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Ten points clear in August, caught in October, back in front

For a good chunk of the summer, this looked like Shamrock Rovers' league to lose. RTÉ pointed out on 11 September that the Hoops had been 10 points clear at the summit only five weeks earlier, the sort of cushion most clubs would happily carry into the autumn. It didn't last. On Friday 2 October, Colm Whelan's first-half penalty and a Ross Tierney goal after the break put Bohemians in control at Oriel Park. They held on to win 2-1, though only after a late Daryl Horgan penalty, a red card for Bohemians' Cian Byrne and a Dundalk effort off the crossbar. According to the42's match report, the result left them level on points with the top two, Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic.

That night St Patrick's Athletic led on goal difference, with Bohemians second, ahead of Rovers, according to RTÉ, and the Gypsies in contention for a first league title since 2009. The table moved again six days later. With their game brought forward to Thursday 8 October, Rovers beat Drogheda United 3-1 at Tallaght Stadium, Graham Burke scoring after 34 seconds, the club's fastest goal at the ground, before John McGovern added two more. the42 reported that the win put the champions three points clear at the top before Monday's derby against Bohemians. For anyone in Ireland who plans the week around what football is on the telly, the domestic title race has become one of the most watchable fixture lists on the schedule.

Bohemians' run-in goes through both rivals

With four league matches left, Bohs face both of their Dublin rivals, so the destiny of the title is very much in the Phibsborough club's hands. Two of those four matter more than the rest. First comes the leaders, Shamrock Rovers, at Tallaght Stadium on Monday 12 October, and then, on Friday 30 October, Bohs finish the campaign away to St Pat's. Before the trip to Oriel Park, RTÉ called the 90th-minute Dawson Devoy winner against Drogheda United the sort of moment that turbo-charges fans' belief. Their manager, Alan Reynolds, stayed calm. "It keeps us in the mix but no more than that," he said. "As I keep repeating, we're just taking it game by game."

The Friday live game is only one way in

Keeping up with a finish like this takes more than one screen. Virgin Media Television is the sole free-to-air broadcaster of the Premier Division, with a live fixture each round and highlights from the rest of the round. Around that sits the LOITV stream, plus a group chat that rarely goes quiet once the teams are out. On that second screen, Bohs, Rovers and Pat's are all being backed to finish top by those who enjoy online betting in Ireland. Nobody can call the title yet, as a table that has turned this much since August shows.

A fixture switch has soured the build-up

The scheduling hasn't gone smoothly, though. Straight after the win in Dundalk, Bohemians released a statement saying the club would not carry out any more media requests for the rest of the season. Their protest was aimed at the league's decision to bring Shamrock Rovers' tie with Drogheda United forward by 24 hours, from Friday 9 October to Thursday 8 October - the game Rovers went on to win 3-1.

Bohemians' own calendar explains the objection. RTÉ noted that they have an FAI Cup semi-final at home to Waterford on Friday 9 October, so the switch gave Rovers an extra day's rest before the meeting at Tallaght, while Bohs go into it three days after a cup semi-final. Rather than argue the point in interviews, Bohs have opted for silence.

Monday 12 and Friday 30 October are the nights to keep free

Pub or sofa, the phone is part of the modern matchday, and a race this close will keep it busy until the last whistle on 30 October. Where a stake is part of the evening, it's entertainment that carries a real risk, so it's only for those aged 18 or over and best kept within a deposit limit set before kick-off.

LOITV covers both games. When the league set out its LOITV partnership with Premier Sports, it said every fixture across its three divisions would be streamed live, and that includes the Tallaght game and the trip to Pat's. Whether either one is also Virgin Media's free-to-air pick for its round is worth checking in the listings, because one fixture in this run-in has already moved by a day. Whatever happens at Tallaght on 12 October, Bohemians won't be talking it through with the media afterwards.