St Pat’s move three points clear in Premier Division with win over Longford
By Daire Walsh
St Patrick’s Athletic moved three points clear at the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table with a 3-0 triumph at the expense of Longford Town in Richmond Park this evening.
While champions Shamrock Rovers could draw level with a win later on tonight against Finn Harps, the Saints will be satisfied to have extended their unbeaten start in this year’s league to eight games.
Chris Forrester
Frustrated for large spells by a game Longford, a close-range Ronan Coughlan finish and a Chris Forrester brace gave Pat’s maximum points for the sixth time in 2021.
Although just ahead of basement side Derry City on score difference in advance of this game, Longford have generally been competitive on their return to the top-flight.
This was in evidence during a recent trip to the Tallaght Stadium, when Shamrock Rovers required a stoppage-time goal from Sean Gannon to earn a 2-1 win.
As well as limiting the Saints’ attacking options, the Midlanders enjoyed good spells of controlled possession during the opening period. It was until the 41st minute that Longford custodian Michael Kelly was pressed into action and he was more than equal to Forrester’s low strike on that occasion.
With his side scoreless at the break, O’Donnell introduced Coughlan in a bid to unlock a stubborn Longford rearguard. Less than two minutes after the resumption, the centre-forward took advantage of a defensive mishap to give Pat’s the lead.
This helped to settle their nerves and five minutes later they had doubled their cushion courtesy of a spectacular curling strike from Forrester (Pat’s captain for the night) that ended up in the top right-hand corner of the Longford net.
This offered Pat’s substantial breathing space and with an important game to come against Sligo Rovers on Monday, they largely played within themselves for the remainder of the play.
Nevertheless, there was time for the excellent Forrester to round off a fine move in stoppage-time to put the seal on another morale-boosting victory.
