St Patrick's Athletic (2) - Galway United (0)

St Patrick's Athletic 2 - Galway United 0

Saint Patrick's Athletic are top of the League of Ireland Premier Division table, despite finishing with ten men as they took care of a gutsy Galway side by the Camac.

Saints had fortune by their side throughout, with Moses Dyer missing a massive chance for United shortly before Kian Leavy and Zack Elbouzedi netted within six minutes of each other to put Stephen Kenny's men two up at the break.

Axel Sjöberg saw red midway through a second half understandably dominated by Galway, with Moses unable to continue his superb recent run of goals, missing several half-chances, but United will be encouraged by the character they again showed - albeit in vain - on a balmy evening in Dublin.

United were comfortably ahead in XG terms but gave away two sloppy goals and, all told, they will wonder how they did not score.

Pat's still give the impression they have yet to get going this season, but that adds to the satisfaction of topping the standings at this stage.

Saints have stuttered a little of late in a deeply compressed league but they were happy to welcome Aidan Keena back, the Mullingar native having recovered from a hamstring niggle. He came in for Jay McClelland and the suspended Anto Breslin was replaced by Al-Amin Kazeem, whose departure from Galway last season was far from well-received out west.

So strong was the Pat's bench, it numbered in its seats Jake Mulraney and Brandon Kavanagh. Neither featured.United had to plan without skipper Greg Cunningham.

Stephen Kenny, Saints boss, channelled his inner Damien Richardson in his programme notes. The pain of the late loss at Bohemians, he wrote, "resonates and infiltrates your system and leaves you in a cave where light doesn't exist".

The sun was shining on Pat's tonight. Keena was the first to move the home crowd, firing at but above goal seven minutes in.

Then the league's top scorer, Dyer, worked Joseph Anang, before Keena again found space but arrowed a shot that was off target.

Midway through the half, the busy Leavy was on his weaker foot, his right, and his shot sailed over Clarke's bar.

Leavy then showed beautiful trickery around the box and teed up Elbouzedi, whose inviting cross had United worried, only for Mason Melia to head wide.

On the half-hour mark, Galway looked certain to score - and it was the Kiwi Moses, of course. A delightful dink down the line from Cian Byrne gave Jeannot Esua space; he fed Moses, who was somewhat off balance but remarkably failed to connect properly from a handful of yards.

Within two minutes, the visitors' wound had vinegar over it. Leavy played a one-two with Keena and, despite a scruffy shot from about 12 yards, United could not keep the ball out.

John Caulfield hooked off Stephen Walsh shortly afterwards but the hill became a mountain on 38 minutes. United's luck was out and a horrid deflection off Rob Slevin deceived Clarke, as Elbouzedi peeled away to celebrate.

United have a will that any manager would relish and, even at two down, this game was undecided. Indeed, Byrne had Anang beaten but his free-kick, after Jamie Lennon felled Moses eight minutes into the second half, came off the top of the crossbar.

Byrne then put Moses in and he this time managed to beat Anang, only for Joe Redmond to get back and clear near the line.

The loudest cheer of the night was saved for the hour mark when whistler Rob Harvey booked both Caulfield and assistant Ollie Horgan within a minute of each other.

United pressed gamely and had plenty of crosses, with the gigantic Patrick Hickey influential, and Moses headed over midway through the half. It was a late Sjöberg challenge that had so energised Caulfield and Horgan. He then connected with Bobby Burns on 69 minutes and, despite Burns making the most of it, Sjöberg was deservedly shown a second yellow.

Inchicore was buzzing but almost silenced when Rob Slevin's curler went narrowly wide as United nearly made things really interesting.

Then Byrne, entirely free at the back post from a corner, headed across to Moses, who once more headed over Anang's crossbar.

Kenny, mild-mannered on the sideline by comparison to Horgan, both wearing spectacles, saw yellow too, before Anang saved from both David Hurley and Slevin in a frantic spell around the 75-minute mark.

Moses has been the prophet of magic time and time again for Galway in recent weeks but everything he touched went wrong tonight. He will rise again. Saints are rising now.

© rte.ie

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St Patrick's Athletic 2 - Galway United 0

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