Bohemians (0) - St Patrick's Athletic (1)

Bohemians 0 - St Patrick's Athletic 1

A 35th-minute goal by Ciaran Kilduff proved crucial as St Patrick's Athletic accounted for Dublin rivals Bohemians 1-0 in their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division encounter at Dalymount Park.

Kilduff handed the Saints a deserved lead ten minutes before the break, pouncing from close range for his first goal of the season after Dean Delany had saved from Conan Byrne.

That lead should have been doubled in the 70th minute but Dean Delany denied Killian Brennan from the penalty spot and the Saints held on despite some incessant late pressure from Bohs.

The visitors spurned a glorious opportunity of breaking the deadlock inside 13 seconds with Kilduff lacking confidence as he fired wide from 14 yards after a fine through ball by Christopher Forrester.

Bohemians responded well to that initial concern with Derek Pender showing positive intent from full-back for a home side forced to wear their away strip due to a supposed clash of colours with their opponents.

The contest settled down after a vibrant start but the hosts were indebted to an excellent headed clearance from Derek Prendergast as Sean
Hoare looked to meet Brennan's corner-kick in the 15th minute.

Both sides lacked precision in their passing with Forrester's earlier effort the exception rather than the rule before the excitement levels were raised a notch in the 25th minute.

Firstly, both Prendergast and Dean Kelly looked certain to score after a sublime free-kick from Lorcan Fitzgerald had eluded the away defence and, from the resultant counter-attack, Pender timed his tackle to perfection as Kilduff seemed set to convert an Aaron Greene centre.

However, there were signs that St Pat's patience would be rewarded and so it proved in the 35th minute when they opened the scoring after a well-worked move.

Forrester was the instigator on this occasion and although Delany denied his former Shelbourne team-mate Conan Byrne with a brave block, Kilduff was on hand to slot home the simplest of finishes.

Suitably buoyed by that strike, Kilduff almost added a second six minutes later but he failed to get enough accuracy when glancing a Byrne corner-kick towards goal.

Kilduff enjoyed another half-chance in first-half injury time but his looped effort from Ian Bermingham's cross lacked the necessary power to unduly trouble Deleny, who gathered the ball under Byrne's challenge.

The second-half resumed in a similar vein with St Pat's looking the more likely despite an enterprising raid from Karl Moore within three minutes of the restart.

Moore was soon replaced by Bohemians' top scorer Adam Evans and the switch immediately offered the hosts greater options going forward.

In the 57th minute, Bohemians had highly ambitious claims for a penalty but referee Graham Kelly correctly adjudged Patrick Kavanagh to have dived under minimal contact from Hoare and the winger was booked.

Despite that disappointment, the hosts were beginning to build up a head of steam and Kelly just failed to get enough purchase on his header to trouble Conor O'Malley after a fine cross from Evans in the 65th minute.

That momentum was maintained five minutes later as Delany dived to his right to deny Brennan from the penalty spot after Prendergast had clumsily brought down Kilduff inside the area.

The leveller almost arrived in the 75th minute as another sumptuous Fitzgerald free-kick seemed destined for the net but Prendergast arrived narrowly too late to touch home with the goal gaping.

With the Saints ceding further territory with every minute, Bohs enjoyed a monopoly on possession in the closing stages but a lack of guile in the final third proved their undoing as St Pat's held on for the points.

© rte.ie

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Bohemians 0 - St Patrick's Athletic 1

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