Richmond Park was rocking as a bizarre 55th minute goal and a late Ryan Brennan penalty earned St. Patricks Athletic a deserved 2-0 victory over ten-man Shamrock Rovers. Ten minutes into the second half, Conan Byrne swung over one of Pat’s many cor
First half goals from skipper Ian Bermingham and Paul O’Conor brought St Pat’s a much needed victory in a feisty Dublin derby at Richmond Park.
The big win, their second over Rovers this season, lifts Saints out of the relegation zone and two points clear of the bottom three.
Rovers began brightly with Gary Shaw glancing a header from Ryan Connolly’s cross off the St Pat’s crossbar 10 minutes in.
But Saints worked their way into the game and took the lead on 19 minutes from a set-piece move. Killian Brennan played the free kick short to Conan Byrne whose precise delivery off his weaker left foot was met by Bermingham who looped a header past Tomer Chencinski.
St Pat’s doubled their lead three minutes before half-time. Byrne was again central to their attacking play, the energetic winger putting over a deep cross from the right for O'Conor arriving at the near post to score with a downward header.
James Doona, on for Rovers from the start of the second half, worked Saints’ keeper Lukasz Skowron on the hour with Shaw’s follow up deflected for a corner as Hoops chased the game. Skowron then excelled a minute later, brilliantly tipping a header from Lopes from Simon Madden’s cross onto the bar and away.
