Saints draw blank again as Sligo bag a vital point

THE width of a post twice deprived St Pat’s of what would have been a deserved victory as they were frustrated in drawing a blank for the fifth game in a row.

Stephen O’Donnell’s Saints began positively at Richmond Park with Georgie Kelly, Chris Forrester, Jamie Lennon and Robbie Benson having sights of goal that came to nothing, all inside the opening seven minutes.

It was 24 minutes before visitors Sligo finally sprung to life in an attacking sense to carve the only real opening of the first half.

Right-back Lewis Banks’ diagonal ball was helped on by skipper David Cawley for Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe.

The Londoner cut across the St Pat’s 18-yard area to unleash his shot that was deflected out for a corner.

As in the first, St Pat’s began the second half on the front foot and were inches from a deserved lead on 61 minutes.

Impressive right-back Rory Feely’s cross dropped awkwardly for Benson in the area, though the midfielder still managed to direct it onto a post off his thigh before Banks hacked the loose ball clear.

The same upright came to Sligo’s rescue again on 83 minutes as Forrester’s curling shot beat Ed McGinty, only to strike the butt of his left-hand post.

One landmark on what was not a landmark occasion was club captain Ian Bermingham’s late introduction, making it a record 309th league appearance for St Pat’s.

Sligo then finished with 10 men when midfielder Niall Morahan was sent off for a second booking in stoppage time.

St Patrick’S athletic: Clarke; Feely, McNally, Desmond, Griffin (Bermingham, 81); Lennon (Markey, 86), Forrester; Gibson, Benson, King (McClelland, 70); Kelly.

Sligo roverS: McGinty; Banks, McFadden, Penninkangas, Donelon; Morahan, Cawley; Devers (Cooper, 87), Seymore (Buckley, 75), Junior; Coughlan. referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).