Waterford head for the play-offs

League of Ireland championship Premier Division/Shamrock Rovers 0 Waterford Utd 0:A year after leaving the place with a championship medal in his pocket, the clean sheet Dean Delaney kept at Tolka Park last night helped Waterford United to keep their noses just in front of Longford and avoid automatic relegation to the first division.

The lack of a goal at the other end, though, combined with the results at Bray and Galway, means that Gareth Cronin's men are bound for the play-offs for the sixth time.

On the balance of play a win for United would have been desperately harsh on Rovers, who despite having taken just two points from their previous six outings looked much more lively here than some of the visitors' rivals seemed to expect during the build-up to the game.

The fear had been that Pat Scully would use the game to blood young players for next year but the faces were mostly well known and their determination to get something out of what was at times a fiercely contested game was beyond doubt.

The hosts had the better of an open if slightly chaotic second half and might have won the game had Ger Rowe been able to finish either one of two clear-cut scoring chances late on.

Still, the most memorable miss by some margin was Vinny Sullivan's two minutes from time, the former Cork City striker failing to turn home a low Willie John Kiely from a couple of yards for the goal that would have secured top-flight status.

It was exciting stuff certainly but must have been hugely frustrating for United's bench and supporters. Cronin had said beforehand that his side would look to win the match and then see what happened elsewhere, and sure enough his players took the game to their opponents, having the best of it from early on even if they struggled to create real chances.

Rovers looked vulnerable through the opening stages down the left and there were a couple of occasions when Ray Scully, Pat Flynn and Kiely impressed with their build-up work only to fluff their attempts to move the ball into the box.

But it was from the other flank that United's most promising move of the first half came, Kiely making ground and then space before unleashing a shot Barry Murphy did well to parry just beyond Sullivan.

As the contest progressed, however, it became more and more open, with plenty of chances for either side to take the lead.

Rovers, however, paid for their inability to get their final ball right but Rowe made a major impact and was unfortunate not to break the deadlock.

Perhaps United would have pursued the win with a little more abandon had they not been aware of events up at Flancare Park. Having had to settle for the point, though, they must now wait to see which of the first division sides emerges from the first play-off with the intention of replacing them in the top flight.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; O'Brien, O'Connor, Ferguson, Clarke; Creevey, Shiels, Tyrell (Mulhall, 53 mins), Cassidy; Myler (Rowe, 61 mins), Doyle (Coleman, 65 mins).

WATERFORD UNITED: Delaney; Flynn, Breen, Hayes (Browne, 89 mins), Hedderman; Scully, Warren, Mulcahy, McCarthy; Kiely, Sullivan.

Referee: P Whelan (Dublin).