Credit:
St. Patrick’s Athletic 2 - 0 Belgrove FC
- Conor McKeogh
- Fri, Aug 27 2010
St. Patrick’s Athletic cruised to the quarter final of the FAI Ford Cup after brushing aside Belgrove FC at Richmond Park. Two goals in the first half from Derek Doyle and Ian Bermingham ensured an easy passage through against the last non-Airtricity league team in the cup competition.
St. Pat’s were dealt a blow before hand after Danny North failed a late fitness test and started on the bench. 46 seconds in and the home side had a chance to go one up. John Kerr clumsily took down Derek Doyle in the Belgrove box. Doyle brushed himself down and stepped up to take the spot kick himself, however his tame effort to the bottom right was easily saved by Alan Cosgrave.
Things calmed down after such a breakneck start and the Saints eased their way into it comfortably outclassing the visitors. Doyle had several chances, linking well with Ryan Guy, whose pace was too much for David Andrews to handle down the right.
After beating the offside trap, Guy stormed down the right wing, pulled the ball back to Brian Cash who crossed the ball into James O’Brien whose glancing header just crept wide past the left upright.
Doyle and Guy had several chances, but Doyle appeared low on confidence after his penalty miss- he would need a sitter if he was going to get off the mark which he duly got it on 26 minutes. An innocuous looking back pass from Karl O’Brien was poorly controlled by Cosgrave on the six-yard line and the ball fell to Doyle who won’t have an easier finish in this season or any other for that matter.
With the one goal advantage in the Saint’s favour, this game was only going to end one way. In injury time, Pat’s had their second. Guy fizzed a shot in from outside the Belgrove box, it was parried by Cosgrave and Ian Bermingham coolly slotted home from roughly the same spot as Doyle had.
The second half had the feeling of a training game. The Belgrove Visitors, who had replaced John Kerr and Stephen Cooling after a tough first half, with Chris Allen and Barry Roe, looked to be content with a nil nil second half result with perhaps a consolation.
In the space of five minutes, Guy had the chance to wrap up the cup tie, but each time a poor finish prevented that. After being put through the middle from a neat Vinny Faherty pass he sliced his left footed shot. Then, after Chris Pender got down the right channel and floated a cross in, his header went over the bar.
The game slowed down considerably after the hour mark, Faherty coming close in the 65th with a looping header which ended up on the roof of the net. But the hard work had been done in the first half, Saint’s only negative being the withdrawal of Derek Doyle late on.
St. Patrick’s Athletic: Rogers, Pender, Bermingham, Kenna, Guthrie (Lynch ‘37), Byrne, O'Brien, Doyle (North ‘79), Guy, Faherty, Cash (Stewart ‘69).
Subs: Crawley, Humphries, Haverty, Hunt.
Belgrove FC: Cosgrave, Andrews, O'Brien, Duff, Dawson, Kerr (Allen ‘45), Whelan, Cooling (Roe ‘45), Ryan, Dowler, Hickey (O'Connell ‘69).
Subs: O'Keefe, Pepper, O'Toole, Ennis.
Referee: Declan Hanney.
Attendance: 1044
About Conor McKeogh
Conor McKeogh began reporting for Extratime in 2010. Born down the road from Stamford Bridge and now living in Dublin, Conor reports on the South Dublin Clubs and can be reached at cmckeogh@gmail.com
