There are no teams, Sligo Rovers excepted, that I'd prefer to see winning the League of Ireland title than Dundalk and Cork City, who meet in a final showdown at Oriel Park on Friday night with everything on the line. I'd imagine few neutrals would begrudge either team ultimate honours.

Dundalk, after all, are a club with a great tradition who among other things gave the league's finest ever European performances back in the Jim McLaughlin era of the late 1970s and early '80s. Lately, though, times have been tougher for them. As recently as a couple of seasons back, the club looked to be in rag order and only avoided relegation by defeating Waterford United in a play-off.

Since then, however, Stephen Kenny has wrought wonders and in doing so rebuilt his own managerial reputation which had slumped after a disastrous spell at Shamrock Rovers ended with his sacking. Dundalk have played wonderful attractive attacking football all season and looked the best team in the country.

With one game left they've already scored 15 more goals than St Pat's did when winning last year's title and 18 more than champions Sligo Rovers did in 30 games the previous year. You have to go back to the 1977-'78 season and the Bohemians team which scored 74 goals in 30 games for the last league champions to top the 70-goal mark. Dundalk's goal difference is a whopping 47, 19 ahead of their rivals on Friday.

Their key weapons are the triumvirate of midfield general Richie Towell, easily the most talented player in the league, goal machine centre-forward Pat Hoban and Daryl Horgan, a winger who looks quick enough to moonlight as an electric hare at the local greyhound park. That they've played such football on an Oriel Park artificial pitch which looks downright dodgy is little short of miraculous.

As has been Cork City's ability to hold on to Dundalk's coat tails so that they've actually edged ahead by a point and only need a draw to win the title. All season pundits have waited for City to fall away but they have hung on thanks to a series of remarkable escapes, last-gasp winners by Colin Healy against St Pat's and Dan Murray against Shamrock Rovers and a late penalty save by Mark McNulty against Sligo Rovers keeping the dream alive. Their manager has arguably performed even more impressively than Kenny. No-one thought City would be contenders when the season started yet new boss John Caulfield has coaxed great things from a squad which seemed on the surface of it much less accomplished than Dundalk's.

The emblematic figure of their season has been Mark O'Sullivan, a striker plucked from non-league football and the building trade at the age of 31 who has not just scored 11 league goals but led the line with an exuberance and lack of respect for reputation which epitomised City's can-do spirit.

The club has known relegation and lean times in recent seasons but Caulfield has brought the buzz back to Turners Cross, as can be seen by home attendances which make City the best supported club in the country by some distance.

Both clubs have been a tremendous credit to the league this season and it's fitting that they get to battle it out head to head in the finale. And, in keeping with the deja vu theme, it's worth noting that this isn't the first time this has happened. Back in 1991, City needed just a point at home to Dundalk on the final day to win the title but the visitors won 1-0 with a Tom McNulty goal to take the spoils.

It's also not the first time that City have stood between Stephen Kenny and the title on the last day. Back in 2005 he brought Derry City to Turners Cross knowing that a win would secure them the crown. On that occasion Cork won 2-0 with goals from John O'Flynn and Liam Kearney to win the title. The atmosphere was as electrifying as I've experienced at any Irish sporting occasion. I'd imagine it won't be very different on Friday.

It's a pity they can't both win it.

Sunday Indo Sport