St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Bohemians 1
Darryl Geraghty reports from Richmond Park
THE DUBLIN DERBY was the place to be tonight. Among the 2,908 in attendance was Ireland skipper Seamus Coleman and U21s boss Stephen Kenny, as the packed crowd were treated to a gripping and dramatic 1-1 encounter.
Bohs looked much the sharper from the off, as Pat’s struggled to keep possession much to the frustration of the Richmond Park faithful.
In just the fifth minute, the travelling Gypsie faithful did their best to suck the ball into the goal. Danny Mandroiu floated a delightful corner on to the head of Dinney Corcoran, but luckily for the home side, Kevin Toner was on his toes to clear off the line. Minutes later, Danny Grant had a strike at the near post from Danny Mandroiu’s quick-thinking free kick.
As the half wore on, Bohs’ dominance continued and they could have been two or three goals up in the early stages. Similar to his chance against Dundalk last week, Mandroiu really should have scored, after being set up by a lovely square ball from Darragh Leahy. From the resulting corner, James Finnerty thought he had scored, but his bullet header was expertly denied from the busy Brendan Clarke.
Just before the break, Bohs were made to pay for a number of missed chances as, against the run of play, Darragh Markey looped a header home with their first chance on target. It was Markey who won the ball in midfield and set Gary Shaw free down the right-hand side. The big frontman did well to drift a cross into the box and find the diminutive Saints midfielder, who showed great desire to continue his run into the box and score his first goal of the season.
The second half was a more even and full-blooded affair, as the game descended into a war of attrition, with neither side giving an inch.
A legend... and Seamus Coleman!
— SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) May 17, 2019
Great to see @FAIreland captain Seamus Coleman in attendance at Richmond Park tonight with Tom! (📸 Credit: Dermot Usher)
LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/C17zpOhi1u #LOI #GreatestLeagueInTheWorld #LOI pic.twitter.com/0tDNtp1GMS
Bohs probed for an equaliser and got a golden opportunity from the spot with 20 minutes to play. Wide man Grant showed great pace to get his body in front of Saints skipper Ian Bermingham, who caught him from behind, as Leahy fizzed in a low cross. Up stepped Corcoran who saw his tame spot kick saved low to his left by Clarke.
The equaliser finally came shortly thereafter and was worth the admission fee alone. Jamie Lennon, who had been having an excellent game, caught Danny Mandroiu with a late challenge 25 yards from goal. The talented forward dusted himself down and curled a beauty into the top corner to level things up.
Both teams went close in the final few minutes to snatching the winner in a breathtaking game, but had to settle for a share of the spoils amid a fantastic advertisement for the league.
St. Patrick’s Athletic: Brendan Clarke, David Webster, Ian Bermingham, Kevin Toner, Conor Clifford (Rhys McCabe, 29’), Gary Shaw (Jake Walker, 82’), Darragh Markey (Chris Forrester, 83’), Mikey Drennan, Ciaran Kelly, Simon Madden, Jamie Lennon
Subs: Barry Murphy, James Doona, Chris Forrester, Cian Coleman, Rhys McCabe, Paul Cleary, Jake Walker
Bohemians: James Talbot, Derek Pender, Aaron Barry, James Finnerty, Darragh Leahy, Luke Wade-Slater (Ryan Graydon, 88’), Robbie McCourt, Conor Levingston, Danny Grant (Ryan Swan 90 + 3’), Danny Mandroiu, Dinny Corcoran
Subs: Sean Bohan, Scott Allardice, Ryan Graydon, Andy Lyons, Michael Barker, Ryan Swan, Ali Reghba
Referee: Rob Harvey
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here: