- Simon O'Gorman
- Tue, Aug 19 2014
A superb finish from Rory Gaffney was enough to give Limerick three points against St Pats at Richmond Park on Monday night thanks to a impressive second half performance that no-one saw coming after Pats had dominated the opening period.
The game began, as games often do, fairly evenly, but that was not to last. Limerick had about as much possession as Pats did in the opening ten minutes or so but as we progressed Pats became more and more dominant. In truth, the visitors did well to get to half-time without having conceded.
Jason Hughes worked hard in Limerick’s engine room and Rory Gaffney did well up front with the scraps that were fed to him. But Sam Oji was the real hero, putting in an epic shift in the Limerick back four as the pressure exerted by Liam Buckley’s men ramped up through the half.
Once Pats found their feet they began to open up the flanks with Conan Byrne their preferred outlet on the right. His first contribution came after eight minutes when he picked out Keith Fahey’s run into the area but the midfielder failed to get a shot on target.
With Conor McCormack providing a physical presence in midfield the Saints control of the game tightened but Limerick almost undid themselves in the 26th minute when keeper Barry Ryan sent a clearance staright to Chris Forrester 35 yards from goal. Sadly for the home fans the opportunity was squandered but Forrester did rather better two minutes later when his effort from 15 yards was turned around his left hand post by Ryan.
This signalled a period of intense pressure with Christy Fagan coming closest when his header from Conan Byrne’s corner drew an excellent save from Ryan. Limerick’s problem was that they couldn’t hold onto the ball. Pats problem was that they couldn’t turn vast prairies of possession into a breakthrough.
The second half was an entirely different affair with Limerick transformed from hapless observerss into stout hearted participants. Shane Duggan gave a hint of the Shannonsiders new intent with a powerful run that took him deep into enemy territory before setting up Gaffney for a shot that swung wide of the goal. And just one minute after that warning sign Limerick took the lead.
Kieran Djilali - a peripheral figure in the first half but key to Limerick's success in the second - created the opening with a diagonal run at the Pats defence but when he fed the ball to Gaffney it seemed that Kenny Browne had done enough to end the initiative. But somehow the ball spun back to Gaffney and he was ruthless with the second chance, cracking a low shot into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.
Pats had to work hard to regain their sense of purpose, stymied as much by their own tendency to give the ball away as by Limerick’s new found composure. In fact it was the visiting team that should have scored next when Jack Doherty found himself inexplicably through on goal with only Brendan Clarke to beat just after the hour. It was perhaps a case of having too much time to think as the former Ipswich player fired straight at the keeper from no more than eight yards.
At the other end Conan Byrne came close with a deflected shot while Killian Brennan saw his 25 yard free neatly tipped over, but Pats were putting a whole lot of effort into producing too few clear openings. Time and again Sam Oji or Stephen Folan were the first men to Pats’ offerings from the flanks and despite his obvious class on the ball Keith Fahey couldn’t get Pats working through the middle.
Time seeped away and although Pat’s applied admirable urgency to their efforts Limerick never looked like folding. With eleven minutes remaining Jason Hughes gave the ball away in a dangerous are but, as ever, Folan was on hand with an excellent saving tackle.
Liam Buckley sent on Aaron Greene - in place of the curiously ineffective Forrester - and Mark Quigley in an attempt to change his side’s declining fortunes and Quigley in particular impressed with some sharp and accurate passing. But Limerick held firm to claim a deserved three points.
The sense of an opportunity missed in the race for the league title was heightened for the home team with news that both Cork and Dundalk had been held to draws but the bottom line was that the Sainst didn’t do enough on the night.
St Patrick’s Ath: Brendan Clarke; Ger O’Brien (Mark Quigley 80), Kenny Browne, Derek Foran, Ian Bermingham; Conan Byrne, Keith Fahey, Conor McCormack, Killian Brennan (Jack Bayly 88), Chris Forrester (Aaron Greene 72); Christy Fagan.
Subs not used: Rene Gilmartin (gk), Lorcan Fitzgerald, Sean Hoare, Sam Verdon.
Booked: Foran (39).
Limerick FC: Barry Ryan; Patrick Nzuzi, Stephen Folan, Sam Oji, Robbie Williams; Ian Turner, Kieran Djilali (Shane O’Connor 80), Jason Hughes, Shane Duggan, Jack Doherty (Shane Tracy 75); Rory Gaffney.
Subs not used: Shane Cusack (gk), Michael Leahy, Prince Agyemang, Ross Mann, Tam McManus.
Booked: Doherty (40), Williams (58).
Referee: Neil Doyle
Attendance: 711
Extratime Man of the Match: Sam Oji (Limerick FC)
