Finn Harps 0
St Patrick’s Athletic 2
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC got exactly what they came for against Finn Harps, this win sending them joint top of the Premier Division with Shamrock Rovers.
It wasn’t pretty, and on another night the result could have gone the other way, but Tim Clancy’s side’s quality proved to be the difference.
When chances came, they took them. Harps squandered theirs.
Right full back Jack Scott had the easy task of blasting the ball into the net from a couple of yards after 65 minutes, finishing off an impressive passing move after goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley pushed opposite full back Ian Bermingham’s shot onto the post.
The ball fell as kind as Scott would have liked, but just moments earlier Harps should have taken the lead when striker Filip Mihaljevic went through one-on-one only to be denied by the feet of goalkeeper Joseph Anang.
The game was put to bed in the 78th minute after Eoin Doyle directed Chris Forrester’s towards the far post. It struck it again and appeared to be turned into his own goal by McGinley, although the striker made sure to wheel away in celebration for what he will no doubt claim to be his first goal of the season.
There can be no doubt about where the points went, though, Pat’s building on last week’s victory over Rovers with this win.
They started the brighter of the sides but were unable to maintain any form of pressure.
Adam O’Reilly injected some pace with a burst forward from midfielder on 24 minutes and his through ball for Eoin Doyle was promising until the linesman’s flag was raised.
Harps slowly but surely got a foothold on the game and came desperately close to breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark.
Again, like at the other end, it came from quick feet. Midfielder Elie Nzeyi drove into the box, forced a corner, and from the resulting dead ball centre back Dave Webster struck the outside of the post with a deft half volley near the edge of the area.
Harps’ tails were up, chasing a first win of the campaign, and a fizzed cross from Ethan Boyle was met by Mihaljevic who could only direct a tame header into the hands of Anang.
The pair faced off again on the hour, this time the Harps striker bearing down on goal for a one-on-one after latching on to a loose ball.
He had time to shape for the finish but Anang was up to the task, saving with his feet. It was a decisive moment as, five minutes later, Pat’s took the lead through Scott, and with 12 remaining the killer second came.
Finn Harps: Mark Anthony McGinley; Ryan Rainey, Ethan Boyle, Dave Webster (c), Jose Carillo; Elie Nzeyi, Ryan Connolly; Yoyo Mahdy (Jesse Devers 82), Bastien Hery (Eric McWoods 66), Barry McNamee; Filip Mihaljevic.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Joe Redmond, Tom Grivosti, Ian Bermingham (c); Jack Scott (James Abankwah 81), Adam O’Reilly, Chris Forrester, Anto Breslin; Mark Doyle (Ronan Coughlan 85), Eoin Doyle (Jason McClelland 85), Darragh Burns (Tunde Owolabi 66).
Referee: A Reale.
