St Patrick's Athletic 2, Bohemians 0Whatever about the club's alleged shortcomings on the administrative front, St Patrick's Athletic's players once again applied themselves fully on the field of play as they left nothing to chance in recording a sixth successive win in another passionate night at Richmond Park.
It's a result that, remarkably, considering they were deducted 15 points on Friday in the Charles Mbabazi Livingstone registration row, lifts them up to third place in the table. Their manager, Pat Dolan, will be quick to tell you that it's a result that, in his club's eyes, puts them top.
Still harbouring ambitions of qualifying for Europe from the league, Bohemians showed plenty of invention early on and might have been in front within four minutes. Dave Morrison's perfect delivery from the left was met on the full by Glen Crowe, who could only stand back and admire Shay Kelly's superb, reflex save which turned the ball out for a corner.
A trademark set-piece from which they almost scored - Paul Osam heading over from a Martin Russell free-kick - settled St Patrick's down and, incredibly, they found themselves 2-0 up within 16 minutes.
A Russell corner brought further worry to the Bohemians defence in the build-up to the lead goal on 15 minutes. Initially, an Osam header wasn't cleared, and Ger McCarthy's follow-up was somehow flicked over the crossbar by Simon Webb.
But the danger remained present for the visitors. Mbabazi's poor corner was collected by Osam who crossed for central defender Darragh Maguire to steer the ball home from a low shot.
Scarcely had the cheering subsided and St Patrick's scored again as once more another good ball in from a Russell corner wasn't dealt with.
Whipped in close to their goal line, Bohemians struggled to clear and Mbabazi forced the ball home for his 14th strike of the season.
Bohemians were working well in a fast-flowing game, and Kelly came to St Patrick's rescue again with his second stunning save of the game on 34 minutes. Paul Byrne did little wrong as he cut in from the right to go past two defenders and shoot, only to see Kelly dive to his left and touch the ball away with one hand.
In a second half generally bereft of scoring opportunities, fittingly it was St Patrick's who almost added to their winning margin late on when substitute Michael Holt's audacious, 35-yard dipping volley went narrowly wide of Michael Dempsey's left-hand post. The Bohemians goalkeeper also made a good stop in the dying minutes after McCarthy ran from his penalty area.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: S Kelly; Croly, Foley, Maguire, Burke; Marney (Holt 55), Osam, Griffin, Russell (G Doyle 89); Mbabazi (Kelly 72), McCarthy.
BOHEMIANS: Michael Dempsey; O'Connor, Caffrey, John (Rutherford 63), Webb; Byrne, Harkin, Hunt, Morrison (Ryan 78); O'Neill (Molloy h/t), Crowe.
Referee: J O'Neill (Waterford).
