HOPES OF EUROPEAN football in Inchicore next season received a timely boost tonight as St Patrick’s Athletic beat struggling Drogheda United 2-1 to almost guarantee fourth place.
Pat’s, playing their first home league game in almost 50 days, started brightly as they sought to cement their fourth place spot in the league, but an uncharacteristic header wide from Christy Fagan at the back post was their best chance of the opening 10 minutes.
Drogheda, meanwhile, looked dangerous on the break as they sought to hit the Saints on the counter-attack, and both Keith Treacy and Lee Duffy had Conor O’Malley worried early on, but the net-minder did enough to keep his clean-sheet.
The first-half certainly became all about a goalkeeper after that, but it was Michael Schlingermann rather than O’Malley who stole the early headlines.
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His save to deny Killian Brennan from a free kick just out side the box was superb, and 10 minutes later he was again impressive, tipping over Jamie McGrath’s glancing header at the front post.
Drogheda’s spirited attacking prowess seemed to lessen towards the end of the opening half as Pat’s dominated in the possession stakes, and they were eventually behind eight minutes into the second half when Conan Byrne converted from the penalty spot.
On what had gone before in the game it looked likely that Pat’s would go on and win, but, like in so many matches this season, they switched off after they scored, and Drogheda equalised when Alan Byrne headed in from close-range.
Mark Kinsella’s team capitalised on the home side’s lacklustre approach brilliantly, and Treacy’s set-piece that provided the goal was executed with precision, but the tie only remained level for six minutes.
Conan Byrne broke the deadlock in Inchicore. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
The Saints, trying to hold on to that final European spot, quickly regrouped and after McGrath came close, Fagan put them back in front when he broke on the left before firing low across Schlingermann.
Coming into the game Drogheda knew they had to take something back up the M1 as they battle for their Premier Division survival, and Robert McKenna came within inches late on, but in the end they had to come off the field to the news that Longford had won in Cork and Galway had taken a point away to Dundalk.
Time running out for Mark Kinsella's Drogheda as Pat's close in on European berth
St Patrick’s Athletic 2
Drogheda United 1
HOPES OF EUROPEAN football in Inchicore next season received a timely boost tonight as St Patrick’s Athletic beat struggling Drogheda United 2-1 to almost guarantee fourth place.
Pat’s, playing their first home league game in almost 50 days, started brightly as they sought to cement their fourth place spot in the league, but an uncharacteristic header wide from Christy Fagan at the back post was their best chance of the opening 10 minutes.
Drogheda, meanwhile, looked dangerous on the break as they sought to hit the Saints on the counter-attack, and both Keith Treacy and Lee Duffy had Conor O’Malley worried early on, but the net-minder did enough to keep his clean-sheet.
The first-half certainly became all about a goalkeeper after that, but it was Michael Schlingermann rather than O’Malley who stole the early headlines.
His save to deny Killian Brennan from a free kick just out side the box was superb, and 10 minutes later he was again impressive, tipping over Jamie McGrath’s glancing header at the front post.
Drogheda’s spirited attacking prowess seemed to lessen towards the end of the opening half as Pat’s dominated in the possession stakes, and they were eventually behind eight minutes into the second half when Conan Byrne converted from the penalty spot.
On what had gone before in the game it looked likely that Pat’s would go on and win, but, like in so many matches this season, they switched off after they scored, and Drogheda equalised when Alan Byrne headed in from close-range.
Mark Kinsella’s team capitalised on the home side’s lacklustre approach brilliantly, and Treacy’s set-piece that provided the goal was executed with precision, but the tie only remained level for six minutes.
The Saints, trying to hold on to that final European spot, quickly regrouped and after McGrath came close, Fagan put them back in front when he broke on the left before firing low across Schlingermann.
Coming into the game Drogheda knew they had to take something back up the M1 as they battle for their Premier Division survival, and Robert McKenna came within inches late on, but in the end they had to come off the field to the news that Longford had won in Cork and Galway had taken a point away to Dundalk.
St Patrick’s Athletic: O’Malley, Bermingham, Desmond, Brennan, McEleney, Morris, Chambers, Byrne, Greene (Verdon, 88), McGrath, Byrne.
Drogheda United: Schlingermann, Gorman, O’Reilly, Byrne, Daly, Treacy, Hughes (Brennan, 78), Bayly (Mulvenna, 88), Thornton, Marks, Duffy (McKenna, 63).
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SSE Airtricity League Premier Division League of Ireland LOI Drogheda United St Patrick's