St Patrick’s Athletic 2
UCD 0
David Sneyd
reports from Richmond Park
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC are keeping the show on the road in clinical fashion.
And it turns out his part of Dublin is the new Doyles Corner, Eoin and Mark Doyle combining in attack to fire the Saints to their second 2-0 win in three days.
Just like up in Finn Park on Friday night, Pat’s rode their luck on a couple of occasions before being ruthless in their attacking third.
Eoin Doyle’s deft chest into an empty net followed by Mark’s sublime half volley from 18 yards proved decisive.
They needed that edge when it mattered.
UCD’s Colm Whelan had a sharpness to his attacking play, taking the ball into his body and possessing the confidence to be direct with his running. It saw the striker leave defender Tom Grivosti for dust at the half way line midway through the first half.
He drove towards goal but the covering Joe Redmond blocked the shot, and Whelan then showed he has the vision to pick a defence-splitting pass, dropping deep on the half turn once again before sliding a ball through for Dylan Duffy coming in off the left.
His effort was, tame, though, and the visitors were punished for their lack of cutting edge 11 minutes before half-time.
Darragh Burns reacted quickest to his cross from the right being blocked to drill another effort across the six yard box.
Eoin Doyle was waiting at the back to chest into an empty net, his second goal in just a few days. It was almost three when his glancing header on the stroke of the interval from a corner was cleared off the line by Evan Osam.
The second half followed a similar pattern. UCD had chances, Pat’s looked loose at the back, but when the opportunities presented themselves the Students fluffed their lines.
Goalkeeper Joseph Anang had to be alert for the hosts, reading the danger in front of him when Duffy almost sprung through on goal in the 52nd minute.
The Saints No.1 was forced into a save five minutes later when Liam Kerrigan was teed up on the run in the box by the impressive Whelan.
Once again it was too tame an effort and the save was comfortable. Seconds later and the game was put to bed, Pat’s illustrating the fine margins at play.
Referee Ray Matthews played a good advantage when Mark Doyle was tripped while advancing forward. Namesake Eoin picked it up and fed Billy King on the left.
His cross to the back post was headed to the edge of the box, where Mark Doyle was back on his feet and waiting.
He kept his eye on the dropping ball, controlled it expertly on the chest and steadied himself to rifle a pitch perfect half volley into the bottom right corner beyond the outstretched arm of Lorcan Healy.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Jack Scott, Joe Redmond, Tom Grivosti, Ian Bermingham (c) (Anto Breslin 36); Darragh Burns (Jason McClelland 84), Chris Forrester, Adam O’Reilly, Mark Doyle; Billy King (Tunde Owolabi 65), Eoin Doyle (Ronan Coughlan 84).
UCD: Lorcan Healy; Evan Osam, Eric Yoro, Sam Todd, John Ryan (Alex Dunne 74), Liam Kerrigan (Lennon Gill 84), Jack Keaney (c) (Evan Caffrey 62), Seán Brennan (Donal Higgins 74), Adam Vernon, Dylan Duffy (Danny Norriss 84); Colm Whelan.
Referee: Ray Matthews.
