St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Dundalk 0
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC ended a three-game losing run with a well-earned victory that keeps Dundalk rooted to the bottom of the Premier Division.
Ruairi Keating got the only goal of the game on 30 minutes after excellent work from Brandon Kavanagh.
Relief seemed to be the overwhelming feeling for the home side after a poor start to the campaign while Dundalk boss Stephen O’Donnell, even in defeat, will at least have a greater sense of pride in his players.
They were humiliated 5-0 by Sligo Rovers last time out but Dundalk didn’t start as if they were feeling sorry for themselves.
Within a minute of the first whistle they tested Danny Rogers with a half chance in the box that fell to Ciaran McGuckin.
The Pat’s goalkeeper had an easy save but it would have been a welcome one considering he was preferred between the sticks to Marcelo Pitaluga.
The on-loan Liverpool star paid the price for another unconvincing performance in the 3-1 defeat to Waterford on Monday and was one of three changes made by Jon Daly as he sought to inspire a first win in front of the home support.
O’Donnell was under just as much pressure in the opposite dugout and after that hiding on Monday – the biggest defeat at Oriel Park for 34 years – he brought in five new bodies.
Ross Munro was in goal instead of George Shelvey, who was replaced at half-time of that drubbing by the Bit O’Red and not included in the matchday squad here.
The first 30 minutes was tentative enough, the hosts content to allow Dundalk have the ball and utilise the counter attack.
When the deadlock was then broken it was a case of clinical oppportunism from the home side.
Andy Boyle was commanding to win a header near the half way line but after Pat’s picked up the seconds the Dundalk centre back was a few yards out of position.
Chris Forrester hooked the ball into the space vacated and Kavanagh was onto it like a light coming across from the right.
He did well to hold off Hayden Muller and produced a delightful outside of the left foot pass on the spin to give Keating a shot on goal inside the box.
His initial effort was saved by Munro but the rebound fell kindly and he had an easy tap in for his second goal of the campaign.
It was a first for Pat’s at home having lost 1-0 to Bohemians here and, having suffered three defeats on the bounce since the opening night win away to Galway United, it gave the home fans something to savour.
They relished taunting former boss O’Donnell with chants of ‘You’re gettin sacked in the morning’, and it looked as though Pat’s were going to take the game away from Dundalk completely with a much sharper start to the second half.
Kian Leavy forced a fine save from Munro with a shot from distance, Keating almost doubled his tally with a near post header that flashed wide while Kavanagh had a shot deflected for a corner.
That was all within the first 10 minutes of the re-start and Forrester also came close with a glancing header that Munro was in the right place to push away.
Keating was slipped in by substitute Jake Mulraney with a quarter of an hour remaining but allowed the ball run too far across his body and his effort from a tight angle was sliced wide.
Dundalk were still in the game and almost drew level on 78 minutes with their best move of the game. James Gullan dropped deep to link with Archie Davies down the right and then spun back towards goal.
Robbie Benson had picked up the pass from Davies and produced a perfect reverse pass to set Gullan up for a first-time strike just inside the box. It looked certain to be an equaliser before Luke Turner made a stunning recovery tackle to stop the shot.
It gave Dundalk hope and they almost snatched a vital point on 90 minutes when Samuel Durrant, just moments after being sprung from the bench, flashed a fierce shot just wide from 20 yards.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Rogers; Freeman, Redmond (captain), Turner, Breslin; B Kavanagh (Melia 69), Lennon, Forrester, Leavy (Nolan 86), McClelland (Mulraney 69); Keating (C Kavanagh 86).
Dundalk: Munro; Davies, Boyle (captain), Annesley (Elliott 84), Muller; Bradshaw (Oostenbrink 60), McGuckin (O’Kane 70), High, Benson, Horgan (Durrant 61); Gullan (Mahon 84).
Referee: R Matthews
Attendance: 4,513
