St Patrick’s Athletic 1 Sligo Rovers 0
Job done for St Pat’s. Victory over Sligo on a damp Inchicore evening secured the bare minimum of a third consecutive year of European football. Victory also sees the more ambitious dream of denying Shamrock Rovers a fourth league title in a row stays alive until Friday, when the champions visit Richmond Park.
Sligo, for their sins, following this defeat still may need a win in their final two games to be sure of avoiding the relegation playoff.
A chaotic, albeit entertaining, opening 11 minutes brought chances aplenty, the lack of defensive quality matched by profligate finishing.
Kian Leavy started it for Pat’s with a well-struck left-footed effort from the edge of the area, only a loss of balance sending the ball over the bar. Sligo responded on the counter, Fabrice Hartmann making a mockery of his lack of support as the lone striker when forcing a low save from Dean Lyness.
The home ‘keeper was summoned once again moments later when tipping Kailin’s Barlow’s looping header over the bar. The resulting corner saw another save, albeit from Rovers’ captain David Cawley who inadvertently blocked a header from his own man Garry Buckley from crossing the line. The handball allowed Pat’s to clear their lines.
It wasn’t to be the last influential intervention from Rovers’ skipper. On 37 minutes, his deflection took Leavy’s strike wickedly out of the path of Sligo ‘keeper Richard Brush and into the top corner. The flick was fortunate, the build-up anything but after Leavy’s delicate touch to beat the first man opened up space for the strike.
A first St Pat’s goal was just reward for the former Reading and Shelbourne man, Leavy representing the hosts’ biggest threat on the night. His run in behind should have opened the scoring minutes before the goal had Conor Carty not been wasteful with the final ball, while Leavy himself followed that by teeing up Jason McClelland for a left-footer that was well saved by Brush.
The deflection for the goal was cruel on Brush, who, along with that save from McClelland, did well deny Carty in a one-on-one.
The start of the second half failed to live up to the frenetic tempo of the first, Pat’s happy to slow the game down and hold on to possession in midfield. The worsening weather conditions did nothing for the flow of the game, proceedings breaking up into a series of niggly challenges and yellow cards.
A raft of changes worked better for the visitors, who finally fashioned a first serious chance of the half when a free-kick caused issues for Lyness. The Pat’s ‘keeper was unconvincing in coming to claim the cross but recovered well, tracking back to dive and keep out Barlow’s strike.
Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, who leads his side against Pat’s next Friday with the title on the line, clearly had seen enough, ending his scouting mission 10 minutes early.
He didn’t miss much, Chris Forrester scuffing a late chance while Lukas Browning fired a free-kick well over as Pat’s chased a late insurance goal, one that ultimately was not required.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Lyness; Curtis (Lonergan, 70), Redmond, Norman, Breslin; Lennon, Forrester, McClelland (Browning, 79); Leavy (Murphy, 70), Carty, Doyle.
Sligo Rovers: Brush; Brannefalk, Mahon, Buckley, Pijnaker, Fitzgerald (Martello, 68); O’Sullivan, Cawley (Liviak, 68), Morahan, Barlow; Hartmann (Radosavljevic, 71).
Referee: Eoin O’Shea (Tipperary)
Attendance: 3,117
