St. Patrick's Atheltic ended a run of three straight league defeats with a 1-0 victory over champions Dundalk on a rainy night at Richmond Park. For Dundalk, it was the first defeat of the season and they can't have any complaints after a resolute
St. Patrick's Atheltic ended a run of three straight league defeats with a 1-0 victory over champions Dundalk on a rainy night at Richmond Park. For Dundalk, it was the first defeat of the season and they can't have any complaints after a resolute performance from the home side. The first chance of the match came in the 13th minute when Conor Clifford's close-range effort was saved by Gary Rogers in the Dundalk goal. From the resulting corner, Dundalk embarked on a counter-attack which finished when Daniel Kelly shot wide, Pat's had the better of the first half and Clifford came close again in the 39th minute when he attempted a bicycle kick from a Simon Madden cross. The effort drew gasps from the home crowd but to their dismay, the ball went over the bar. The breakthrough came in first half injury time when Daniel Cleary turned Rhys McCabe's cross into his own net in slippery conditions. The goal was Pats' first in the league since a 1-1 draw away at UCD on March 1, as well as being their first league goal which wasn't scored by the suspended Mikey Drennan. There were few chances in the second half with Forrester and Clifford going closest for the home side at a vociferous Richmond Park. Dundalk kept pushing towards the end but failed to break down a stubborn Pat's defence, aside from a Patrick Hoban chance at the death. The final whistle brought huge celebrations from Saints' players and fans alike as their poor run of form was brought to a end. The result was Saints' first league win over Dundalk since October 2016 and lifts them to fifth in the table with a trip to Cork City next. Dundalk stay second but fall 10 points behind Shamrock Rovers and travel to Sligo Rovers next Saturday. HIGHLIGHTS: @stpatsfc 1-0 @DundalkFC Lilywhites falter at Richmond Park as Dan Cleary's first-half own goal seals victory for Pats! 👏#GreatestLeagueInTheWorld #LOIpic.twitter.com/tavYDlq0bm — SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) April 6, 2019
