St Patrick’s Athletic 4-0 Wexford Youths: Byrne double helps Pat’s into third

By Daire Walsh at Richmond Park

Liam Buckley’s side moved into third place in the Premier Division, with a routine victory over ten-man Wexford Youths

St. Patrick’s Athletic rose to third place in the Airtricity Premier Division, vanquishing Wexford Youths to secure their second consecutive victory.

The Saints opened the scoring with a sixth-minute goal by the in-form Mark Timlin. The Donegal native turned provider for Christy Fagan just four minutes later, before a stunning strike from the impressive Conan Byrne ensured that the hosts brought a 3-0 lead into the interval.

Pat’s enhanced their superiority with another Byrne goal 12 minutes after the restart. Wexford’s woes were compounded by the 57th-minute dismissal of ace marksman Danny Furlong.

Timlin was on target during the home team’s mid-week triumph away to Finn Harps and he broke the deadlock by heading Byrne’s enticing right-wing cross into the net.

The visitors almost restored parity when Furlong hit the frame of the Pat’s post but, from the subsequent attack, his opposite number Fagan volleyed home from close-range, following excellent work on the left-flank by Timlin.

The 2013 champions were now firmly in the driving seat and their position was strengthened just after the half-hour mark when Byrne unleashed an unstoppable shot to the top right-hand corner of Graham Doyle’s goal.

Shane Keegan’s charges did place Pat’s under some pressure when the action resumed, but Byrne grabbed his second from a fast-paced Billy Dennehy delivery to extinguish any remaining hope.

In the direct aftermath of this goal, Furlong received a straight red card from referee Robert Harvey to add to the Youths’ woes.

This result sees Pat’s to move up to third place in the table ahead of their visit to Bray Wanderers on April 23, while Wexford will aim to bounce back from this heavy reversal at home to Galway United the previous evening.