The Saints run riot against Bray in Inchicore

Daire Walsh

St Patrick’s Athletic emphatically booked their place in the next phase of the FAI Cup with a convincing 6-0 triumph over Bray Wanderers in an opening round clash at Richmond Park last night.

Supplementing a brace of Billy King goals, Jason McClelland, Ben McCormack, Sam Bone and Paddy Barrett also found the net to cap a near-perfect display from Stephen O’Donnell’s men.

It was a landmark evening in particular for 18-year-old McCormack, who broke his scoring duct at first-team level for the Saints.

Three-time winners of this competition – most recently in 2014 – Pat’s will have their sights set on a long run in this year’s Cup. With their Premier Division title challenge still very much on course, it is proving to be an eventful 2021 for the Inchicore men.

They may have had to wait until the first-quarter mark, but the Saints eventually got the ball rolling when King’s strike from a left-hand angle crept past opposition custodian Brian Maher.

The Edinburgh native turned supplier for their second of the tie in the 38th-minute as his cross was headed to the net with considerable aplomb by McClelland. Two goals in front at the break, Pat’s pushed forward for additional scores on the resumption.

Ballyfermot’s Ian Bermingham provided a typically-assured delivery from the left-wing nine minutes after the restart and this was the cue for McCormack to claim his maiden Saints goal.

Club captain Bermingham remains a popular figure and after McClelland nodded down his latest cross just shy of the hour mark, his defensive colleague Bone was on hand to fire past Maher.

Former Pat’s player Gary Shaw was subsequently introduced to the Seagulls attack, but he could do little to disrupt what was happening in the opposite half of the field.

Along with Saints head coach O’Donnell, Barrett earned FAI Cup honours as a Dundalk player in 2015.

He made it five on 62 minutes, before King’s second of the night rounded off the scoring with 14 minutes remaining.