National League Premier Division / St Patrick's Athletic 1 Shamock Rovers 0: St Patrick's Athletic kept themselves in the race for the Eircom Premiership after a hard-fought victory over their tenants Shamrock Rovers at Richmond Park last night.
The winner came midway through the second-half when Gary McPhee did well down the left before pulling the ball back into the path of Tony Bird who calmly fired past Barry Ryan.
The St Pat's title aspirations have been improved by the acquisition of former UCD centre back Clive Delaney. Despite a disappointing year with West Ham United, Delaney, named man of the match last night, looked composed at the heart of the defence. His aerial prowess has undoubtedly given their set-piece play a new dimension.
With Paul Osam also looming they seemed set to take the lead from one of Keith Fahy's first-half corners. Delaney connected cleanly with a Fahy in-swinger only to direct it wide and three minutes before the break he repeated the feat after arriving at the back post only to head over.
Besides McPhee being denied by some last-gasp defending from full back Stephen Gough it was Rovers who would have been more aggrieved not to have taken a lead into the interval.
On the half hour Trevor Molloy was twice denied from a yard out by Darragh Maguire. Both attempts, the first being a header from a James Keady cross, were blocked on the line.
Molloy again found himself in a glorious goal-scoring position five minutes later after he beat the offside trap but Chris Adamson was very quick coming off his line to deny him.
The sparring continued after the break with Rovers winger Stephen Grant almost opening the scoring when his thunderous shot skimmed off the crossbar but just as they began to get the upperhand Bird struck his 13th goal of the season.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Adamson, Prenderville, E Khebir, Maguire, Delaney, Osam, Donnelly (Dunne half-time), Fahy, Bird, McGhee (Rose 83 mins), Livingstone (Freeman 77 mins).
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Ryan, Gough, Doyle, Deans (Boughamen 81 mins), Palmer, Keady, Reynolds (Treacy 89 mins), Robinson, T Grant (Haylock 71 mins), Molloy, S Grant.
Referee: A Kelly (Cork).
