St Patrick's Athletic - 2 Shelbourne - 2:National League: If St Patrick's Athletic ever needed a decent result it was last night. Going into the game at Richmond Park on the back of three successive league defeats, they needed to stop the rot and get their title ambitions back on track.
And they did so with a much-needed and hard-fought draw over Pat Fenlon's side, who had been hoping to eat into the lead of Bohemians at the top of the table.
However, the home side looked like taking all three points until three minutes from time when Stephen Geoghegan, with his second goal, levelled matters by converting Ollie Cahill's cross.
In fact, Dolan's side could have gone home with nothing as in the 88th minute Seamus Kelly saved brilliantly with his feet to deny Barry Prenderville a late winner.
Despite seeing Paul Marney's first-half opener cancelled out within seconds by Geoghegan, St Patrick's bounced back to restore their lead nine minutes into the second half.
Once again a setpiece did the trick with skipper Colm Foley rising high to head home a Martin Russell free, only for Geoghegan to steal a point for the visitors after 86 minutes.
The St Patrick's opener had come against the run of play, as the visitors had dominated the opening half hour, creating enough chances to have taken the lead. Yet while the openings were there the finishing touch was sadly missing.
And they were definitely left rueing those misses in the 30th minute as Marney was given space around 30 yards from goal and he let fly with a shot low to the corner which gave Shelbourne goalkeeper Chris Bennion no chance.
However, the home side's celebrations were extremely short lived as almost straight from the re-start Shelbourne were back on level terms as Geoghegan's turn and shot from 12 yards out found the back of the net.
Central to most of the visitors' attacks was the wonderfully skilful Wesley Houlihan. It was his jinking run in the ninth minute which set up Davy Byrne, but Saints midfielder Russell recovered to produce a timely clearance.
The first real chance fell to Irish under-21 international Houlihan minutes later as he met Owen Heary's cross, but his header was just wide.
Then in the 19th minute St Patrick's goalkeeper Kelly failed to hold a low Houlihan drive, and as the loose ball drifted out Shelbourne's claim for a penalty after a foul on Mark Roberts was waived away by referee Paul McKeon.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: S Kelly, Croly, Burke, Donnelly, Harris, Foley, Marney, Russell, McCarthy, Levingstone, Bird. Subs: L Kelly for Croly (half-time); Hughes for Levingstone (77 mins).
SHELBOURNE: Bennion, Heary, Crawley, Prenderville, Byrne, Gannon, Roberts, S Byrne, Houlihan, Geoghegan, R Baker. Subs: Crawford for D Byrne (68 mins), Cahill for R Baker (75 mins).
Referee: P McKeon (Dublin)
