Airtricity Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic edges out Derry City 1-0
Shelbourne is on the brink of clinching the League of Ireland title, a feat not achieved in the last 18 years. Their victory could be marked this Sunday or the upcoming Friday unless overtaken by Shamrock Rovers in a thrilling conclusion against Damien Duff’s team.
In the meantime, guided by the astute management of Stephen Kenny, St Patrick’s Athletic climbed to second place in the Premier Division, backed by a triumphant run of eight successive wins.
The singular, decisive goal was achieved by Brandon Kavanagh in presence of the 4,998-strong crowd at Richmond Park. This score highlighted the collapse of Derry City’s aim for double glory, given their poor performance in away games throughout the season – only 22 points out of a potential 54 were managed.
Derry’s focus now shifts to the FAI Cup final scheduled on November 10th at Aviva Stadium against Drogheda United. They can, however, might still affect the league title’s fate and tilt it in favour of Rovers by defeating Shels next week at Brandywell.
St Pat’s gap with Shelbourne increased to four points after Kavanagh’s crucial goal just before half-time, followed by Shelbourne’s leaders scoring a point against Drogheda United at Tolka Park.
The reigning five-in-a-row champions spearheaded by Stephen Bradley may lose out on European football in 2025 if Rovers slip up tomorrow. On the other hand, if Shels suffer a defeat in Derry, Rovers could retain their title by beating Dundalk and Waterford next Friday. The 2024 League’s outcome, thus, remains uncertain.
The high stakes led to a tense atmosphere at the Inchicore venue. Referee Rob Hennessy overlooked numerous fouls until finally brandishing yellow cards at Derry’s Duncan Idehen, Ronan Boyce and Sadou Diallo. Kian Leavy often found himself the target, while his fellow teammate Jamie Lennon was penalised with a yellow card for charging Will Patching to protect their rising star.
In a match filled with high stakes, Boyce was subbed out for Colm Whelan during half-time — a sensible switch as Boyce appeared to be on the verge of a dismissal. Derry was urgently seeking to level the score. There were certain inconsistencies in Stephen Kenny’s programme notes regarding “dashing wing play,” notably the surprise inclusion of Zach Elbouzedi in the starting team an hour before the match started, despite reports of his injury.
The game was lacking in its array of natural striker capacities due to Patrick Hoban — leading the league with 14 goals — and young star Mason Melia being unsuitable for participation. Eventually, Big Joe Redmond’s oversight over Hoban’s substitute Danny Mullen loosened.
Derry seemed to have secured the first point at the 38th minute when Mullen, retreating, enabled Adam O’Reilly to circumvent Joe Anang. However, Redmond was able to thwart the goal with a clear on the line. Before St Pat’s managed a goal, Patching and Boyce came close a few times.
St Pat’s goal came as a surprise, considering the flow of the game. Kavanagh’s primary attempt on right foot was rebuffed by Derry’s goalie Brian Maher, but when the second chance arrived, he advanced with his left and put it away.
An unexpected turn of events happened when Rayhaan Tulloch doubled the score for Shelbourne, coinciding with Whelan’s unsuccessful shot that hit the crossbar. Patrick McEleney eventually joined the match, producing flips in St Pat’s defence and compelling Anang to make a spectacular save against Michael Duffy.
When Bridel Bosakani narrowed the deficit for Drogheda, the future looked promising for the teams, but it was a night where Derry would ultimately lose their grip on control.
St Patrick’s Athletic team consisted of Anang, McLaughlin, Redmond, Grivosti with Turner subbed in at 89, Breslin, Lennon, Kavanagh replaced by Kazeem at 73, Forrester, and Elbouzedi who made way for Palmer at 61. Keena and Leavy were also part of the lineup.
In Derry City, the team comprised of Maher, Boyce who was later replaced by Whelan at 46 minutes, S McEleney, Idehen, and Wisdom who left for Davenport at 84 minutes. Also included were McMullen, Diallo and P McEleney who checked out at 60 minutes for Patching, and he later swapped for Robertson at 72 minutes. Additionally, we had O’Reilly and Duffy accompanying Mullen on the team. The game was moderated by the referee R Hennessy.