FOR MORE than an hour of this clash between sides with very different priorities for the rest of the season, it was difficult to tell from events on the pitch which team was struggling and which still had their eye on the championship at the season's end.

Nobody, it was clear however, had to tell Athlone that they desperately needed something out of this game for they battled away from the outset, created most of the best chances and survived some desperate scrapes at the back only to beaten by a solitary goal which came from a Stephen Geoghegan far post header in the 66th minute.

At the time it seemed like rough justice for Michael O'Connor's side who had previously drawn the only real saves in the match but over the closing half an hour their hosts justified the goal by finally taking control of a game in which the pace was scorching but the movement scrappy.

O'Connor has said repeatedly that draws are no longer good enough for his side and the three man attack he opted for really should have had his side in front at the break.

Unfortunately for them, however, the conditions didn't favour any sort of control under pressure and on the rare occasions that they did manage to get in some clean shooting Alan Gough proved equal to his task.

The Shelbourne keeper earned his keep in the 39th minute when he did well to stop from the impressive Warren Parkes and superbly to save the follow up from Conor Frawley.

After that he was hardly called on again and Athlone's best chance of the second period fell to Parkes, with a quarter of an hour to play, who linked up neatly with Tommy Gaynor only to squander his chance by shooting early.

By that stage his side were in search of an equaliser rather than the lead after Gary Howlett's corner had been missed by Tony Sheridan but met perfectly by Geoghegan and it was from that point on that the hosts began to string together some more penetrating movements against their tiring opponents.

Five minutes after the goal Robbie Devereux might have doubled the lead when he benefitted from the fine work of Greg Costello and Howlett but not for, the first time Shane Curran had only to stand his ground in order to make the save.

The intervention of Frank Darby prevented Geoghegan from getting his second shortly afterwards following a cross from the left by Sheridan but it was the former Coventry man himself who almost provided a most spectacular goal when he let fly from the edge of the area only to see his shot curl away wide and over the left hand angle.

By that stage there was little that the visitors could to halt their slide but Val Keenan did force a late stop from Gough which the keeper did well to hold in the face of a few desperate poachers.