ST PAT’S SPOT ON
Penalty enough for Saints to take points
ON a night when the Irish management team were out in force, St Pat’s served early notice that they might just have a hand to play this season.
Ireland boss Mick Mccarthy (below) was here at a heaving Richmond Park while assistants Robbie Keane and Terry Connor were at Dalymount and Oriel Park.
It was scrappy scruff, settled by a Mikey Drennan penalty before half-time and yet both sides will feel they have plenty to build on. Cork ought to have been ahead before the Saints were but, like their hosts, lacked a cutting edge when it mattered.
Pat’s were dynamic at times but smacked of a new group still finding their way. Promising moves broke down at crucial moments, but nothing more than teething problems that will be ironed out.
Cork were dogged. No surprise there. Daire O’connor was a spark out wide but while his fellow new recruits in the final third need time to gel, the Rebels must unearth a scoring outlet soon or risk being left behind.
Kevin O’connor was a late addition to the City line-up, replacing Gearoid Morrissey who felt a twinge in his hamstring in the warm-up. Caulfield sided with his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1.
Saints went with three at the back and wingbacks, with returning fans favourite Chris Forrester afford a free role behind lone striker Drennan who opened the scoring from the spot on the half hour.
Before that, the visitors had the better chances with Conor Mccarthy and Dan Casey going close with headers inside 10 minutes and Brendan Clarke then pulled off a stunning save to thwart Garry Buckley from close range.
But while the Rebels had the better chances, Saints had more of the ball and more about them once on it. Jamie Lennon was always ice cool breaking up ball and new recruit Rhys Mccabe – the occasional stray pass aside – was dynamic.
And yet for all their tenacity, the hosts lacked a cutting edge with Forrester – still shy of match sharpness and later replaced – unable to affect the game with goalkeeper Mark Mcnulty rarely tested.
But the deadlock was broken from the spot. Sean Mcloughlin sent the impressive Conor Clifford crashing in the box and Drennan outfoxed Mcnulty by sending him the wrong way.
The size of the crowd was proof indeed that the buzz is back in Inchicore. And the result will give those fans reason to believe that a return to Europe – their goal – is ultimately achievable but the contest itself won’t live long in the memory.
The second-half was particularly disjointed. But EX-UCD star O’connor was the Rebels best outlet as they pushed for an equaliser late on, although claims from Pat Dolan in his newspaper column that he is the “Irish Messi” are, well, pretty fanciful for now.