Shamrock Rovers - 0 St Patrick's Athletic - 0: Shamrock Rovers' first game under the stewardship of their new owners was celebrated in quite a party atmosphere at Dalymount Park last night, but the team's inconsistency still continues to haunt them.

A win would have secured Rovers back-to-back victories in the league for the first time since November but, despite dominating throughout, Roddy Collins's side were not clinical enough to finish off their opponents, who also lacked creativity going forward.

Failure to put daylight between themselves and bottom side Finn Harps is not just frustrating for all concerned but also worrying, as the club is now midway through a crucial four-week run of "six-pointers" where a decisive move for survival is required.

Rovers were first to find their footing and, after a series of inventive breaks forward, forced Barry Ryan to tip the ball around his post when Mark Rutherford shot from 25 yards after 11 minutes.

Marc Kenny pulled the strings in midfield and was the architect of much of the home side's best work and, consequently, St Patrick's were at their busiest in defence.

After 33 minutes, Trevor Molloy turned Barry Prenderville in the box and cut the ball back for Robbie Manley, who would have had a clear shot on goal but for Darragh Maguire's crucial, lunging intervention.

Some 10 minutes later, Maguire forced the Rovers goalkeeper, Barry Murphy, to make a smart save at the other end.

He headed Stephen Quigley's cross toward Murphy's bottom corner but the goalkeeper got down quickly to steer it clear and was alert to smother the ball as Keith Dunne followed up.

Rutherford excelled after the break and caused endless problems for Quigley down the left. On 56 minutes he exchanged neat passes with Willo McDonagh and played the midfielder into a promising position only for Ryan to race off his line and clear.

St Patrick's suddenly threatened against the run of play when, on 74 minutes, Chris Armstrong, amid some chaotic Rovers defending, skied the ball over the bar from six yards with the goal at his mercy.

The game fizzled out in the closing stages and, despite the introduction of last week's goal hero, Tony Sheridan, Rovers could not make the breakthrough against a St Patrick's side that spent most of the second half, and indeed the game, on the back foot.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; Sweetman, Shelley, McDonnell, Doyle; O'Connor, McDonagh, Kenny, Rutherford; Manley, Molloy. Subs: Roche for O'Connor (50), Sheridan for Manley (59).

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Ryan; Quigley, Prenderville, Maguire, Frost; Dunne, Donnelly, Maher, O'Connor; Rowe, Armstrong . Subs: Smith for Rowe (87).

Referee: A O'Regan (Cork).