Following back-to-back defeats, Derry City showed determination to grind out a 0-0 draw with St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park.

Sean Hoare went close in both halves for Pat's and perhaps should have done better with each of his headers.

Substitutes James Clarke and Josh Thomas threatened on the break for the Candystripes in the final quarter of an hour.

The in-form hosts almost grabbed all three points in the closing stages but dogged defending from Derry saw them hang on for a share of the spoils and pick up a first clean sheet of the season.

Derry, to their credit, were much improved in the opening 45 minutes, showing a bit of bite following a couple of limp displays of late.

Jamie Stott and Patrick McClean at the heart of City's defence repelled most of the danger that came their way, but St Pat's did threaten on a few occasions.

Hoare had the best chance of the first period in the 17th minute when he rose highest from a corner, but he couldn't keep his header down.

Moments later, Barry Baggley tested Derry goalkeeper Eddie Beach from range, and he then had the keeper beaten later in the half, but his left-footed shot from the edge of the box flew the wrong side of the post.

As Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson looked on, after the break, Saints stepped up their pursuit of a goal.

A glanced header from Luke Turner had Beach scampering to collect before City's Brandon Fleming threw himself at the ball to block Darragh Nugent's strike.

The hosts might have felt they should have been awarded a penalty after Patrick McClean and Romal Palmer tangled legs but referee Rob Harvey elected to give a free out to Derry instead.

With a quarter of the game remaining, Tiernan Lynch made a quadruple change, which initially led to confusion amongst the officiating team with just three City players leaving the field as play was restarted with 12 men on the pitch for the visitors.

With the situation eventually resolved, two of the introductions, Thomas and Clarke, began to cause problems in the Saints' backline.

On 76 minutes, Clarke cut in from the left-hand side, but Joseph Anang comfortably smothered his effort.

The Candystripes' best opening of the night came to Thomas as he came in off the left but the Welshman rushed his effort from the angle and fired straight at Anang.

Heading into injury time, a Baggley cutback was backheeled towards goal by Max Mata, causing mayhem in the Derry six-yard box as McClean got a vital touch and City managed to scramble the ball to safety.

In the dying embers, Palmer fired towards goal, but a host of determined Derry bodies charged him down as the Foylesiders hung on for a well-earned point.

Lynch's side remain sixth on eight points ahead of their next game at home to Drogheda on Friday night.