St Patrick's Athletic see off Shelbourne in Tolka Park classic

Shelbourne suffered another serious stumble in their faltering title race, falling to a painful and dramatic defeat at the hands of St Patrick’s Athletic.

Joe Redmond and Brandon Kavanagh gave the Saints a two-goal cushion heading into the final quarter-hour before Rayhaan Tulloch and Matty Smith got Shels back in the game.

A raucous and hopeful Tolka Park roared the Reds towards a winner, however, it was Saints substitute Al-Amin Kazeem who played the role of villain, nicking a dramatic late goal and silencing Richmond Road.

The end of the match was mired in further drama as tempers flared on the touchline and the pitch, culminating in a late red card for substitute Smith.

While Shelbourne will dominate the headlines, Stephen Kenny’s Saints are marching towards the European spots with a five-game winning run to boast.

Despite tonight's bruising loss at the hands of his former boss, Damien Duff and Shelbourne remain four points clear atop the SSE Airtricity League table.

With only one league win in their last nine attempts, and without a home win since June, this really should be title-ending form.

However, in this weirdest of seasons – where their rivals have also become experts in self-sabotage – Duff’s forces are still just four games from history.

They are inching towards their first league title in 18 years, however, most concerning for locals around here is the fact that their nearest rivals Derry have a crucial game in hand.

Sunday’s trip to Shamrock Rovers could yet define the Reds' season before final matches against Drogheda, Waterford and then Derry.

Conscious of how important his squad is at this stage of the season, Duff made five changes from last Friday’s draw with Sligo.

Aiden O’Brien came in to lead the line, while