Shelbourne’s eircom First Division title hopes were dealt another blow after they were held by Athlone Town in a compelling encounter at Tolka Park, writes Séamus Leonard.
Town held the lead at half-time thanks to Jason McCartney, but two goals shortly after the interval from Darren Forsyth put Shels in front.
A brace from John Mernagh restored Athlone’s lead before Mark Rutherford rescued a point for Shels when his cross-cum-shot squeezed in three minutes from time.
Both sides finished with ten men after Shelbourne’s Gary McCabe and Town’s Jim Sheridan saw red.
The hosts almost took an early lead when David Freeman tried to sneak a 20-yard free-kick in at Ciaran Kelly’s near post but the former Longford Town man pulled his effort narrowly wide.
Injuries to key players such as Anthony Flood and Alan Keely, allied to a few new arrivals, meant that Shels’ line-up had a much different look to the one that had the Drumcondra side on top of the table earlier in the season.
Shels had regular left-back Robbie Hedderman filling in at centre-back, with veteran winger Mark Rutherford asked to take the number three jersey.
The home rearguard was exposed down the left in the tenth minute when Mernagh stole in behind to crash a shot off the underside of the crossbar and McCartney was on hand to tap in from close range to give Athlone the lead with their first real attack.
Shels should have equalised after 20 minutes when Forsyth, who joined from UCD during the week, brilliantly blocked down a clearance from Kelly.
However, the league debutant showed hesitancy when he should have just blasted home and the combination of a block by Kelly and some scrambling defence from Town kept the visitors in front.
The home side showed a bit better mid-way through the first-half, with Rutherford forcing Kelly into action with a shot from outside the area that the Town stopper did well to hold onto.
Athlone continued to look dangerous on the break, with Mernagh’s pace and trickery causing Shels captain Damien Brennan a few nervous moments.
Shels manager Dermot Keely introduced McCabe for Freeman and the diminutive winger was instrumental in a fine move that finished with Philly Gorman shooting straight at Kelly.
Keely couldn’t have been impressed by what he saw in the opening period, but whatever he had to say during the interval certainly worked.
The half wasn’t even two minutes old when a speculative long ball from Hedderman eluded the Athlone defence and Forsyth read the situation perfectly to run on to collect possession before shooting home low and to the right of Kelly.
Amazingly, the hosts were in front two minutes later when Forsyth powered home a close-range header from an excellent right-wing cross by McCabe.
But the lead lasted less than ten minutes. Athlone substitute Ian Coffey was found with time and space in the Shels box but his shot came back off the upright.
Luckily for Town, Mernagh showed great poaching instincts to follow up and apply the necessary finish to bring his side level.
Shelbourne were then reduced to ten men in the 68th minute when McCabe received a straight red after referee Conor Fitzgerald was alerted to an off-the-ball incident by his assistant Paula Brady.
Forsyth had a great chance to grab a hat-trick when he was cleverly played in by Rutherford but the striker only muster a tired-looking attempt.
Town then lost their numerical advantage when Jim Sheridan picked up a second yellow for a cynical foul on Gorman as the game geared up for a pulsating finish.
The Midlanders then looked to have secured the three points in the 86th minute after a long through ball from Nigel Keady found Mernagh in acres of space and he raced away before rifling a shot into the bottom right corner of Dean Delaney’s net.
But there was another twist in the tale as almost straight from the kick-off Rutherford got to the by-line and his cross was adjudged to have gone straight in, though Gorman’s presence played a part in the goal.
Mernagh almost secured the match ball for himself when he brilliantly turned James Keddy to again leave himself one-on-one with Delaney but this time the Shelbourne stopper read the forward’s intentions and got a vital hand to the Athlone man’s shot.
Referee Fitzgerald hadn’t endeared himself to the Shels faithful during the game but he made them livid when he decided that five goals, four substitutions and two dismissals amounted to just two minutes of second-half injury-time.
Shelbourne: Delaney; Chambers, Hedderman, Brennan (c), Rutherford; Freeman (McCabe 33 mins), O’Brien, McAllister (McGill, 64), Keddy; Forsyth, Gorman.
Athlone Town: Kelly; Rossiter (c), Keady, Sheridan, Reilly; Maloney (Hamm, 81 mins), Jinks, Russo, McCartney (Fallon, 58), Lavine (Coffey, 52), Mernagh.
Referee: Conor Fitzgerald.
