St Patrick’s Athletic take advantage of 10-man Shamrock Rovers

Joey O’Brien’s sending off key at Richmond Park

St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Shamrock Rovers 0

Second-half goals by Kevin Toner and Killian Brennan helped St Patrick’s Athletic to claim the spoils against 10-man Shamrock Rovers at Richmond Park last night.

Although there was little to separate the sides initially, the 40th-minute dismissal of Rovers defender Joey O’Brien was the shot in the arm that Pat’s needed to secure their sixth Premier Division win of the present campaign.

While Rovers entered this contest on the back of a magnificent 3-0 victory over champions Cork City last Monday, the hosts were looking to bounce back from their five-goal reversal to Dundalk on the same evening.

Marauding Rovers wing-back Sean Kavanagh fired just wide of the target during the early exchanges, before a subsequent free-kick by Conan Byrnemarginally drifted over Kevin Horgan’s crossbar at the opposite end.

Just when the opening period looked set to reach a tame conclusion, a major flashpoint altered the course of the game. Following a late tackle on Ryan Brennan close to the touchline, former Republic of Ireland international O’Brien was given his marching orders by referee Graham Kelly.

Though the sides remained on level terms at the break, Pat’s ultimately made their numerical advantage count 11 minutes into the second half.

An own goal by Kevin Toner handed Rovers all three points at the Tallaght Stadium in mid-March, but it was the centre half’s header from a Byrne corner that ultimately broke the deadlock on this occasion.

With a seventh league defeat of 2018 now looming large for his side, Rovers boss Stephen Bradley introduced attacking duo Gary Shaw and Brandon Miele for a final-quarter assault on the Pat’s goal.

However, after Ronan Finn fouled Thomas Byrne at the end of normal time, Pat’s substitute Killian Brennan coolly dispatched a subsequent penalty beyond the reach of Horgan.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Murphy; Madden, Desmond, Toner, Bermingham; R Brennan (Kelly, 88 mins), Lennon; C Byrne, Markey (K Brennan, 83 mins), Clarke; Keegan (T Byrne, 85 mins).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Horgan; Boyle, Grace, Lopes, O’Brien, Kavanagh; A Bolger (Miele, 75 mins), G Bolger, Finn; Burke, Carr (Shaw, 70 mins).

Referee: G Kelly (Cork).