National League/Shamrock Rovers 0 Waterford United 0: In an unusual piece of pre-match promotion from the manager of a club who could do with maximising their ticket revenues, Roddy Collins advised radio listeners this week this game would not be pretty. Sure enough, 2,000-odd supporters were given little to get excited about.

Waterford didn't look the most ambitious of travellers. Rovers - whose officials will meet the FAI this week and who, it was noted in the programme, have not yet ruled out an appeal over last week's eight-point deduction - did at least produce enough going forward to maintain some element of suspense over whether they would get a goal.

But while United already looked to be missing Daryl Murphy up front, they were dogged in defence and midfield and that, for the most part, seemed sufficient to keep the Dubliners at bay.

Collins must have hoped David Mooney's late goal at Richmond Park would have given the striker a little confidence but again the 20-year-old struggled to make his mark, most notably just before the break when Pat Purcell's error just outside his six-yard box might have been punished had the Rovers player's thinking been a fraction quicker.

Lee Feeney was anonymous and the home side's attack brightened significantly after Collins replaced the northerner with Bernard Daniel at half-time and Trevor Molloy moved from the wing to his more familiar role up front.

Still it took Jason Gavin to draw the first decent save of the night from Wayne Russell 10 minutes into the second period with a 30-yard shot.

At the other end United had little to offer and a couple of early crosses aside, Murphy had almost nothing to deal with until a deflected David Mulcahy shot required an awkward stop just short of the hour.

In front of him the home side's defence coasted through, playing many cross-field balls to each other.

Late on there was a half-decent penalty claim when Mooney went down under pressure from Purcell but it wasn't given and United got the point you sensed they'd come looking for.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; Gavin, McGuinness, Gough (O'Halloran, 39 mins); Molloy, McDonagh, McDonnell (Rutherford, 62 mins), Doyle; McCourt; Mooney, Feeney (Daniel, half-time).

WATERFORD UNITED: Russell; Andrews, Breen, Purcell, Browne; Yelverton, Reynolds (Grant, 65 mins), Mulcahy, Heffernan; Sullivan; Doyle (Bruton, 78 mins).

Referee: H Whoriskey (Meath).