Galway United 0
St Patrick’s Athletic 3
SEAN HOARE, BILLY Dennehy and Conan Byrne all scored as St Patrick’s Athletic ended Galway’s unbeaten home record this season with an impressive win at Eamonn Deacy Park.
Liam Buckley’s men lost 1-0 at home to Derry City last weekend, and with defeats against Cork and Bray prior to that St Pat’s needed the victory.
Still without top scorer Christy Fagan, the Saints were still prolific in front of goal, and Hoare’s first half strike was added to by Billy Dennehy and Conan Byrne after the break, while Galway’s John Sullivan and St Pats’ Graham Kelly were both sent off.
Pat’s held a 1-0 half-time lead, and it was largely due to Sullivan’s sending-off for a second yellow card in the 42nd minute. The game was evenly-matched until then, and Galway were the side who had the better chances.
Ruairi Keating and Vinny Faherty had great chances, but they were both kept at bay.
Sullivan got his first yellow for a contentious incident involving Kelly in the 20th minute, then three minutes before the break he saw read after colliding with Shane McEleney.
With Galway down to ten men as the game ticked into stoppage-time at the end of the first-half, Hoare headed home a Kelly corner.
Pat’s then doubled their lead six minutes into the second-half when Dennehy scored a sumptuous curled free-kick.
The Galway heads dropped but they were boosted by Kelly’s sending off in the 55th minute, but Byrne scored a third late on.
Galway United: Conor Winn; Marc Ludden, Stephen Walsh (Enda Curran, 63), Armin Aganovic, Colm Horgan; Kevin Devaney (Conor Melody, 78), John Sullivan, Eric Foley, Gary Shanahan; Ruairi Keating (Killian Cantwell, 45), Vinny Faherty.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Brendan Clarke; Ger O’Brien, Sean Hoare, Darren Dennehy, Ian Bermingham; Mark Timlin (Conan Byrne, 68), Garham Kelly, David Cawley, Billy Dennehy; Shane McEleney (Sam Verdon, 58), Jamie McGrath.
Referee: Padraig Sutton (Clare).
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