Damien Richardson might have preferred to blame the referee for his side's defeat at Inchicore yesterday but it was hard to have too much sympathy for a team that saw enough of the ball in the vicinity of their opponents' goal to take something more than a grudge home with them.

Once again it was the home side's standard one-two from free-kicks, the combination of Martin Russell's boot and Paul Osam's head that provided the decisive goal of the game.

That the free, for handball against Archie Byrne some eight or 10 yards wide of the box might have been a little harsh is certainly open to question. But even if it was, it wasn't the worst decision Paul McKeon made in a contest that grew more fraught with each passing minute of the second period, merely the most costly for the visitors.

Rovers, in fact, had chances in both halves to take more from the game and, particularly in the first, should have taken sufficient control of their destiny to ensure no one refereeing decision, not to mention the failure to prevent Osam meeting Russell's free with a clean header five yards from goal, would cost them even a share of the points.

Like their opponents, though, Rovers struggled to create chances to match their approach work in the opening 45 minutes.

When Sean Francis headed Billy Woods's driven cross past Seamus Kelly, the visitors deserved their lead. But they were made to pay for their inability to get more decisively on top just before the break when, moments after Greg Costello had forced a good save with a long-range effort, Mbabazi tapped home Liam Kelly's looping shot to equalise.

When the second half resumed St Pat's immediately seized the initiative, scoring what turned out to be the winner and then going on the offensive as Rovers were increasingly stretched at the back.

But Rovers did have their chances: seven minutes into the second period, Pat Scully's firm header from the centre of the box came crashing back off the foot of the left-hand post and midway through the half Costello squandered a fine shooting opportunity.

But ultimately, the industry of the St Pat's defensive effort ensured the visitors could hardly have been said to have been all that hard done by.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Kelly; Croly, Foley, Maguire, Burke (Donnelly, 18 mins), Marney, Osam, Russell (Doyle, 85 mins), Mbabazi, Kelly, Griffin (McCarthy, 80 mins).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Costello, Scully, Palmer, Byrne, Kenny, Colwell, Deans (Robinson, 74 mins), Woods, T Grant (Cousins, 74 mins), Francis (S Grant, 84 mins).

Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).