Sligo Rovers will go into a relegation six-pointer with Galway United on Monday level on points with the Tribesmen after they were pegged back by Drogheda United at the Showgrounds.
Ryan O'Kane had fired the Bit O'Red into the lead on the stroke of half-time, but the Boynesiders levelled the game early in the second half courtesy of a Paul Doyle penalty.
It was John Russell's Rovers who took this game to their opponents early on.
Golden boy Owen Elding struck the Drogheda post after eleven minutes, while O'Kane fizzed a driven effort wide of Luke Dennison's post on the follow up.
Finding joy down their left side, Rovers went close again on 25 minutes when from defending their own penalty area, the hosts hit Drogheda on the counter.
Jad Hakiki's through ball found Elding who was denied by Dennison who did just enough to take the pace off the shot as he looked to sneak the ball under the Calfornian.
Dennison showed his value again on the half hour when he went down low to scoop Seb Quirk's pot-shot over his crossbar.
Doherty reacted to his side's struggles by bringing on the experienced Ryan Brennan on and this affected the flow of the occasion straight away.
Brennan, Conor Keeley and Darragh Markey all went close for Drogheda as they chased the lead.
Sligo wrestled back control of this tie and went ahead in added time. Having pulled another impressive stop from Dennison, O'Kane was not to be disappointed with his next effort as he dragged his strike beyond the goalkeeper from the edge of the Drogheda box.
The Louth men, who made a trio of changes at the break, were then gifted a way back into the game early in the second period. Paddy McClean handled the ball inside his own area, allowing former Sligo midfielder Doyle to dispatch the resulting spot-kick.
Quirk's determination resulted in him blasting over again on 73 minutes, before Hakiki lashed an effort from distance off Dennison's crossbar 90 seconds later in what was a tense second period.
Both Drogs' Thomas Oluwa and Rovers' Matty Wolfe spurned great chances to claim the spoils late on for their respective sides.
Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Edwin Agbaje (Matty Wolfe 78), John Mahon, Paddy McClean, Sean Stewart (Cian Kavangh 62); James McManus (Conor Reynolds 88), Seb Quirke; Will Fitzgerald, Jad Hakiki, Ryan O'Kane; Owen Elding.
Drogheda United: Luke Dennison; James Bolger (Frank Cooper 66), Andrew Quinn, Conor Keeley; Conor Kane (Kieran Cruise HT), Owen Lambe; Warren Davis (Shane Farell HT), Paul Doyle (Thomas Oluwa 76), Darragh Markey (Fuhad Kareem HT), Luke Heeney; Josh Thomas (Ryan Brennan 34).
Referee: Marc Lynch.
