St Patrick's Athletic 4 Waterford Utd 1: St Patrick's emphatically avenged their heaviest defeat of the season to move back up to third in the Premier Division table. Paul Buttner reports from Richmond Park
Eager to improve on their sluggish end to the first third of the season, St Patrick's were vibrant throughout last evening's game and well worth their 2-0 half-time lead prior to David Freeman scoring his first league goals for the club to seal the win.
Eamonn Collins's side imposed their game on Waterford from the start, with visiting central defender David Breen almost turning Keith Fahy's diagonal ball from the right into his own net after just three minutes.
Charles Mbabazi Livingstone brought a save from Dan Connor while Freeman, after neat footwork, planted a well struck ball a foot wide of the Waterford goalkeeper's left-hand post.
Except for an Alan Reilly free kick that was mere inches over Chris Adamson's crossbar, Waterford were on the defensive throughout the opening 45 minutes and the first St Patrick's goal when it arrived on 27 minutes was overdue.
Tony Bird set the move in motion when knocking the ball to strike partner Freeman, who in turn helped it wide to Fahy. When the Irish youth international's cross arrived at the near post Bird was on hand to touch the ball past Connor for his seventh league goal of the season.
St Patrick's again carved open the Waterford defence for their second goal, five minutes before the interval. Central midfielder Anthony Murphy worked a one-two with right-back Barry Prenderville before sending over the perfect cross for captain Colm Foley to head past Connor.
The third goal came on 61 minutes when Freeman forced the ball home at the near post from Bird's cross, but Waterford got back into the game when St Patrick's conceded a sloppy goal straight from the kick-off. Adamson was left isolated in a defensive mix-up as Reilly and Sullivan set up Murphy to tap in.
St Patrick's then weathered a couple of decent attacks before regaining their composure to grab a clinching fourth goal seven minutes from time when Freeman rose well to head home Fahy's corner.
Freeman almost got his hat-trick in the final minute but his clever flick from substitute Davy Byrne's cross trickled just wide.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Adamson; Prenderville, Foley, Maguire, El Khebir; Fahy (Quinn 84 mins), Donnelly, Murphy (Byrne 69 mins), Mbabazi; Freeman, Bird.
WATERFORD UNITED: Connor; McLaughlin (Wilson 82 mins), Breen, Byrne, Frost; Reilly (Mallon 82 mins), Clifford, O'Brien, Waters; Sullivan, Murphy.
Referee: D Hanney (Dublin).
