AIRTRICITY LEAGUE: PREMIER DIVISION: St Patrick's Ath 3 Bohemians 1ST PATRICK'S claimed three valuable league points from a dramatic Premier Division game at Richmond Park. Jason Byrne put Bohemians ahead on 11 minutes but Derek Doyle, Paul Byrne and Stuart Byrne all replied for St Patrick's before the break. The win came with a sour note, though, as St Patrick's lost the influential Gareth Coughlan to a broken leg.
International team manager Giovanni Trapattoni and assistant Marco Tardelli were interested spectators for most of this Dublin derby and both sides turned on the style for the duo.
Still hurting from last Saturday’s Setanta Sports Cup final defeat to Bohemians, the home side started well with some excellent attacking passages of play.
On three minutes a sweeping Paul Byrne cross from the right found Coughlan on the far wing.
Coughlan’s poor first touch denied him the chance of a shot but he reacted well and crossed into the box; the well-placed Brian Shelley cleared before a St Patrick’s man could connect.
It was Bohemians, though, who opened the scoring on 11 minutes. A clearance by St Patrick’s goalkeeper Gary Rogers was met by Anto Murphy, who in turn fed Byrne and the one-time Ireland international made no mistake with a crisp shot.
Bohemians v St Patrick’s games can be explosive affairs and the sparks really started flying on 13 minutes. A tackle by former Saint Mark Quigley on Coughlan led to a melee involving several players from both sides.
Coughlan received treatment on the pitch before being carried off, to be replaced by Doyle. It was later confirmed Coughlan had suffered a double fracture to his right leg.
Quigley was yellow-carded and then dashed to the sideline and had words with his manger Pat Fenlon. He was replaced himself, by Paddy Madden, a minute later.
After the dust had settled a fantastic spell of football by the home side saw Pat’s score three time before the break.
Doyle scored the first on 38 minutes after Bohemians goalkeeper Barry Murphy had saved well from Paul Byrne after a cracking cross from David Mulcahy on the right.
Byrne himself then put St Pat’s ahead with a neat finish on 40 after Murphy had failed to deal with the fallout after a Derek Pender free.
With St Pat’s fans still celebrating, Stuart Byrne then volleyed in a third from 25 yards on 41.
St Pat’s started the second half in equally impressive form and Vinny Faherty went close to netting number four on 54 minutes when he took possession, turned and shot on target but Murphy was well placed to save.
Killian Brennan then curled a decent free-kick into the St Pat’s area on the hour mark. The ball was knocked out to Ruaidhri Higgins in the centre but the former Derry City man shot wide.
St Pat’s went close again on 67 when a corner was forced out by the Bohemians defence, as far as Mulcahy but his powerful shot went inches over the bar.
Bohemians had the best of the chances after that but couldn’t make any count.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC:Rogers; Pender, Bermingham, Kenna, Guthrie; Guy, Coughlan (Doyle, 17 mins), S Byrne (Sinnott, 82 mins), Mulcahy; P Byrne, Faherty (Williams, 79 mins).
BOHEMIANS: B Murphy; Heary, Gray (Burke, 79 mins), Shelley, McGuinness; Higgins, A Murphy, Keegan, Brennan; Quigley (Madden, 19 mins), J Byrne.
Referee: D Hancock (Dublin).
