Time will tell if this was a point gained for Shamrock Rovers, but it couldn’t be described as a point proved on their return to Tallaght after a challenging spell on the road.
Stephen Bradley’s side retain a commanding position at the top of the League of Ireland table with this result leaving them six clear with seven games remaining.
But draws against Derry City and Shelbourne have done enough to give their pursuers St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians a little encouragement, especially as they both must play the defending champions with the Hoops travelling to Inchicore next Friday.
When the tail end of the bitterly disappointing European campaign is added in, Rovers are now six games without a win in all competitions which is bad by their standards yet Bradley may argue that the past week has steadied the ship in a way with the comeback in Derry on Sunday helping to ease anxiety around the fanbase.
They had to suffer a bit of it here too, with Shels taking risks as they went in search of the victory they need for their own reasons.
There was enough activity in this scoreless encounter for both protagonists to construct an argument that they could have taken the spoils.
Ed McGinty made a fine second half stop to deny Odhran Casey, yet Rovers came closest in the final minutes without creating an outstanding opportunity.
The travelling supporters seemed happier when the whistle was blown, even if frustration lingered on all sides.
With Paddy Barrett’s absence from the squad a talking point and Joey O’Brien causing a stir with pre-match comments on Virgin Media, the Reds needed a positive distraction with new boss John Russesll still searching for a first domestic success.
The frustration for all involved with Shels is that on a good day, they can compete with any team in the league but consistency has been sadly lacking.
They competed well throughout, although Rovers started well in an occasion that had a bit more spark than the Conference League first leg with KuPS, a noticeably flat affair despite the high stakes.
Friday night under the lights with an away crowd made for a much better supporter experience.
Still, Shels went on to cause the hosts problems before the break, perhaps trying to replicate European opposition by going direct and looking to use pace to ask questions of the Rovers back three.
The best chance of the first half came when Daniel Kelly stayed onside to race onto a flick from strike partner Rodrigo Freitas but his lob over McGinty drifted wide.
Rovers did have their moments around that with the lively Graham Burke involved in half chances around the area that might have gone in on another day. Shels did pick up bookings for trying to cut out promising Rovers breaks and Russell made a double switch at the break and a tactical tweak which saw Milan Mbeng replace starting right centre half Sean Gannon.
After a period of Shels pressure where Casey’s header was pushed onto the post by McGinty, Bradley needed to mix things up and Burke didn’t look to be chuffed when John McGovern was introduced in a treble sub that looked to be about energy. Will Fitzgerald came in for Jack Byrne with a view to giving Shels something to think about on the flank where Mbeng and Evan Caffrey were doubling up.
There was a basketball feel to the final quarter with opportunities at both ends. McGovern and Jonathan Afolabi advanced with intent on a number of occasions as Rovers didn’t quite exploit space that was available to them.
On the flip side, Shels sub Mipo Odubeko was a threat, yet Rovers blocked his path when it really mattered. Pico Lopes made an important block to help two sides have struggled for clean sheets to alter that statistic without necessarily changing the path of their respective campaigns.