The gap at the top of the Premier Division table has been reduced from four points to two following this scoreless draw at the Brandywell yesterday. And it was a match league champions St Patrick's could easily have lost.

Derry, battling for a third-place finish, bossed the proceedings throughout the first period and but for the brilliance of St Patrick's goalkeeper Trevor Wood, the champions could have fallen behind in the 39th minute.

A superb run and cross by striker Michael McHugh, saw Martin McCann get his head to the ball but Wood managed to parry the effort from point-blank range before Stephen McGuinness hacked the ball clear.

The Dubliners remained loyal to their 3-5-2 formation and they began to get the upper hand after the break. However, despite enjoying the lion's share of possession, they failed to test Derry goalkeeper David Platt.

Eddie Gormley and Martin Russell played second fiddle to Derry's Eamon Doherty and Paul Hegarty in the centre of the park and it was the home side that carved out another glorious chance in the 65th minute.

Gary Beckett's deep, in-swinging corner was headed back across the face of the goal by McHugh but Paul Curran's sliced shot sailed narrowly wide of the target.

Despite the visitors' introduction of Martin Reilly and Leon Braithwaite in the latter stages, it was Derry who almost had the final say in the 89th minute thanks to the pace of McHugh. Receiving the ball in midfield, the striker raced clear of the visiting defence and after being forced wide by Wood, McHugh successfully cut the ball back into the six-yard area where Packie Lynch hacked it to safety as Darren McCaul raced forward. Afterwards, Derry boss, Kevin Mahon, felt his side should have won. "I felt it was us who played the football and created the chances," he said. "Many will say Pat's shaded the territorial advantage after the break, but I believe that we were the better side throughout the 90 minutes. We had hard luck in front of goal but I can't fault my players. It was a superb performance and they worked so hard for each other," he added.

The Inchicore club's director of football, Pat Dolan, saw the result slightly differently. "I thought it was a fair result and when one takes into account the fact we've taken seven points out of a possible nine from Derry this season, we have to be happy," he said.

"They shaded it in the first half but we come much more into the game after the break. It's always difficult at the Brandywell and today both defences were on top.

"Derry had a few scoring chances but I would admit that we failed to unlock their defence the way we would have liked," he concluded.

Derry City: Platt; D Kelly, Hutton, Curran, M Kelly; Beckett, Hegarty, Doherty, McCann; Coyle, McHugh. Subs: McCaul for Coyle (87 mins).

St Patrick's Athletic: Wood; Hawkins, Lynch, McGuinness; Croly, Gormley, Russell, Osam, Doyle; Gilzean, Molloy. Subs: Reilly for Molloy (70 mins), Braithwaite for Russell (83 mins).

Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).