In a thrilling game at Richmond Park, St Patrick’s Athletic secured a 2-1 victory against Shamrock Rovers, marking their first win against the team in two years. This win was all the more enjoyable because Jon Daly’s team had to mount a comeback against the defending champions, a feat they had been unable to achieve in their previous eight matches against Shamrock Rovers.
In the first half of the game, Rovers had the upper hand, owing to an early goal by Darragh Nugent. However, St Patrick’s Athletic turned the tide in the second half, scoring two quick goals. Team captain, Joe Redmond, equalised with a header before newcomer Alex Nolan secured a win with his debut goal for the team. This win allowed St Patrick’s to move into the third spot on the league table.
This match marked Shamrock Rovers’ second loss of the season, bringing their three-match winning streak to an end and leaving them in fifth place on the table.
The only change in St Patrick’s Athletic’s line-up from their previous 3-0 win against Sligo Rovers was the replacement of Jake Mulraney with Brandon Kavanagh while Chris Forrester started on the bench once more. On the Shamrock Rovers’ team, Roberto Lopes, the scorer in their match in Waterford, was back in the starting three. The team also included Nugent and Dylan Watts in the midfield and saw Josh Honohan’s return as a left wingback.
Shamrock Rovers started the match with energy, taking an early lead thanks to some lacklustre defending by St Patrick’s Athletic. A clever play between Lopes and Burke allowed Darragh Burns to make a cross to Nugent who scored with an expertly placed header, securing Rovers’ their first first-half goal of the season. However, their subsequent efforts failed to find the net, and as the second half unfolded, St Patrick’s Athletic’s aggressive play saw them victorious.
St Patrick’s Athletic showed initial signs of sluggishness, with their first threat coming in the 17th minute. Ruairi Keating and Anto Breslin worked together on the left side, resulting in a cross from Breslin that caused an unintentional shot towards the goal by Rovers’ defender, Sean Hoare, under pressure from Kavanagh. The shot was miraculously saved by Leon Pohls, averting an own goal.
St. Pat’s had an opportunity to tie the game on the 25th minute, but Keating, despite Kavanagh’s clever assist, failed to capitalise on it due to Markus Poom’s tactical defence, as he ended up hitting a weak shot into the side netting. An errant pass by Dan Cleary gave the Saints another shot, but Kavanagh’s panic-induced shot was deflected off target.
Just before half-time, St. Pat’s had to swap 16-year-old Mason Melia for Keating, following an ankle injury in the 38th minute. The entrance of Forrester offered a much-needed energy boost replacing Leavy at half time, and within the first 11 minutes, the game had shifted.
A foul against the proactive Kavanagh by Hoare led to a free kick, resulting in a powerful header from Redmond after 54 minutes. Soon thereafter, St. Pat’s took advantage of a blunder from Pohls, giving them the lead for the first time, which eventually led to their victory. Pohls’ goal clearance stumbled onto Melia, who raced to Kavanagh. The ball ended up in the care of winger Nolan, who fired it into the net from 14 yards out.
Attendance at the match was 5,015, and the referee was Damien MacGrath speaking Mayo.