Pat's edge out Shels after Mulraney stunner

Jake Mulraney proved the match-winner thanks to a stunning free kick, worthy of winning any game.

In front of a bumper crowd in the South Dublin sunshine, it was the Saints who went marching on with their third 1-0 win in a row over Damien Duff's Shelbourne.

It was the visitors who started the brighter in a fast and frenetic opening period and could have been in front after just four minutes.

Sean Boyd did well to win the ball high up and saw it fall kindly to his strike partner Jack Moylan.

The pacy front man drove at the Pat's defence and was desperately unlucky to see his curling effort miss the foot of the post by inches.

Having this week collected his Republic of Ireland men's U18 Player of the Year award, Sam Curtis proved why there is so much hype around him with a strong performance against one of the league's more physical front men in Boyd.

The visitors continued to flow forward.

Andrew Quinn played a clever one-two with Boyd, the centre back continuing his run, before delivering a low cross to the front post but where Moylan was a hair's breadth away from tapping home.

Minutes later Jamie Lennon had the home fans off their seats with a stinging drive from 30-yards out that Conor Kearns eventually gathered at the second attempt

The hosts finished the half much stronger and somehow failed to take the lead after two almighty goalmouth scrambles in quick succession.

Anto Breslin delivered a deep cross to the back post, finding Jake Mulraney, who saw his header come back off the post. Ben McCormack looked to have an open goal on the follow up but his attempt blocked and cleared off the line by Gavin Molloy.