League Report: St. Patrick's Athletic 3 - 0 Drogheda United

Interim manager Jon Daly secured his second consecutive victory as St Patrick’s Athletic defeated Drogheda United 3-0 at Richmond Park. Substitute Jay McClelland scored a goal, while Chris Forrester netted two injury-time strikes, sealing the win for Pats. Although the scoreline suggests a comfortable victory, the game was closely contested.

Kevin Doherty’s side matched The Saints for large parts of the match but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.

Drogheda started the game brightly and applied pressure on the hosts early on. Darragh Markey came close to scoring in the opening minutes, with Dean Lyness making a crucial save, parrying the shot onto the crossbar.

Initially slow by his standards, St. Patrick’s' key player Chris Forrester grew into the game as it progressed. Around the 20-minute mark, he was involved in Pats' first real opportunity. Forrester pressed high, won the ball, and drove into the box, evading a covering defender. However, his low shot was saved by Colin McCabe's outstretched left foot. Five minutes later, the former Peterborough United player received a pass from Jake Mulraney and took a long-range shot, which McCabe managed to deal with once again.

Drogheda fought back as the first half progressed and posed a threat, particularly when playing more directly to Freddie Draper. The on-loan Lincoln City striker got the better of Jay McGrath on two occasions and came close to scoring just before halftime when he controlled a long ball from a McCabegoalkick on his chest, shrugged off a Pats defender, but sent his shot over the crossbar.

In a proactive move at halftime, Jon Daly made a substitution, bringing on Tom Grivosti for Vladislav Kreida, who struggled to make an impact. The change resulted in Sam Curtis moving to the right fullback position. Although Grivosti showed signs of rustiness, the Ireland U21 international Curtis immediately got involved in the game. His first of many energetic runs forward created a chance for Mark Doyle in the 50th minute, but the former Drogheda United player narrowly missed the target with his header.

Similar to the first half, the away side weathered the storm, maintained a compact shape, and had two opportunities of their own. In the 53rd minute, Conor Keeley won the initial header from a free-kick, and the ball somehow fell to him again, but his volley was straight at Lyness. Moments later, Dayle Rooney was put through on goal after Draper skillfully turned a Pats defender and made a pass. However, Rooney's first touch took him too wide, and his subsequent effort went high and wide to the left.

While St Patrick’s Athletic may have had the advantage in possession, the game remained evenly poised, and the outcome could have gone either way as the match entered the final ten minutes of regular time. McClelland eventually broke the deadlock after Drogheda failed to clear from a corner. Grivosti won the initial header, which was saved, and McClelland poked the ball home from close range.

Forrester added further shine to the victory with two goals in stoppage time. The first goal came as a result of a series of errors. Forrester displayed good footwork to beat a defender, momentarily lost possession, regained control, and slotted a decent effort past McCabe. Minutes later, he combined with 15-year-old substitute Mason Melia, rounded McCabe, and calmly fired the ball into the empty net.

As a result of the win, St Patrick’s Athletic now climb to 5th place in the table, while Shelbourne, their Dublin rivals, play Saturday. A victory for Damien Duff's team would see them regain 5th place. Meanwhile, Drogheda United remained in 8th position.

St. Patrick's Athletic: Dean Lyness; Anto Breslin, Sam Curtis, Jay McGrath; Mark Doyle (Jason McClelland 64), Chris Forrester, Vladislav Kreida (Tom Grivosti 46), Jamie Lennon, Jake Mulraney, Adam Murphy (Ben McCormack 83); Conor Carty (Mason Melia 68).
Subs not used: David Odumosu, Noah Lewis, Harry Brockbank, Serge Atakayi, Thijs Timmermans.
Booked: Tom Grivosti (52).
Sent off: None.

Drogheda United: Colin McCabe; Luke Heeney, Conor Keeley, Aaron McNally; Ryan Brennan, Gary Deegan, Dylan Grimes (Michael Leddy 85), Darragh Markey, Dayle Rooney, Emre Topcu; Freddie Draper (Adam Foley 72).
Subs not used: Andrew Wogan, Fiachra Pagel, Callum Ralph, Warren Davis, Matthew O'Brien, Emmanuel Milongo.
Booked: Aaron McNally (30).
Sent off: None.

Referee: Sean Grant
Attendance: 3000 est
extratime.com Player of the Match: Sam Curtis