St Patrick's Ath 0 Drogheda Utd 0:Drogheda were second best and forced to share the night's prize. But with the biggest bounty of all tucked up at home they'll hardly care. The point was sufficient to sugar coat their seven-point winning margin at the summit.
St Patrick's, who had already boxed off second spot, finished the season superbly and that momentum should have gone rewarded here.
But they were dealt an early blow when goalkeeper Brendan Clarke picked up a knock in the warm-up. Robbie Horgan, the club's goalkeeping coach, was summoned from the bench. Any concerns the 39-year-old would be off the pace proved unfounded as he produced an array of crucial interventions.
Although St Patrick's dictated much of the early play, Drogheda were confident pushing forward but Horgan denied Guy Bates and Eamon Zayed. The hosts, though, deserved to lead at the break but were denied by heroic defending. Stuart Byrne headed Billy Gibson's effort off the line and, soon after, the same player was denied as Jason Gavin hurled himself at a goal-bound drive.
Keith Fahey thought he had broken the deadlock but his second-half free was clawed to safety by Dan Connor. Alan Kirby then skimmed the bar with a long-range drive.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Horgan; Brennan, Maguire, Paisley (Frost 19), Rogers; Fahey, Gibson, Keane, Kirby; Quigley (Ndo 77), O'Neill (Fitzpatrick 26).
DROGHEDA UNITED: Connor; Shelly, Gavin (Ristila 65), Gartland, Cahill; Robinson, Keegan, Stuart, Keddy; Zayed, Bates (Grant 84).
Referee: R Winter (Dublin)
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