Shels keep League of Ireland flag flying as ten-man Linfield rue missed chances in all-island battle
But as the Blues parachute into the Conference League, there will be huge regret in their camp, the Shels game added to the list of 'European ties that got away'. David Healy's outfit failed to make the most of a present offered up to them in each half, a dreadful slip by Reds keeper Conor Kearns and then his replacement Lorcan Healy, two chances that should have led to goals but which Linfield wasted with their lack of precision.
Put those away, and Linfield would at least have made this more of a tie but having squandered those moments, the experience of Joey O'Brien's hard-working side was going to carry them through.
Because the Blues could have been 3-0 up on the night before 15 minutes had gone. It took the crossbar to keep out a dangerous-looking cross from Ethan McGee, then Kirk Millar set up Matthew Fitzpatrick but he headed wide.
Whatever about those moments, Linfield should definitely have found the net on 13 minutes. Kearns had time to deal with a back pass from Harry Wood but he lost concentration, and possession, and gifted the ball to Fitzpatrick but his attempt was rushed as he failed to hit the target.
Shels suffered a blow on 22 minutes when captain Mark Coyle was unable to shake off the knock he'd picked up and was forced off, but still the away side came out of their shell and after chances from Tyreke Wilson and Ali Coote, they took the lead on 25 minutes. Chris Shields had saved Linfield - or so it seemed - when he blocked a shot from Wood but as the ball bounced up in the air, the clearance from McGee was unconvincing, it fell for Coote and the Scot fired home through a forest of blue shirts.
Another door opened for Linfield after the half-hour mark when Shels had a second enforced substitution, Kearns joining captain Coyle in losing his fitness battle and he was replaced by Healy.
It was an error by the away side that saw Linfield draw level in first half injury-time. Ethan McGee, such a threat to the Reds, whipped in a cross and defender Tyreke Wilson inexplicably put his hand up in the box, connected with the ball and he gave referee Andrew Madley the easy decision of a penalty, which Shields converted.
Yet there was still more drama in the half when an immediate response from Kerr McInroy was disallowed on the back of a VAR call.
The second half was only seconds old when another Shels slip gifted Linfield an opportunity, a poor touch by Healy who presented the ball to Callumn Morrison but the Scottish forward panicked, making a poor effort which the Shels substitute easily saved.
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The home side's night took another dark turn when a poor pass – this game was full of those – from Matthew Orr gave possession to Mipo Odubeko, Ben Hall went for the man not the ball to halt Odubeko and earned himself a red card.
With 20 minutes on the clock Shels had those key advantages, but despite having long spells of possession against a fatiguing Linfield outfit, had to make do with their goals tally, Odubeko began to get more and more freedom as the clock counted down and could even have wrapped it up in the final minute, but Chris Johns pulled off a save to deny him.
Job done, Shels' players gleefully took the tricolour thrown from the bositerous away section, trolling the home support which had in the main left, that flag now going on in the Champions League while Linfield lick their wounds.
LINFIELD - Johns; Orr, Hall, East, McGee (McCollough 77); Shields, Mulgrew (Offord 77), Archer; Millar (Allen 82), Fitzpatrick, C Morrison (McKee 68).
SHELBOURNE - Kearns (Healy 32); Coyle (Gannon 22), Ledwidge, Barrett; Caffrey, McInroy, Lunney, Coote (Boyd 83), Wilson (Norris 83); Wood; Odubeko.
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