Shelbourne 2
St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Paul Buttner reports from Tolka Park
PADDY BARRETT SCORED a 90th minute-winner as Shelbourne came from behind to deservedly win this captivating Dublin derby at Tolka Park.
Central defender Barrett met Harry Wood’s corner to power his header to the net from 16 yards for a massive first goal of the season.
Ten minutes earlier Euclides Da Silva Cabral, who would win the corner that led to the winner, proved an instant hit with the Shelbourne faithful when equalising with his first touch.
The 24-year-old Portuguese winger, signed on Wednesday, was sprung from the bench on 79 minutes as Shelbourne chased the game against ten men following Jay McGrath’s dismissal.
Within a minute, Barrett, Jack Moylan and Shane Farrell had worked the ball into the area where Cabral spun cleverly to flick the ball home. The result ended three defeats to St Pat’s this season to put a major dent in the Inchicore side’s title aspirations.
St Pat’s drop seven points behind champions Shamrock Rovers while Shelbourne consolidate fifth place to enhance their hopes of European qualification.
Unchanged from their win at Sligo Rovers last weekend, Shelbourne started on the front foot, carving a real chance on seven minutes.
Mark Coyle, their march winner at the Showgrounds, tenaciously won the ball off St Patrick’s Chris Forrester to find Will Jarvis who skipped across the face of the box before rifling high and wide.
Jarvis got another sight of goal just a minute later, on this occasion his shot lacked the venom to trouble Dean Lyness in the visitors’ goal.
Lyness was scarcely worked again from another flowing Shels counter on 11 minutes, Evan Caffrey’s tame effort bringing a comfortable save.
Shelbourne’s bright start counted for nothing, though, as St Patrick’s took the lead against the run of play on 20 minutes. Home manager Damien Duff was livid with a harshly awarded free kick against Caffrey for a challenge on Mark Doyle.
Jake Mulraney’s delivery was initially cleared, but recycled by Sam Curtis and Jamie Lennon. The latter’s arced ball back into the area was met by skipper Joe Redmond, who all too easily out-jumped Caffrey, to head past Conor Kearns.
Though continuing to enjoy plenty of the ball, Shelbourne fell short in the final third, the hard-running Wood again finding space but the finish once more failing to work Lyness.
It was St Pat’s who might have doubled their lead in first half stoppage time. Kian Leavy did really well in the corner to find Doyle whose pullback was blasted wide by Forrester.
Moylan then immediately summed up Shelboure’s first half frustration when shooting narrowly wide from Wilson’s cross.
As for much of the first half, Shelbourne dominated the ball from the restart. Yet again, though, they struggled to make their possession pay as St Pat’s defence, superbly marshalled by Redmond, held firm.
That was exemplified by a superb block by Jay McGrath on the dangerous Moylan who had slalomed through to get his shot away.
But McGrath’s night was over on 65 minutes. Booked for a foul on Moylan in the first half, he pulled back the Shels attacker to receive a second yellow card and a red.
St Pat’s continued to defend stoutly, Anto Breslin clearing off the line from a Jarvis drive with Lyness beaten before the pressure finally told over the last 10 minutes.
Shelbourne: Kearns; T Wilson, Barrett, Molloy, Griffin; Coyle (Hakiki, 74), Lunney; Caffrey (Farrell, 58), Wood, Jarvis; Moylan.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Lyness; Curtis, Redmond, McGrath, Breslin; Lennon; Mulraney (McLaughlin, 66), Leavy (Murphy, 62), Forrester, Doyle (Lonergan, 77); Carty.
Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).
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