McDonnell points to mental strength
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Damien Lynch's goal midway through the first half against Shamrock Rovers gave St Pat's another three points and moved them four points clear of second placed Bohemians. Manager John McDonnell was delighted with his sides performance and in particular their willingness to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in.
Pat's have won seven of their opening eight league fixtures and are in a great position to go on and win the title. Their single league defeat to date was when Derry visited Inchicore and came away with a one nil win. Pat's again lost out to Derry a few days later in the Setanta Cup but since then Johnny McDonnell's men have bounced back in style with three successive league wins in a row.
McDonnell believes the major difference between this year and last year is the belief and mental strength that his players now have. Speaking to extratime.ie, he said - "You get that feeling within the group, that no matter what happens during the game that you are going to come out of it ok. There are no books you can get it from, its comes from within the players and within the group and its a great feeling - and that feeling is definitely around the group. Its very positive and you get this mental strength that says, yes, it doesn't really matter what happens - we will just keep going".
Pat's have so far conceded just two goals. On the opening day of the season Sligo went ahead but three second half goals in the space of seven minutes ensured the Saints started the season with a win. Derry were the scorers of the only other goal conceded when Owen Morrison reacted quickly to a defensive error and beat keeper Brendan Clarke from distance with a first time shot.
As well as having the league's meanest defence St Pat's have also put the ball in the back of the net more than often than any other team. In their eight games to date they have scored an impressive thirteen goals, three more than anyone else. Striker Mark Quigley leads the way in the goalscorer charts with four goals, while Ryan Guy has three.
St Pat's host Cork City this Sunday at 7pm
