Hat-trick for Fagan as St Pat’s hit five
St Patrick’s Athletic……………………………………. 5
Derry City……………………………………………………. 2
By Daire Walsh
Christy Fagan helped himself to a hat-trick in a commanding SSE Airtricity League Premier Division triumph for St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.
Fagan opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a neat finish following a probing run by the impressive Christopher Forrester.
Six minutes later he doubled the lead after former Republic of Ireland international Keith Fahey easily dispossessed Michael Duffy in midfield, sprinted towards the City goal, and his subsequent pull-back was eventually scrambled home by Fagan.
Two inch-perfect deliveries by Killian Brennan yielded head goals either side of the break from Conan Byrne and Sean Hoare before Duffy finally gave Derry fans something to cheer about on the hour mark with a terrific strike from distance past the helpless Clarke.
Fagan added his third goal of the game on 72 minutes in when Doherty gave the ball away, and even though Derry claimed another seven minutes from the end through Rory Patterson, it proved to be a mere consolation.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O’Brien, Hoare, Browne, Bermingham; Fahey, Chambers (McCormack 79), Brennan; Byrne, Fagan (Quigley 75), Forrester (Lynch 75).
DERRY CITY: Doherty; S McEleney, Barry, McBride, Jarvis; Ventre (McGovern 64); P McEleney (Boyle 92), Molloy, McNamee, Duffy; Patterson (Doyle 86).
Referee: P McLaughlin (Donegal).