A TALE of two penalties - one missed, one scored - a red card, a disallowed goal and chances aplenty, but somehow just two goals, as Dundalk clawed back a point against 10-man Shelbourne and could have snatched all three.
Jack Moylan and Rayhaan Tullock were the goalscorers in a breathless Tolka Park clash, on a night when the case for a ‘Duff Cam’ grew even stronger.
Shels’ Shane Farrell was in his manager’s bad books as early as the fourth minute when Archie Davies easily slipped around the Shels man and crossed low into the area.
“Shane, f**king liven up man. S**t,” yelled Duff down the touchline.
Farrell didn’t take heed. His night lasted just six more minutes, thanks to a moment of madness right under the referee’s nose.
Damien McGraith had just awarded the visitors a penalty after Tullock’s heel was clipped by Andrew Quinn when Ward and Farrell clashed right in front of the official.
Farrell raised his hand to the diminutive attacker’s face and, although contact seemed minimal, Ward tumbled to the turf and McGraith had no choice but to send the Shels man off.
Meanwhile Robbie Benson, filling in at left-back in the midst of Dundalk’s injury crisis, waited patiently to take the penalty.
When he did, goalkeeper Conor Kearns dived to his right and kept the ball out with a strong right hand, before jumping to his feet and claiming the rebound.
John Mountney, Andy Boyle, Greg Sloggett and Daniel Kelly were among Dundalk’s walking wounded in the stand, while Stephen Kenny’s son Eoin once again made an appearance on the bench.
Even so, the sight of Benson as an auxiliary full-back was a strange one.
As the action continued on the pitch, Shels boss Duff clearly made one protest too many to the fourth official, and at the next break of play he was shown a yellow card.
An ever-animated Duff was frustrated again when Paddy Barrett had a goal ruled out for kicking the ball out of keeper Nathan Sheppard’s hands.
Shels looked in danger of being overrun on the flanks by their visitors, as Davies and Tullock ran riot on either side.
In keeping things narrow, however, the hosts managed to keep sights at goal to a minimum.
And they had some excellent chances of their own on the counter, with Matty Smith putting the ball over the bar after excellent work by Leavy, and Moylan failing to execute a lob over Sheppard when he raced onto a long Barrett pass.
Smith should have converted when Moylan picked him out shortly after half-time, but he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet and Sheppard raced off his line to smother.
The 56th opener came from another penalty - this time in favour of the hosts when Tullock sent Evan Caffrey crashing to the ground.
Where Benson failed, Moylan succeeded, by sending Sheppard the wrong way and confidently slotting the ball low inside the left-hand post.
Dundalk sent on Patrick Hoban, but it was Benson who almost levelled with a shot that came off the left-hand post and landed at the feet of Tullock, who sent the rebound wide.
The lively Lilywhites attacker finally levelled with nine minutes to go with an excellent strike from 20 yards that skimmed along the surface and into the right-hand corner of the net.
Dundalk pushed for a winner, with chances falling to Ward, Tullock and Davies, but a share of the spoils was a just outcome.
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