National League Premier Division/St Patricks Athletic - 2 Shelbourne - 2: Shelbourne's poor start to the season continued at Richmond Park last night when they had to come from 2-0 down to share the points in this scrappy game.
There was plenty of excitement around Inchicore in advance of this clash as it's been a few seasons since St Pat's were ahead of Shelbourne in the table.
Meetings between these foes have always been intriguing, and were at their most frenzied when Pat's were pipped by Shelbourne to the 2002 title on a technicality.
Since then Pat's have fallen way off the pace and even flirted with relegation while Shelbourne went within a whisker of the Champions League proper.
But Shelbourne underachieved last term, and Pat's were boosted by shrewd pre-season signings which have helped propel them to unexpected heights.
Two of those new signings combined to create the opening goal after just three minutes.
After Owen Heary had conceded a throw-in on the left Paul Keegan took possession at the edge of Shelbourne penalty area and ambled through the defence before pulling the ball back to the unmarked Mark Rutherford, who fired home from 15 yards.
Predictably, the concession of that sloppy goal injected some urgency into the Shelbourne attack, but the home side again drew blood after 17 minutes.
Seán O'Connor lofted in a delightful left-wing cross to Trevor Molloy, who had the simple task of heading the ball home from three yards out.
St Pat's didn't create any more chances during the rest of the first half, but they were rarely threatened at the back even though Jason Byrne sent a couple of headers narrowly wide.
Shelbourne eventually pulled a goal back after 56 minutes when Byrne headed home David Crawley's cross. Upon the resumption Pat's defender John Frost fell after a tackle from Shelbourne's Owen Heary, who was subsequently dismissed along with Pat's striker Keegan, after he waded into a 19-man-melee.
Frost later re-entered the fray, but there were to be two more casualties during the final half-hour of a bruising battle.
St Pat's winger O'Connor was stretchered off, and Shelbourne's Dave Rodgers followed him before the visitors stole a scarcely deserved equaliser with seven minutes remaining.
Former Cork City star Ollie Cahill provided the cross for defender Colin Hawkins, and he rose highest to direct a looping header to the Saints' net from 15 yards out.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Ryan; Quigley, Frost, Brennan, Maguire; Mulcahy, O'Connor (Larsen 70 mins), Foley (Perth 76 mins), Rutherford; Keegan, Molloy (Quigley 86 mins)
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Hawkins, Crawley, Rodgers (Dillon 73 mins); Ryan (Baker 56 mins), Ndo, Crawford, Cahill; Byrne (Harris 88 mins), Crowe.
Referee: A Kelly (Cork)
