St Patrick's now within touching distance

They'll have to wait until at least tomorrow for it to be confirmed, but St Patrick's Athletic moved to within a whisker of completing a successful defence of their FAI National League Premier Division title at Tolka Park last night.

A first half goal from Colin Hawkins proved enough to give them a win over the last club to achieve back-to-back titles, 12 years ago, and enough, too, to send St Patrick's six points clear of Cork City at the top of the table.

It'll will take wins over Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers, as well as a fairly significant favour from Bray, who complete their programme at Richmond Park, if Cork are now to steal the title.

Mick Byrne said before last night's game that his men wouldn't make it easy for St Patrick's. To their credit, the Rovers players lived up to their manager's pre-match talk.

The Rovers team had a makeshift look about it, with Robert Forde back in goal for the injured Tony O'Dowd, Billy Woods filling in at left wing back and Jason Colwell getting a taste of life as a sweeper. But still the home side coped fairly well and through much of the first period they attempted, valiantly, to take the game to the defending champions.

Not for the first time this season, Byrne's side weren't rewarded for their bravery, while they were once again exposed by the characteristic defensive weaknesses that have cost them in the big games this season.

Forde, for starters, looked no more reliable than back in September when Byrne felt the need to shell out for a replacement. Nor, under any sort of genuine pressure, did the men in front of him.

Trevor Croly was the first to highlight the home side's fragility when, after a neat exchange with Trevor Molloy, he cut the ball across the face of goal. Forde fumbled and the surprise of finding the ball so unexpectedly at his feet is the kindest excuse that could be made for Reilly's subsequent miss from a couple of yards.

Things didn't get much better for the Rovers goalkeeper until just after the half hour. Then, with his defence exposed by Reilly's cross, Forde saved Paul Osam's close-range header brilliantly. The only problem was that, scarcely before he had had a chance to dust himself off properly, Billy Woods failed to cut out Martin Russell's corner from the right and Hawkins buried the loose ball to give his side the lead.

It could have been worse, a lot worse, for the Galwayman not long after, for his diving challenge on Molloy, as the St Patrick's striker pushed the ball around him just inside the box, was promptly punished with a penalty kick. Referee Aidan O'Regan leniency in only showing a yellow card, though, was quickly followed by a second let-off as Molloy hit the penalty to the wrong side of the left-hand post.

As the second half wore on it seemed that Molloy would get the opportunity to make amends, but towards the end, with the local support incensed by the burning of a Rovers flag on the far side of the ground, the grip that Liam Buckley's side had taken on the match began to loosen.

In the closing minutes Jason Sherlock threatened more than once to grab an equaliser and when he went down under pressure inside a packed area with just seconds left to play, the excitement in the stands threatened to spill out on to the pitch.

Knocking out results in whatever way they've had to has given St Patrick's their edge this season, though, and once again they scrambled through to the end for a win that will, barring a remarkable turnaround over the next eight days, pave the way for a third title in four years.

Galway United won promotion to the Premier Division last night when goals from Gareth Gorman and Eric Lavine gave them a 2-0 win over Cobh at Terryland Park.

Shamrock Rovers: Forde; Whelan, Colwell, Palmer; Tracey, O'Neill, Britton, Kenny, Woods; Sherlock, O'Connor. Subs: Murray for O'Neill (64 mins).

St Patrick's: Wood; McGuinness, Lynch, Hawkins; Croly, Morgan, Osam, Russell, Clarke; Molloy, Reilly. Subs: Burke for Osam (70 mins), Gormley for Russell (77 mins), Gilzean for Molloy (91 mins).

Referee: A O'Regan (Cork).