Champions strike back

A sixth match in a row without defeat for the champions and gradually it seems like the Supersaints bandwagon is getting itself back on the road. After a hard fought draw against a side well beaten by Cork City last week, though, Liam Buckley admitted that there's still some way to go before his team is where he wants it to be. Given that they are still looking for a first win against a team that looks like top six material he could scarcely say much else.

Clearly more pleased with the team's performance than last Sunday at Santry, Damien Richardson, hailed this performance as "an important point in the development of Shamrock Rovers. There was," he said "a resilience out there today that I hadn't seen before and, while I think we should have won the game, I'm very happy about that".

There was plenty of mettle about both sides, in fact, and in a game which produced all the rough and tumble you would expect from a classic Dublin derby, there had to be. No-one seemed to be in the humour for taking prisoners and referee John McDermott, a man much admired these days for his willingness to let games flow, moving things along many times yesterday at the expense of the rule book, which might have prompted a less independently minded official to show more than the five yellow he produced and at least one red.

There might have been a penalty too, eight minutes from time when Trevor Croly rather blatantly unbalanced Graham Lawlor by tugging at his shirt inside the box. But, to be fair, the visitors' new boy didn't make much of it, play was waved on and when Croly cleared a Tony Cousins shot off the line with only seconds remaining it was impossible to begrudge him or his team-mates their draw. They may not be quite the mean machine of last season yet but they're getting there, that much seems sure.

A constantly changing line-up in defence has been one of the main problems for Liam Buckley, who after a couple of month of forced alterations, switched last week to a flat back four. Just like the three-man attack (this, remember, is the formation that won the club the league two years ago under Pat Dolan). The new approach will take a little longer to get used to but it's not clear yet whether the changes are really for the best given that Packie Lynch, carrying an injury for much of the game, and Aaron Callaghan generally struggled to cope with Tony Cousins and Graham Lawlor, two players set, it seems, to enjoy a rather fruitful partnership.

Yesterday Lawlor was the star of the show, causing endless trouble around the box and looking happy to drop back deep if it meant an opportunity to run with the ball. The first half goal with which he gave the visitors the lead was a cool finish from close range under a good deal of pressure but his attitude and overall contribution must have pleased the Rovers supporters just as much.

Having turned down a move to Inchicore in favour of linking up with Richardson, the 21 year-old certainly wasn't overawed by visiting the home of the champions. "Teams come here, get a point and go home happy but not us, not today," he said afterwards. "We felt we should have won and we're disappointed to be going away with less than we should have got from the game."

Having led for almost 20 minutes he and the rest of the Rovers camp might feel that they let the additional points slip but St Patrick's know a thing or two about battling their way back from tight corners. While the old hands toiled to get the locals back into it, however, it was a couple of the new boys who got the better of a generally solid defence.

With the visitors having pushed up for a corner the ball broke quickly for young Alan McNevin who showed great pace over 50 metres or so before setting up Marcus Hallows for his third league goal of the campaign. Before the end either side, though more regularly Rovers, might have added to their tally but a point apiece left no-one with too much to complain about.

St Patrick's Athletic: Wood; Croly, Lynch, Callaghan, Donnelly; Gormley, Osam, Russell; Hallows, Molloy, McNevin. Sub: Broughan for Lynch (79 mins).

Shamrock Rovers: Horgan; Britton, Jackson, Palmer, Croly; Byrne, Colwell, Tracey, Woods; Lawlor, Cousins. Subs: Kenny for Tracey (65 mins), Robinson for Byrne (78 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).