Soccer

St Pat’s blow title race wide open with win at home over Rovers

Jack Byrne reminds Stephen Kenny of his class but ends up on wrong side of the result

Chris Forrester celebrates scoring the winner with teammates. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Gavin Cummiskey's face
Gavin Cummiskey at Richmond Park
Fri Mar 4 2022 - 22:01

St Patrick’s Athletic 1 Shamrock Rovers 0

Hope springs eternal. The Airtricity League crackled to life as Chris Forrester’s towering header handed Shamrock Rovers a second defeat in four matches.

Maybe, and we are reaching here, just maybe Rovers’ waltz to a third successive title will not prove as straightforward as it initially seems. Derry City also took three points off them at the Brandywell and Ruadhrí Higgins team now go top of the table after beating Shelbourne.

The manner in which Rovers failed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat here, as they did so famously at Richmond Park last season, should help Tim Clancy sleep easy this weekend.

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Clancy, head-hunted from Drogheda United after Stephen McDonnell left St Pat’s to manage Dundalk, in a move that is currently being contested by solicitors, had bemoaned his new team’s defensive struggles but Joe Redmond’s heroics, in particular, ensured that they held firm.

Rovers looked the superior outfit for 45 minutes, with their aesthetically pleasing style constantly flowing through Jack Byrne taking possession in pockets between St Pat’s creaky 4-3-3 system.

Even when tightly marked, Byrne can be wonderfully creative, allowing one ball slide between his legs before taking the return pass with his head up, scanning for Danny Mandroiu’s gallop towards goal. Mandroiu’s heavy touch denied a goal but with 60 seconds clocked the pair looked certain to entertain the Inchicore faithful (through gritted teeth of course).

The grand plan worked until it faltered as St Pat’s scored first and held on in the latest example of an industrious group outlasting the more creative opposition. Adam O’Reilly can take a bow for staying close to Byrne throughout the second half. Denying the 25 year old space to pick passes is one guaranteed method of taking points off Rovers.

That said, Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny will have noticed Byrne’s classy return to domestic football ahead of naming a squad to face Belgium and Lithuania later this month. Rovers 3-4-2-1 system is similar to Kenny’s set-up where either Wigan’s Jamie McGrath or West Brom’s Callum Robinson ably fill the Byrne role.

St Pat’s goalkeeper Joseph Anang needed to prove his worth early on with three solid saves after Rory Gaffney, Byrne and Ronan Finn all hit the target. The Finn chance came from a slick one-touch build-up before Dylan Watt’s looping pass set the wing-back free. Anang’s outstretched leg conceded a corner.

To suggest that Rovers should have led 4-nil would do St Pat’s counter attacking a disservice as Mark Doyle and teenager Darragh Burns went close.

And for all of Rovers’ dominance in possession, the longer the deadlock held, the more the St Pat’s midfield maestro grew into the game. Forrester was outstanding, as usual.

Little tactical switches, like stubbing out Byrne’s cross-field lasers to Andy Lyons, also enhanced the feel of equals as the league champions pitt themselves against the FAI Cup holders.

As half-time crept up on the 5,500 crowd - demand is almost exceeding supply for these Dublin derbies - Eoin Doyle got goal side of Sean Hoare and, feeling contact, the striker went to ground in the Rovers box. Referee Rob Harvey hesitated for a split second before turning away.

If Rovers have a weakness it is off set piece. The goal landed on 55 minutes when Burns whipped a corner to Forrester who out jumped Finn to plant a header past Alan Mannus.

The mood understandably changed around Richmond Park with Forrester snapping at Byrne’s heels just as Rovers manager Stephen Bradley replaced Mandroiu with Graham Burke. But Rovers’ deep bench couldn’t alter the result. It took a while to eventually wrestle control of the contest, and Lyons then Gaffney almost equalised, but it was St Pat’s’ night. Clancy’s men rise to third, level on points with Rovers.

St Patrick's Athletic: Anang; Scott, Grivosti, Redmond, Breslin; King, Forrester (capt), O'Reilly; M Doyle, E Doyle, Burns.

Subs: Owolabi for King (73 mins), Bermingham for Burns (81 mins).

Shamrock Rovers: Mannus; Hoare, Lopes, Grace; Finn (capt), Watts, O'Neill, Lyons; Byrne, Mandroiu; Gaffney.

Subs: Burke for Mandroiu (59), Cotter for Lyons, Greene for Gaffney, Gannon for Finn (all 75), Emakhu for Watts (84).

Referee: Rob Harvey.