Shamrock Rovers 1 Derry City 1:STEPHEN KENNY'S tactical astuteness prevented Shamrock Rovers from extending their lead at the top of the table as his Derry City came from behind to take a deserved point from Tallaght Stadium.

At one stage during last night’s games, Rovers looked to be going six points clear, as they led and St Patrick’s were behind in Dundalk. This morning Rovers’ lead remains at three points.

In an intriguing contest, both sides packed midfield with one main striker. But each passed the ball from the first whistle, creating half chances early on through Derry’s James McClean and Rovers Ronan Finn respectively.

Rovers were enjoying much more of the early possession in midfield, though, to the extent they forced Derry into a tactical switch as early as 23 minutes.

Eddie McCallion came in at right-back to replace nominal striker Patrick McEleney, who’d started on the right wing. Barry Molloy moved from right-back to midfield with Gareth McGlynn switching from the middle to his more orthodox wide right role.

But if he’d been unhappy with his side’s shape, Kenny won’t have been pleased with their defending either as they found themselves a goal behind two minutes later.

Scarcely having broken sweat, McCallion was out-jumped by Gary McCabe from impressive right-back Pat Sullivan’s deep cross from the right. The looping header beat Ger Doherty to dip in under his crossbar.

Apart from the concession of that goal, the switch appeared to work for Derry who soon began to enjoy good possession.

However pleasing that may have been, the fact they never once worked Alan Mannus in the Rovers goal before the interval will have been a bone of contention between Kenny and his players at the break.

But Derry were well on top in the middle of the park in the second half and they got their rewards with an equaliser from a corner on 64 minutes. McClean swept the ball into the near post where Eamon Zayed’s glancing header hit the net for his 12th league goal of the season.

A brilliant piece of defending by Derry’s Stewart Greacen, who nicked the ball off fellow Scot Gary Twigg’s toe from McCabe’s low cross, prevented Rovers regaining the lead within two minutes.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan (Turner, 75 mins), Sives, Murray, Stevens; Sheppard (Dennehy, 62 mins), O’Donnell (Rice, 68 mins), Finn, McCormack, McCabe; Twigg.

DERRY CITY: Doherty; Molloy, Greacen, S. McEleney, Lafferty; P. McEleney (McCallion, 23 mins), McGlynn, Higgins, Deery, McClean; Zayed.

Referee: Richie Winter (Wicklow).