Doyle hits a double in St Pat’s win over Finn Harps
Firhouse’s Eoin Doyle struck a brace of goals at Richmond Park last night to guide St Patrick’s Athletic towards a 2-0 triumph over Finn Harps in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.
After getting the better of UCD on Monday at Belfield, the Saints had too much for their fellow strugglers on home soil.
This was their second win of the season at the expense of the Ballybofey men – they defeated them on the same scoreline at Finn Park on March 11 – and it ensures Tim Clancy’s side remain third in the Premier Division table.
Having previously gone four games without a win, the past week has seen Pat’s regaining momentum.
The Inchicore outfit welcome league leaders Derry City to Richmond next Friday and will be in a much better place as a result of securing back-to-back victories.
As expected, the Saints were on top of possession from the very early exchanges of the action.
Ben McCormack and Darragh Burns both went close to opening the scoring and Doyle was also denied by Mark Anthony McGinley on 35 minutes.
There was only so much resistance that Harps could offer up, however, and Pat’s finally made a breakthrough with seven minutes remaining in the opening period. Off an inch-perfect Billy King cross, Doyle headed home in clinical fashion from close-range.
Jack Scott was added to the mix in place of the injured James Abankwah when the play resumed and the hosts continued to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Just over 12 minutes were gone in the second half when Doyle stepped up to the penalty spot.
The former Shamrock Rovers striker missed a penalty against UCD – though McCormack did turn in the rebound – but he made no mistake on this occasion. This put the Saints firmly in the driving seat and well on their way towards accruing maximum points.
In a bid to see out the game in as professional a manner as possible, Clancy introduced Ronan Coughlan, Mark Doyle, Jason McClelland and Ian Bermingham off the bench.
Pat’s custodian Joseph Anang did have to keep on his toes as Harps forged a spirited attempt at a fightback, but they came away with the result they craved in the end.