering about it.

Derry have been a breath of fresh air and their football generally reflecting this - and by any yardstick the League would be worse for their absence. Hence, Pat Dolan will wish the club a warm reception at Richmond Park this evening in his capacity as Chief Executive, if an, altogether hotter one as the club's manager.

"If you read my programme notes I'd be very disappointed to think that anybody wouldn't welcome Derry. People have short memories," he said yesterday.

"They gave the league an invigoration of excitement that was lacking. The 80s were a disastrous decade. The one positive part of that decade was the introduction of Derry City.

"Okay, the Candystripe Army isn't as strong as it was but clubs might not be in existence if it wasn't for Derry. I remember it wasn't just the gate money it was the programme sales as well, and if you look at facilities and professionalism, Derry have got a awful lot of things right.