Drogheda United 2 St Patrick's Athletic 1: Drogheda United returned to the top of the Premier Division with this hard-earned victory, although St Patrick's Athletic will feel they did enough in the second half to merit a point.

The home side completely dominated the first half, but it was an entirely different story in the second when the visitors took the game to their opponents.

With barely four minutes on the watch Drogheda won a free kick 30 yards from goal. Paul Keegan floated the ball into the box for new captain Jason Gavin, who, completely unmarked, guided his header past goalkeeper Barry Ryan to the net.

United went two up with a quarter of an hour gone when Keegan knocked another free to Shane Robinson on the left which appeared to be going out for a goal kick. But Robinson never gave up the chase as he kept the ball in play and pulled it across into the the box for Eamon Zayed, who cracked home a debut goal for his new club.

St Patrick's threatened for the first time with 31 minutes gone when Sean O'Connor's cross to the back post from the left found Mark Rutherford, who stabbed the ball wide.

Five minutes into the second half Zayed went close to scoring his second when he latched onto a Robinson pass but drove his shot from 15 yards narrowly wide.

St Patrick's were back in the game just 10 minutes into the second half when Graham Gartland tripped Mark Quigley in the penalty area. Alan Reilly took the spot kick which goalkeeper Dan Connor got his hands to but couldn't keep out.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Connor, Lynch, Webb, Gavin, Gartland, Robinson, Whelan, Shelly, Zayed, Keegan, Barrett (Ristila 90).

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Ryan, Murphy (Armstrong 72), Frost, Brennan, Maguire, Mulcahy, O'Connor (Quigley 45), Reilly (Foley 79), Keegan, Molloy, Rutherford.

Referee: Damien Hancock (Dublin)