Lilywhites’ scoring problems continue

DUNDALK 0

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC 0

STEPHEN O’Donnell might be gone but the scoring problems continued for Dundalk as against St Patrick’s Athletic at Oriel Park on Friday night.

The Lilywhites were playing their first match since the sacking of their head coach four days earlier but their lack of a cutting edge remains an issue as this latest blank means they have now gone five home matches in-a-row without scoring for the first time in their history.

Jon Daly’s side came into the game on the back of good wins against Sligo Rovers and Shamrock Rovers that had lifted them to third in the table but they also struggled to find their shooting boots with Conor Keeley and Mason Melia squandering their best chances.

Dundalk, who had interim bosses Liam Burns and Brian Gartland on the sideline, had a flurry of opportunities early in the second half but only forced one fairly routine save from Danny Rogers over the 90 minutes.

His opposite number, George Shelvey, was left breathing a sigh of relief on 11 minutes when he was caught in possession by Melia, who charged down his attempted clearance only for the ball to drift wide before he could finish.

Daryl Horgan and Archie Davies had efforts off target for the home side after that but the first shot on target didn’t arrive until the 28th minute when Shelvey turned Chris Forrester’s effort from the edge of the box around the post.

The visitors then should have been in front eight minutes later when Brandon Kavanagh’s corner picked out the inrushing Keeley but he couldn’t find the target from 10 yards out.

The home side applied plenty of pressure at the start of the second half but a long-range Robbie Benson effort that was punched away by Rogers was their only attempt on target.

Aside from that, Mayowa Animasahun went closest to a breakthrough for the home side when he headed agonisingly wide after John Mountney had stood a cross up for him to attack.

The best chance after that to win it fell St Pat’s way on 56 minutes when a brilliant ball from Jamie Lennon sent Melia through on goal but his effort was tipped over by Shelvey. The former Nottingham Forest ’keeper was also a relieved man in stoppage time when Jake Mulraney struck the outside of the post from an acute angle. DUNDALK: Shelvey; Mountney (Durrant 80), Johnson (Animasahun 22), Boyle, Bradshaw; High, Benson; Davies, Horgan (Keane 68), Mahon (O’Kane 80); Gullan (Elliott 68).

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Rogers; Turner, Redmond, Keeley, Breslin; Lennon, Bolger (Leavy 68); B Kavanagh (Palmer 83), Forrester, Nolan (Mulraney 68); Melia (Keating 90).

REFEREE: Gavin Colfer (Wexford).