Soccer

Fagan’s brace helps St Pat’s extend derby dominance over Bohemians

Liam Buckley’s side up to fourth in table after their latest win over Dublin rivals

Killian Brennan of St Pat’s celebrates scoring his side’s third goal with James Chambers and Greg Bolger at Richmond Park. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Paul Buttner
Tue Jun 09 2015 - 22:35

St Patrick's Athletic 3 Bohemians 1


Killian Brennan's audacious free kick added to Christy Fagan's inventive brace as St Patrick's Athletic's revival continued apace at Richmond Park.

The victory saw Liam Buckley’s side overtake Bohemians – who’ve now not beaten their Dublin rivals in 15 league games stretching back five years – and move up to fourth place in the table.

Brennan dipped a free kick up and over the defensive wall and not far wide to lift the game from its sluggish start on 11 minutes.

Solid defending from Sean Hoare snuffed out Bohemians’ first chance seven minutes later as the St Patrick’s defender got across to block Ismahil Akinade’s shot after a clever flick from Keith Buckley.

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Piece of ingenuity

A piece of ingenuity from Christy Fagan then fully ignited the game on 22 minutes.

James Chambers worked the ball back to Aaron Greene on the left and his cross was hooked to the net by Fagan with an improvised overhead kick.

The impish St Patrick’s striker might have doubled the lead three minutes later. Put through by Chris Forester’s ball, Fagan drilled his left-foot shot wide of the far post.

But shoddy defending by the home side in first conceding, and then neglectfully defending, a corner allowed Bohemians back into the game.

Lorcan Fitzgerald’s delivery to the near post had plenty of pace on it as central defender Derek Prendergast was first to the ball to score with a stooping header.

Fluid move

A fluid St Pat’s move down the right went close to restoring their lead four minutes before the interval. But Forrester’s diving header from captain Ger O’Brien’s cross was straight at Dean Delany in the Bohemians goal.

A second piece of ingenuity from Fagan did get St Patrick’s back in front five minutes after the restart.

Ian Bermingham’s first -time volley from a Brennan corner may well have found the net but Fagan helped to ensure it with a clever flick of his head.

Delany got his fingertips to Greene’s low drive to touch the ball onto a post on 65 minutes. The Bohemians keeper was left flat-footed, however, when St Patrick’s extended their lead four minutes later.

Forrester’s clever feet won a free kick off Prendergast and Brennan delightfully curled the subsequent dead ball to the corner of the net.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O’Brien (Desmond, 61), Hoare, Browne, Bermingham; Bolger; Chambers, Brennan (McCormack, 79); Forrester, Fagan (McGrath, 75), Greene.

BOHEMIANS: Delany; Hayes (Kelly, 70), Prendergast, Lopes, Fitzgerald; Moore (J. Byrne, 75), Dillon, Creevy (O‘Brien, 29), Evans; Buckley, Akinade.

Referee: Padraig Sutton (Clare).Paul Buttner