St Pat’s hoping for further Dublin derby delight
SIX GAMES into their 2017 SSE Airtricity League campaign, St Patrick’s Athletic finally carved out their first win and it came against neighbouring rivals Shamrock Rovers in Richmond Park on Saturday.
Liam Buckley’s side battled back from a goal down to win 2-1 with two substitutes Kurtis Byrne and Josh O’Hanlon accounting for both of their goals after Gary Shaw had edged the visitors in front after just 13 minutes.
Certainly the homeside was helped by the dismissal of Shamrock Rovers’ Sean Heaney for a second bookable just after the half-hour mark.
And they finally made their numerical advantage count on the hour when Byrne got on the end of JJ Lunney’s delivery before O’Hanlon, who had just been introduced, powered home a winning header from Conan Byrne’s corner kick.
“We’re delighted to get the win,” said Buckley.
“I thought for the first 20 minutes Rovers were marginally on top, but them having a man sent off had a serious impact on the game.
“They [Rovers] were trying to get it up to Gary Shaw and play off the balls that he won. They were picking up a lot of the second ball and that was making it difficult.
“We were always good. We tried to pass the ball and go through our patterns of play. But it’s still a work in progress.
“We did reasonably well with all the possession we had. We were patient because sometimes it can be harder to play against ten men when they get the players behind the ball.
“But we showed patience and composure and I was just pleased that Kurtis Byrne and Josh O’Hanlon were able to make that impact when they came on” he told The Echo.
Following up on this win with another will not be an easy task for Pat’s as they travel to Dalymount Park tonight (Friday) to face off against a Bohemians outfit that has been motoring in recent weeks.
Indeed the Gypsies have chalked up ten points from their last four games, but Buckley is hopeful his side can ignite a run of their own.
“Winning games helps with the confidence” said Buckley. “Bohs have made a good start, but hopefully we can keep it going after this win.
“I’ve said it before – there are no easy games. Teams have improved and money has been thrown at it, but we’ll just be looking to perform well” he added.