Richmond comeback could yet be pivotal
SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH
Killian Brennan (St Patrick’s Athletic)
He might have ended up on the losing side in the end, but Killian Brennan rolled back the years with a superb display against Dundalk on Friday night. He dictated everything in the first half from the middle of the field and it was his delivery from a corner which led to Jake Keegan putting Liam Buckley’s men in front. He was also prominent in Pat’s pushing for an equaliser late on, even being denied himself by a superb stop from Gary Rogers from a free kick. Pat Hoban was the pick of the bunch for Dundalk.
TALKINGPOINT
Just how big a night was this in the title race? A goal down at half-time Dundalk were faced with a major test to get back into the game having been second best for large spells. They weren’t brilliant in Richmond Park but a few fleeting moments of quality saw their character shine through enough for them to get the job done. A hard fought victory became even bigger in the moments after the full-time whistle when it emerged that Cork City had been held by Shamrock Rovers at Turner’s Cross - the first points they have dropped at home all season. That opens up a four point lead at the break for Dundalk, a lead they won’t want to concede whenever they play in the league again.
HOWTHEYSTAND
Dundalk Cork City Waterford Shamrock R Derry City St. Pat’s Ath Bohemians Sligo Rovers Limerick Bray Wand
PW 25 19 25 18 25 13 25 10 25 11 25 9 24 6 24 6 25 5 25 4
D 4 3 5 7 3 3 7 5 6 3
L F 2 63 4 46 7 36 8 39 11 39 13 28 11 23 13 22 14 18 18 17
A Pts 12 61 16 57 28 44 22 37 44 36 37 30 32 25 33 23 46 21 61 15 EACH season has its moments. It’s too early to judge, of course, but Friday July 6th could be one such occasion when we look back on the 2018 season.
Dundalk were a goal down away to St Patrick’s Athletic having been second best for long periods of the first half. And yet despite never hitting top gear they managed to turn it around in the second half with a performance which told you more about their character and desire than anything else.
While Stephen Kenny’s side were toiling in Richmond Park, down in Turner’s Cross Cork City were hosting Shamrock Rovers where a big call was made by Stephen Bradley to stick with 16-year-old goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu rather than opt for the experience of Northern Irish international Alan Mannus. That decision would prove to be massive as Bazunu saved a Kieran Sadlier spot kick to help his side to a 0-0 draw. Dundalk’s come from behind win, coupled with John Caulfield’s side dropping points at home for the first time this season, means that the Lilywhites now hold a four point lead at the top of the table.
There’s still 11 matches to go obviously but suddenly there’s room for error and with Europe on the horizon for both of the title challengers, what a time to have that little bit of breathing room.
The large travelling support who ignored the lure of the World Cup on TV for a trip to Richmond Park were certainly served up a tense end-to-end affair. They might have wished they had stayed away in the first half though as Pat’s took the game to their opponents.
It was a night when two records were up for grabs. Dundalk were looking to equal the club record 10 league wins in-a-row picked up during the 1967-68 season while Pat’s were hoping to avoid a record seventh straight league defeat.
This was not a Pat’s side who looked to be on the verge of the worst run of results in the club’s history. They passed the ball well, pressed high, showed plenty of desire and in Killian Brennan had arguably the game’s outstanding player.
In the first half, in particular, the Drogheda man dictated the play as Dundalk struggled to get a grip on things in midfield.
Kenny had made two changes from the side which had beaten Cork City a week earlier, bringing Daniel Cleary and Dylan Connolly back into the side in place of Sean Gannon and Krisztián Adorján and while the two returnees were probably amongst the pick of the Dundalk players early on, the changes looked to have unbalanced the side a little with not the usual raiding down the flanks. The one exception was perhaps Connolly, who attacked well but often struggled with his final pass.
Hoare did fashion the first half decent chance for Dundalk when he cut inside on 16 minutes but his left foot shot was always rising over Brendan Clarke’s crossbar.
On the opposite flank Michael Duffy had arguably his poorest game for some time as he struggled to get into it. Still, three moments of magic showed his undoubted class - two of which would turn the game on its head.
The first of these special mometns arrived on 17 minutes when he slid Pat Hoban in on the left only for the striker’s shot to come off the face of Clarke and out for a corner.
Just when it looked like Dundalk might be building a head of steam, they fell behind on 25 minutes. Simon Madden did well to win a corner off Robbie Benson on the right and when it was floated into the area by Killian Brennan, the unmarked Jake Keegan headed past Gary Rogers from six yards out. It was a poor goal to concede given the marking but perhaps the goalkeeper should have been in control of a situation like that too.
Pat’s dominated after that but their lack of chances was perhaps the clearest indicator of why they are in their current position.
By contrast Dundalk almost grabbed an equaliser within a minute of falling behind. Jamie McGrath skinned Kevin Toner on the right and after failing to apply the finish himself the ball broke to Hoban whose shot was deflected over by Lee Desmond.
Then a minute before the break a dangerous cross from the left by Duffy just evaded the inrushing Connolly at the back post.
There were a few worried Lilywhites supporters at half-time but the thing about not playing well is that you still always have a chance of getting something from a game when you have a player in the kind of form that Hoban is at present.
Easily Dundalk’s best player on the night, he almost levelled matters within four minutes on the restart when he won a 50/50 ball against Ian Bermingham to get a shot away only to be denied by Clarke.
Then came the equaliser on 51 minutes. Hoban would start and end the move having dispossessed Desmond to pick out Duffy. He then picked out Hoban again with a ball in from the left that the striker managed to work on to his right foot to fire low to the bottom left hand corner for his 20th goal of the season.
Soon after it took a superb challenge by Toner to deny Hoban a second but Pat’s showed their own intention by breaking from that attack with Ryan Brennan slipping Conan Byrne in on the right only for him to be denied by a superb block from Dane Massey.
Seconds later Dean Clarke had a go from range but it was straight at Rogers.
Dundalk then took the lead on 58 minutes from the most unlikely of sources. Duffy embarked on a superb solo run from inside his own half before teeing the ball up for Chris Shields on the right. The midfielder then fired a low shot to the far corner of the net for what was his second goal of the season.
Pat’s refused to throw in the towel though and began to exert a great degree of pressure after that. On 67 minutes Rogers was forced into a fine save from Jamie Lennon after the ball had broken to him when Benson was only able to nod away Killian Brennan’s free.
Benson was unlucky not to put some daylight between the sides two minutes later when a stunning attempted chip was touched onto the crossbar by Clarke.
McGrath and Hoban then had efforts just off target as Dundalk failed to find the goal that would have killed the game.
This meant that as the game entered its final stages, the pressure was on. On 83 minutes a dangerous cross by Bermingham was brilliantly headed over by Massey when it had looked destined to find Murray.
Moments later Madden’s ball into the box from the right dropped to Bermingham at the far stick but his shot was turned around the post by Rogers.
Pat’s were now pushing hard and on 88 minutes a wonderfully lofted ball into the box by Killian Brennan was met first time by Keegan, who couldn’t direct it on target.
Brennan then took matters into his own hands in the search for an equaliser in stoppage time when he curled a free kick over the wall only to see it touched over at full stretch by Rogers.
Dundalk then had a major let-off from the resulting corner when it was rolled to Madden at the edge of the box only for his effort to come off the back of Dean Jarvis and deflect wide.
Pat’s would try the same routine from the next corner but on this occasion Madden’s effort was charged down with Dundalk breaking at pace with Krisztián Adorján releasing Benson. He then raced into the box before laying off to the inrushing Hoban as Clarke approached. Hoban then dived at full stretch to convert from a tight angle to register his 21st goal of the season.
Dundalk had held out for a big, big win.
It was the kind of performance you expect of champions, winning when not at their best. They might not be the champions currently but this result has gone some way to retaining that title.