Finn Harps 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 2
Goals from Billy King and Matty Smith helped St Patrick’s Athletic maintain their great start to the season with their extra class showing as they inflicted a first home defeat of the year on Finn Harps.
Driven on by the lively Chris Forrester, St Pat’s have now extended their unbeaten run to seven games while Harps - after such a bright start to the campaign - have now gone three matches without a win and are six points adrift of the Dubliners.
Former Cork City captain Johnny Dunleavy was a surprise starter for Finn Harps, but his debut ended in disappointment.
“I thought that overall our performance was exceptional and we are delighted to be going home with three points,” beamed St Pat’s first team coach, Alan Mathews afterwards.
Harps had the better of things with Ryan Shanley missing a couple of early chances.
But it was the Saints who went in front on the half hour mark when Billy King fended off a number of challenges as he snaked his way to the edge of the Harps box before unleashing a cracking shot past Mark Anthony McGinley.
The Saints doubled their advantage on 61 minutes when Ronan Coughlan got into the box and found Matty Smith whose looping header went beyond the reach of McGinley.
Harps never stopped battling and had a couple of chances late on but were unable to pull one back as the Inchicore side stood firm and ultimately deserved their victory.
Finn Harps: M. McGinley; Webster, Sadiki (T. McNamee, 74), Folan, Dunleavy (Rainey, 66 mins); Coyle, Seymore; O'Sullivan (Boyd, 58 mins), B. McNamee, Russell (Doherty, 58 mins); Shanley (Foley, 58 mins).
St. Patrick's Athletic: Jaros; Bone, Barrett, Desmond; Mountney, Lennon, Forrester, Bermingham (Griffin, 83 mins); King (McCormack, 83 mins), Smith; Coughlan (Lewis, 69).
Referee: R. Harvey (Dublin).
