Grit and guile sees Shelbourne inflict first home defeat in a year on St Patrick's Athletic

The 42

7 hours ago

St Patrick's Athletic 0
Shelbourne 1
RICHMOND PARK FELT like a restless and frustrated place as Shelbourne inflicted a first home defeat on St Patrick's Athletic in more than a year.
Seventeen league games after Dundalk won here on 3 June, 2024, the champions came out on top courtesy of Ali Coote's deflected first-half strike.
For Damien Duff it was the perfect tonic after a sobering 2-1 defeat at home to Shamrock Rovers on Friday, this win taking them level on points with Stephen Kenny's side but trailing them in fifth on goal difference.
If they look up, though, they will see Drogheda United and Bohemians within touching distance but Rovers bolting into the distance 12 points clear.
Already this felt like a game a Dublin derby that's primary importance was the race for European football. Shels now have three wins in their last 11 games, the same number as Pat's, the kind of form that has seen any serious talk of a title challenge dissipate.
Shels started like a side who had no time to feel sorry for themselves after Friday's loss. Even without the injured Kerr McInroy, absent through injury for the first time this season, in the middle of the park the visitors assumed control with a tempo and confidence that the passive hosts just didn't match.
Shels might have had reason to go into their shell and think the world was against them on seven minute when a lovely piece of one touch passing involving Mark Coyle, Sean Boyd and Coote opened up the Saints defence with the Scot's run from deep putting him through on goal.
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Shelbourne's JJ Lunney is tackled by Jamie Lennon of St Pat's. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Referee Paul Norton was quick to blow his whistle for a foul on Boyd, though, and rather than allow play develop he brought it back. Duff and the Shels bench were rightly aggrieved but, three minutes later, they were celebrating when Coote found the net.
It was a passage of play that summed up the difference between the sides during the first-half; Shels were positive and front-footed, taking the initiative and punishing their standoffish opponents.
Coyle drove from the middle of the Pat's half, made it into the box without a challenge and practically bumped into Harry Wood who then was able to take possession and feed Evan Caffrey on the right.
Again, pressure was non existent and he was able to pick out a deep cross to the opposite side where Tyreke Wilson was unmarked could concentrate on his deft first-time lay off for Coote eight yards out.
He got his left-footed shot off straight away and the lunging Tom Grivosti deflected it just to the right of Joey Anang.
From that point on Shels maintained control in and out of possession, every misplaced pass or missed opportunity to attack adding to that sense of restlessness and frustration among the home fans.
Even the one half chance Pat's mustered on 23 minutes came when Aidan Keena couldn't control a cross from the right, the ball trickled on to Jay McClelland and his shot from the edge of the area was deflected over.
Boyd had a great chance to double Shels' lead 10 minutes before the break when Caffrey's dinked cross from the right found Boyd in acres of space in the box. The striker opted to shoot with his left as the ball came over his shoulder and couldn't direct it on target.
Kenny responded to his side's lethargy with a triple substitution at half-time. Mason Melia joined Keena in attack with Jake Mulraney making way along with both full backs, Anto Breslin and Ryan McLaughlin.
They were replaced by Barry Baggley and Axel Sjoberg, respectively, with McClelland going to left back and Baggley into midfield.
It was scrappy and fraught as the game crept beyond the hour mark with only Conor Kearns needing to get down low to save from Keena's long-distance effort.
Just when a lull began to linger in the play the Pat's crowd in the main stand were on the feet in anger demanding Sam Bone be shown a red card for a late, sliding tackle on Melia that sent the young forward into the air after he nicked the ball past him towards goal.
The covering Paddy Barrett ensured a sending off was never on the cards with just a yellow shown. Pats did force Shels onto their 18-yard box for the final 20 minutes but the champions were comfortable in their defensive shape barring one scramble in the box that saw substitute Zach Elbouzedi see his rebound shot blocked in the six-yard box by Caffrey.
There were still moments of danger, like when Melia went down in the box under little pressure and Duff was shown a yellow card for his complaints, and Jamie Lennon's strike from 20 yards that had a lovely bit of fade to take it away from Kearns but grazed the top of the crossbar.
The Shels keeper did have to make a superb save from Baggley at the end of normal time and once the five minutes of injury time were up Shels could celebrate a win that was produced through grit and guile.
St Patrick's Athletic: Joey Anang; Ryan McLaughlin (Axel Sjoberg HT), Joe Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti, Anto Breslin (Barry Baggley HT); Simon Power, Jamie Lennon, Jay McClelland, Kian Leavy (Zach Elbouzedi 71), Jake Mulraney (Mason Melia HT); Aidan Keena (Conor Carty 85).
Shelbourne: Conor Kearns; Evan Caffrey (Sean Gannon 75), Paddy Barrett, Sam Bone, Kameron Ledwidge, Tyreke Wilson (James Norris 75); Harry Wood, Mark Coyle (captain), JJ Lunney (Dan Kelly 70), Ali Coote (Ellis Chapman 60), Sean Boyd (John Martin 70).
Referee: Paul Norton.
Attendance: 4,421