Premier Division round-up: Shelbourne play out stalemate with Derry while Dundalk win away

Shelbourne’s hopes of a top-three finish are all but over after they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Derry City on Friday night.

Damien Duff’s side played most of the game with a man advantage after Sadou Diallo was dismissed early in the first-half.

But a combination of good Derry City defending and goalkeeper Brian Maher's heroics denied them a win. 

Shels were even had a goal chalked off by referee Rob Hennessy after Jack Moylan was adjudged to have handled the ball in the act of scoring. 

The Reds remain in fifth but are just a point behind fourth placed Bohemians with two games left to play. 

If they finish fourth, Shels would need St Pat’s to win the FAI Cup to qualify for the Europa Conference League next season.

Meanwhile, Dundalk picked up a morale-boosting 2-0 victory away to Sligo Roves at the Showgrounds.

Daryl Horgan gave Stephen O’Donnell’s misfiring Lilywhites the lead in the 20th minute.

And recent recruit Sam Durrant ensured their win by scoring in the 88th minute. 

The result keeps Dundalk in sixth while Sligo are eighth and nine points clear of Cork City in the relegation play-off place. 

Elsewhere, Bohs blew their chance to jump above St Patrick’s Athletic and into third place in the table as they lost 2-0 to the Saints on Friday night.

A Mark Doyle header and a lucky Conor Carty goal late on inflicted a defeat on Bohs that leaves Declan Devine’s men four points behind the Saints who have a game in hand and are in the guaranteed European spots.

The win for the Athletic is a confidence booster for them as they will face the same opposition in next month’s FAI Cup Final.