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Anthony Breslin celebrates at the final whistle. Ben Brady/INPHO
Super Saints

Dramatic late winner for St Pat's as they overcome Dundalk

The home side avenged a 5-0 drubbing at Oriel Park in March.

St Patrick’s Athletic 2

Dundalk 1

Paul Buttner reports from Richmond Park

CONOR CARTY SCORED a dramatic late winner as St Patrick’s Athletic overcame a double injury blow and a sending off to give manager Jon Daly victory in his first game in permanent charge.

The tenaciously fought win avenged a 5-0 drubbing at Oriel Park in March to make it four out of five victories for Daly in total as his side consolidated fourth place in the table, three points ahead of Dundalk.

On a perfect evening for football by the Camac, St Patrick’s started with intent forcing a couple of corners inside the opening two minutes.

Mark Doyle worked Nathan Shepperd while Adam Murphy saw a shot deflected onto the crossbar before St Patrick’s dominance told with their lead goal on the half hour.

Shepperd could only parry away Jake Mulraney’s in-swinging cross, giving Doyle a tap-in for his fourth goal of the season.

A pointblank save from Dean Lyness denied Dundalk skipper Patrick Hoban an equaliser six minutes later.

The game was then held up for seven minutes for a nasty injury that St Patrick’s central defender Tom Grivosti sustained in the build up to that chance.

chris-forrester-with-hayden-muller St Pat's Chris Forrester with Dundalk's Hayden Muller. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

Having already lost right-back Axel Sjoberg to injury after just seven, St Patrick’s fans saw Grivosti carried off on a stretcher.

A loose clearance almost brought Dundalk an equaliser deep in first half added time, Robbie McCourt showing good control to rifle not far wide with a crisply struck half volley.

Sensing the vulnerability of St Patrick’s rejigged defence, Dundalk made three changes ahead of the resumption and were level within three minutes.

McCourt found space on the left to whip over a cross that found one of those substitutes, Rayhaan Tulloch, unmarked to nod past Lyness.

St Patrick’s were then reduced to 10 men on 54 minutes when Mulraney was shown a straight red card following a melee involving most of the players.

Though it had been instigated by Connor Malley putting Mulraney in a headlock, the Dundalk midfielder received just a yellow card.

st-pats-fans-celebrate-with-conor-carty-after-he-scores-their-teams-second-goal St Pat's fans celebrate with Conor Carty. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

Having defended doggedly, two substitutes then combined to win it for St Patrick’s on 81 minutes. Tommy Lonergan mesmerised Hayden Muller on the left to put over a delightfully weighted cross.

Carty, 21 on Thursday, arrived at the far post to crash his shot home off the crossbar to a rapturous reaction from the bulk of the 4,089 attendance.

St Patrick’s Athletic: Lyness; Sjoberg (McGrath, 7), Grivosti (McClelland, 43), Curtis, Breslin; Lennon, Murphy (McCormack, 61); Mulraney, Forrester, M. Doyle (Carty, 61); E. Doyle (Lonergan, 61).

Dundalk: Shepperd; Davies, Muller, Williams (Leahy, 77), McCourt (Elliott, 77); Doyle (Lewis, h-t), Malley; Martin (Tulloch, h-t), Yli-Kokko (Ward, h-t), O’Kane; Hoban.

Referee: Ray Matthews (Midlands).

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