St Patrick’s Athletic 3-1 Bohemians
ST PATRICK’S ATLETIC continued their good run tonight with what was eventually a comfortable win over Dublin rivals Bohemians in Inchicore.
Ahead of their FAI Cup semi-final on Sunday, the current league champions are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions.
It was the visitors who began on the front foot, however, and Keith Buckley assumed the creative role as they set about engineering just a fifth away win in the league.
He shot wide of Brendan Clarke’s goal inside the first 10 minutes and Steven Beattie saw what looked to be a strike on target blocked.
Most of the good Bohemians work was coming down the right side, with Beattie, Derek Pender and Buckley all looking dangerous.
However, they lacked the finesse required to open the scoring, and were made to pay for not capitalising on their early dominance as the half came to a close.
A sweeping move involving Greg Bolger, Aaron Greene, Ian Bermingham and Christy Fagan ended with the latter shooting past Shanahan for his 18th league goal of the season.
He then turned provider three minutes later. Having dispossessed Aidan Price, his cross took a deflection before finding its way to Greene who headed in at the back post.
In the second half the Champions assumed total control, and their main men really stepped up. Chris Forrester raided forward from midfield, and it was his weighted pass after 65 minutes that led to the third goal.
Conan Byrne, who has played more league minutes than any other out-field Saints’ player, curved his run to get in behind Jack Memery and rifle a low shot past Aaron Shanahan at the near post.
The visitors did have something to cling on to as the game entered its final stages when substitute Anto Murphy beat Clarke from the edge of the box, but they struggled to build any momentum in the last five minutes.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Clarke, McCormack, Bermingham, Bolger (Chambers 69), Byrne, Fahey (Brennan 75), Fagan, Browne, Forrester, Hoare (Oman 83), Greene. Substitutions: Jennings, Oman, Fitzgerald, O’Brien, Chambers, Brennan, Durrad.
Bohemians: Shanahan, Pender, Memery, Lopes, Price, Beattie, Wearen (Murphy 73), Buckley, Moore (Evans 67), Corcoran, Hyland (Kavanagh 58). Substitutions: Mulcahy, McEvoy, Murphy, Kavanagh, Walsh, Evans, Delaney.
