David Sneyd reports from Tolka Park

DAMIEN DUFF ADMITTED Shelbourne were rightly punished by “stone cold killers” St Patrick’s Athletic but fumed at “a mind-boggling” decision not to award a foul in the build up to the winning goal.

Al-Amin Kazeem struck in the 88th minute for a dramatic 3-2 victory and it came after Aaron Bolger had earlier brought John Martin down.

Shels remain four points clear at the top of the table but they’ve now won just once in nine games and head to Shamrock Rovers on Sunday without the suspended Matty Smith after he was shown a straight red for shoving Bolger in the face off the ball, and Duff admitted Martin might well have gone too for a reckless lunge on Kian Leavy.

“The three goals we’ve given away are ridiculous, you won’t win a game at any level. But we’ve got ourselves back in the game. The third goal, yet again, soft. You can dissect it and there’s a lot in it,” Duff said.

“I just have to say, the lead up to it, a mind-boggling decision. John Martin is going down the line, he [Bolger] rugby tackles John, and the free kick is given the other way. They’re not excuses but six, seven seconds later they score.

“A crazy, crazy decision. Yeah, edge, emotion, fire, happy to see all of that back. I thought obviously the two goals, wonderful. A hard one to take.

“If you’re going to pose the question, I would rather lose the way we did rather than it peter out at 2-0,” Duff added. “Have we gone over the line at the end with Matty’s red? Yeah, it’s a red. I’m sure you have seen it back. John, I’ll have to see that back but I think it’s naughty as well, he’s lucky to escape more punishment.

“But, yeah, here, the difference tonight, Pat’s stone cold killers, it sounds strange because we’ve scored two wonderful goals. I thought at times and especially the first half, we’ve played through them at will, but we got to the final third and… ooof… the one thing at half time, it was just about playing with that freedom in the final third.

“We’re not that structured there at all. And letting loose and showing their quality and they did to get back in the game.”

Shels don’t need favours from others to get over the line and win the title but they have to find a way to make sure they can get the job done in the final four games.

“I’m sick of saying it, I’ve said it to yas quite a few times in the last few weeks. It’s still in our hands, yeah. Here, it could have been a massive point. I’ve said that too many games recently. Bohs twice. It’s in our own hands, that’s one way of looking at it

“Is it a worry? I don’t go home worried. I go home, work hard and try and come up with a plan for the next game.”