The visitors showed great character to fight back twice through Luke Turner and Mason Melia, with Aaron Greene and Dan Cleary putting their side ahead in a pulsating Dublin Derby.

With the new cutting-edge LED perimeter signage system beaming around 3/4 stadium, adding to the spectacle of a hot tempered Dublin derby, it was the hosts who struck first blood.

The Saints midfielder Brandon Kavanagh dropped deep to receive the ball from his back four, but instead found the in-form Aaron Greene with his lay off. The current Player of the Month wasted no time running at the heart of the defence before hitting a powerful drive in off the far post.

Saints skipper Joe Redmond made a miraculous recovery from an ankle ligament injury that had kept him sidelined for the last two weeks and took his place at the heart of the defence but struggled to get up to speed as the pace and clever movement of both Greene and Johnny Kenny looked threatening.

And the deadly duo really should have doubled their lead with a quarter of an hour played when Greene broke free down the left before squaring to the unmarked Kenny, but underhit his pass allowing Danny Rogers to smother.

Kavanagh more than made up for his earlier mistake when he delivered a beautifully floated free kick from the left right onto the head of Luke Turner who headed home from close range.

Rovers responded well and should have been ahead minutes later when an almighty goalmouth scramble saw both Greene and Neil Farrugia fluff their lines.

And incredibly it was the Saints, who had grown in belief as the half wore on and looked a real threat going forward, that should have been ahead at the break when Kavanagh and Turner combined in similar fashion to the equaliser, but this time from the opposite side.

Set-pieces proved key again when, on the hour mark, the hosts got in front through a Dan Cleary back post header - a carbon copy of Pats' first.

But just like the first half the Saints struck back almost immediately when Mason Melia raced onto Jamie Lennon’s ball over the top before lifting the ball over the onrushing Leon Pohls.

The reigning Champions showed their strength in depth by unleashing Jack Byrne, Darragh Burns and Graham Burke from the bench in search of the winner but just fell at the final hurdle.

And so it finished with both sides forced to settle for a point each despite their relentless efforts to get a late winner.

Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Honohan; Farrugia, Nugent, Poom, Noonan (Byrne, 61’), Kavanagh (Burns, 61’ (Clarke, 90+5); Greene, Kenny (Burke, 76’) 

St. Patrick’s Athletic: Rogers; Turner, Keely, Redmond, Breslin; Kavanagh (Leavy, 72’), Lennon, Forrester, Bolger; Melia (Nolan, 90’), Keating (Mulraney, 61’) 

Referee: Paul McLaughlin