Leaders living in high anxiety

Bohemians ... 1 Drogheda United ... 1: In politics it may be a long time, but in football a week can feel like an eternity - as Bohemians are about to find out in the build-up to their now vital top of the table clash with Shelbourne in Tolka Park next Sunday. Emmet Malone reports from Dalymount Park

Before the defeat by St Patrick's last week, Stephen Kenny's side still occupied a commanding position in this increasingly nail-biting championship race. After their failure to win a thrilling encounter with a wonderfully spirited Drogheda last night, however, they now face the prospect of being knocked off top spot for the first time all season if they lose to Pat Fenlon's team next Sunday.

Character, it seems, may now play at least as big a part in deciding the destination of this title as mere footballing ability.

Deprived by a combination of injury and suspension of both first choice strikers and a couple of regulars at the back, this was always going to be a test for the league leaders, but even then the quality of United's display may have come as a bit of a shock.

A goal down to a Stephen Gray strike from the 20th minute and playing well below their best, they may not have been too unnerved by their position at the break, but there was certainly some concern in the stands where their inability to make more of the possession they enjoyed around the United area was watched with growing dismay as the half progressed.

The lack of penetration was all the more of a surprise given the early edginess of Drogheda's debutant goalkeeper, Neil Bennett, and the trouble caused by Bobby Ryan from wide out on the right.

But up front neither Fergal Harkin nor Gary O'Neill appeared to possess the killer instinct when presented with the opportunity to find the net from close range.

O'Neill was increasingly impressive in the second half, but he, in particular, will prefer to forget a couple of the chances he passed up before the interval. Early on Ryan had set him up nicely down the right only for the young striker to slice his low shot wide across the face of Bennett's goal, but his miss five minutes before the interval was much worse. Ryan again was the provider for the 20-year-old who this time knocked the ball past the wrong side of the post from just a couple of yards out.

Bohemians certainly had their moments through the half with Ryan, Kevin Hunt and Harkin producing flashes of the sort of attacking movement that did so much to take them to the top of the league in the first place.

None was so telling as Drogheda's in the 20th minute, though, as Gary Cronin had floated in a perfectly weighted corner from the left and Gray had risen unmarked to head home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Prior to the corner the chance had originally fallen to Declan O'Brien, whose hesitation before shooting after Andy Myler had done well to find him inside the area had given the Bohemians defence time to recover from the visiting side's initially quick break forward.

O'Brien, in fact, always looked dangerous with the striker, who played his football in the Leinster Senior League until a couple of seasons ago, chasing every ball forward relentlessly, holding play up well and showing, more than once, a fine instinct for the whereabouts of a better-placed team-mate.

With the half deep in injury time he might well have doubled his side's lead when he drew a fine stop from Ashley Bayes from six yards.

Cronin then had his chance with the follow up, only for Hunt to get a much needed block in.

But it was in the second half that O'Brien was to come into his own, first racing clear after Cronin had torn the Bohemians defence apart with an angled through ball only to fire low off the post from 20 yards, and then, just moments later, popping up under his crossbar to turn Damien Lynch's goal-bound header wide.

By then the game had developed into an irresistible contest between one side piling forward relentlessly in an attempt to maintain their hard-earned advantage at the top of the table and another who, having not won away this year until their trip to Bray a fortnight ago, clearly believed they had rediscovered the knack.

With Mark Rutherford on for the rather subdued Alan Reilly, however, Bohemians were now running riot on both flanks and for all the visiting side's determination it did seem increasingly difficult to envisage all three points slipping away.

Rutherford, sure enough, played a key role in the equaliser, finding O'Neill just beyond the near post from where, to the huge relief of the home support, the striker this time made no mistake.

Through the closing minutes the title chasers struggled to regain the momentum, and the news that there would be four minutes of injury time was met with some relief. Not as much, though, as their failure to score during it will have generated up the road in Drumcondra.

BOHEMIANS: Bayes; Lynch (Doyle, 70 mins), Hawkins, O'Connor, Webb; Ryan, Hunt, Caffrey, Reilly (Rutherford, half-time); O'Neill, Harkin.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Bennett; Todd, Lynch, Gray; Dunne, O'Connor, Tierney, Cronin, Kelly; Myler (Quinless, 80 mins) , O'Brien.

Referee: A Kelly (Cork)