St Patrick's Athletic ... 1 Bohemians ... 1: St Patrick's Athletic's recent title challenges seem to be as often constructed on Martin Russell's dead-ball gifts as Bohemians' is on Glen Crowe's knack for finding the net from play.

In an excellent game at Inchicore last night both men performed their party pieces to ensure both clubs remained unbeaten in this season's increasingly promising championship race.

From early on it was clear we were in for a very different game to last week's one here involving Shelbourne. Where Pat Fenlon's side had almost entirely lacked penetration, Bohemians showed from the opening minutes that they would test Seamus Kelly and his generally formidable back four.

Darragh Maguire and Co had barely left Kelly with a shot to save in the cup game but the pressure from Bohemians was far more telling, with a stronger showing in midfield ensuring Crowe and Paul Keegan spent much of the opening period lurking ominously on the edge of the St Patrick's area.

Prior to the goal Bohemians' best chance had probably been their first, and that had come just five minutes in when Keegan set Stephen Caffrey clear down the right and his low cross prompted a desperate scramble in the six yard box during which Crowe, Keegan, Bobby Ryan and Mark Rutherford all attempted to turn the ball home before Kelly recovered to gather.

The early part of the move was typical of the sort of movement that gave Bohemians the edge in the first half, with Keegan slipping back into midfield to help his side's build ups and Rutherford as well as Caffrey made important contributions to the attack.

Caffrey went close himself with a firmly struck shot from 20 yards not long after but as usual Crowe posed the greatest threat for Bohemians with the ability of the 24- year-old to break at speed into the box causing constant problems for the home side's central defence.

In the 17th minute it was left to Kelly to save the day when he beat the menacing Crowe to a bouncing ball but he ended up carrying the ball well outside his area. Refereee Hugh Byrne settled for showing the keeper a yellow card.

At the other end Pat Dolan's side went close a couple of times and either Ger McCarthy or Tony Bird might have opened the scoring had their finishing been better. Inevitably, though, that honour went to Crowe, whose eighth goal in as many games this season came after Bobby Ryan and Caffrey quickly moved a Kelly kick out back up field and the striker then held off Foley's challenge to slip the ball past Kelly and in off the foot of the left-hand post.

Dolan's side began to step up the pace as the game moved into stoppage time, with Ger McCarthy having a volley deflected wide by Simon Webb before the break.

The improvement was sustained after the turnaround with the home side taking control of a contest in which the league leaders now found themselves on the back foot.

Having defended fairly effectively against set pieces in the opening period they were could only stand and stare as Russell's first of the second came crashing back off the inside of the right post and when Michael Holt struck a shot on the turn from just inside the area not long afterwards that too looked to be heading for the top corner only to curl, agonisingly left and wide.

By then an equaliser was starting to seem inevitable and to the delight of the home support it arrived with a quarter of an hour to play when Russell's low drive from 15 yards out was pushed beyond Ashley Bayes' reach by Caffrey's attempted block.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Kelly; Croly, Foley, Maguire, Marney; Donnelly, Russell, Osam; Hughes (Holt, 56 mins), McCarthy (Kelly, 86 mins), Bird.

BOHEMIANS: Bayes; Lynch, Coughlan, McNally, Webb; Ryan, Caffrey, Hunt, Rutherford; Crowe, Keegan (Harkin, 67 mins).

Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).