Shelbourne 0
St Patrick’s Athletic 3
DAMIEN DUFF’S MANAGERIAL debut came to a sticky end at Tolka Park, as his Shelbourne side were beaten 3-0 by St Patrick’s Athletic.
Whereas Shels threw plenty of punches, Pat’s landed theirs, oozing the quality that Shelbourne lacked. Darragh Burns’ opening goal was audacious, and the second half goals from Mark Doyle and Jason McClelland had a conviction that Shelbourne, for all of their graft and coached patterns, just did not have.
A serious, grim-faced Duff crossed the field to rapturous applause ahead of kick-off, but those features had uncoiled in amimation as he first argued with the linesman on the 43-second mark.
A raucous Tolka Park was made louder still within 90 seconds, as Jack Moylan and Dan Carr bundled the ball over the line from Conor Kane’s flighted free-kick from the left flank. The celebrations, however, were cut abruptly by an offside flag.
Shels were undeterred and maintained their intensity, which Duff conducted from the sideline, constantly beckoning for his side to press high and squeeze the pitch. It almost instantly proved profitable, with Mark Coyle pressing centre-back Joe Redmond and setting up Jack Moylan, who dragged his shot wide.
Shels’ best work generally came through Moylan, who played in a playmaker role off the left as part of a 3-4-2-1 system. It’s a similar formation as to the one that has swept Shamrock Rovers to success in recent years, though if Duff is preaching the same principles, he is doing so without the same quality of personnel.
That reality was accentuated on the 18-minute mark. Daniel Hawkins sloppily gave the ball directly to Darragh Burns, who chopped inside and fizzed a stunning, curling shot into the top corner.
GOAL ST PAT'S...!!
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) February 18, 2022
25mins: SHE 0-1 STP
Darragh Burns gives St Pat's the lead with a super strike from well outside the box. Top corner gives the keeper no chance.#RTESoccer
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/em2GdVBnkB…
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The Pat’s fans, corralled together against the freezing air behind the opposite goal, sang You’re getting sacked in the morning.
Pat’s batted away a couple of bids from abroad for Burns in the off-season, and tonight were glad they did so: he was electric, later slaloming into the penalty area by a couple of petrified Shels defenders to curl a low shot narrowly past the far post.
Shels showed better quality on the ball in the early stages of the second half and twice they fashioned openings through enterprising, structured attacks, but both Dan Carr and Hawkins shot tamely at Joseph Anang.
But soon Pat’s punished more Shels profligacy in possession. Another loose backpass was pounced on, this time by Mark Doyle, who skated into the penalty area and took an extra moment to beat the last, flailing defender before slamming the ball beneath Lewis Webb.
It might have soon got worse for Shels, as Billy King smashed a long-range shot off the post. They kept battling, and an audacious Aaron O’Driscoll pass over the top of the Pat’s defence sent Moylan clear, but he lashed his shot over the crossbar as be bore down on Anang.
Duff’s side showed cleared patterns of attack – if not always the quality to make the most of them – and caused Pat’s headaches down their right flank, to the point Tim Clancy redeployed the terrific James Abankwah to right-back.
Jordan McEneff – signed on loan from Arsenal – was introduced to play in one of the No.10 positions, with Duff telling him to stay central. ‘Don’t go wandering’, was the precise instruction from the touchline.
Sticking to his manager’s word almost paid off for McEneff, as another attack down Shels’ left flank picked him out in space on the edge of the D, and his shot was clawed to safety by Anang.
That was as good as it was to get for Shelbourne, as Pat’s soon jammed them into reverse. Twice they cleared off the line until Jason McClelland settled the game when he slotted beyond Webb in the penalty area with a couple of minutes left.
That ultimately broke Shelbourne’s gallant resistance.
A Duff start.
Shelbourne: Lewis Webb; Shane Griffin (Kameron Ledwidge, 24′), Aaron O’Driscoll, Luke Byrne; John Ross Wilson; Aodh Dervin (Brian McManus, 85′), Mark Coyle; Conor Kane; Jack Moylan (Shane Farrell, 85′), Daniel Hawkins (Stanley Anaebonam, 60′); Daniel Carr (Jordan McEneff, 60′)
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Jack Scott (Tom Grivosti, 73′), Joe Redmond, James Abankwah, Anto Breslin; Jamie Lennon, Chris Forrester; Darragh Burns (Adam O’Reilly, 85′), Billy King (Jason McLelland, 64′) Mark Doyle; Eoin Doyle
Referee: Rob Hennessy
Attendance: 4,150