A point a piece did little for either team's cause as Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers played out a scoreless draw at the Showgrounds.
Europe chasing Wanderers now sit eight points off third while the Bit O'Red continue to languish in the drop zone, two points off safety with more games played than their relegation rivals.
Sligo are the only top-flight team not to win on the road in the league this season. With upcoming games away to champions elect Cork City and relegation rivals Finn Harps and Galway in mind, the pressure was on the westerners to take the points from this one.
Greg Moorhouse could only hit fresh-air from a profitable position as he swiped at Tobi Adebayo-Rowling's cross from the right two minutes in, frustrating an already anxious home crowd.
Rovers shaded the early exchanges but struggled to test Peter Cherrie in the Bray goal.
The Wicklow men fashioned chances of their own, albeit from distance.
Micheál Schlingermann got behind Gary McCabe's stinger from 25 yards on 22 minutes while McCabe had the Mayo man scrambling to his front post to collect his swerving free-kick before the break.
The second half was 25 minutes old when the game's next chance arrived. Sligo's Kyle Callan-McFadden mis-controlled his attempted clearance before the ball fell to the dangerous McCabe who was again denied by Schlingermann.
The Sligo goalkeeper was called into action by the same man again on 81 minutes as Wanderers looked the more likely to steal the points late on. Allowed to run into space in front of the Rovers area, McCabe's attempt to find the bottom corner was once more thwarted by a smart Schlingermann stop.
Bray substitute Kevin Lynch was next to go close as he fired a low shot past the Sligo post from the angle.
Sligo Rovers: Micheál Schlingermann; Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Kyle Callan-McFadden, Seamus Sharkey, Regan Donelon; Daniel Kearns (Raffaele Cretaro 60), Craig Roddan, Rhys McCabe, John Russell (Omar Haughton 72), Greg Moorhouse; Benny Igiehon (Vinny Faherty 73).
Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Hugh Douglas, Conor Kenna, Tim Clancy, Karl Moore (Kevin Lynch 74); Ryan Brennan (Darragh Noone 87), Mark Salmon, John Sullivan, Aaron Greene; Gary McCabe; Ger Pender (Jason Marks 64).
Referee: Rob Rogers
