On a night of extraordinary drama in Tolka Park, Shelbourne came back from the dead to level things up, only to fall to a late winner that will breathe life into the league title hopes of the chasing pack.
Incredibly, that contingent includes Stephen Kenny’s Saints, with five wins in a row leaving them seven points off the pace. Kenny feels it’s too little too late for that equation but their presence has added another layer to the European picture in a campaign packed with twists and turns. This game was full of them.
It’s not just the outcome that will scar Damien Duff’s side. The manner of it will sting, with the energy created by a two-goal comeback – courtesy of superb long-range strikes from Rayhaan Tulloch and Matty Smith – deflated in dramatic fashion by Saints sub Al-Amin Kazeem reacting quickest when Mason Melia swivelled in the box to strike the post. Just two minutes of normal time remained.
Seconds earlier, Shels were sniffing the unlikeliest of victories, three points that might just have put one hand in the trophy.
As they raged at a free awarded against them in the build-up to the winner, a stormy injury-time saw Smith turn from hero to villain with a red card that will rule him out of Sunday’s trip to Tallaght. In a weird way, a routine 2-0 reverse might have done less damage.
After four defeats in a row against their rivals, this was a sweet night for St Pat’s and particularly for Kenny given that an injury-time loss to Shelbourne in May punctured some of the optimism around his arrival. It’s been a slow rebuilding process from there to the point where they are the form side in the country, finding the momentum that has deserted Duff’s Reds at the worst possible time.
Duff had reason to feel frustrated going in at the interval here, given that his side had probably produced one of their better halves in recent months and still went in behind. But the situation on the scoreboard couldn’t be described as a hard luck story.
Indeed, serious fortune was required for the deficit to stand at one as visiting striker Aidan Keena was cruelly denied a goal that would have become a viral sensation, with an audacious effort launched from inside his own half coming back off the underside of the crossbar; Keena had noted that Conor Kearns was miles off his line.
In a way, that incident highlighted the difference between the sides. Pat’s were assertive when opportunities presented themselves, generally having success in finding the space to get a shot away. Shels consistently found themselves in decent positions yet their players consistently took the wrong option; passing when it was time to shoot and shooting when the best option was a pass.
Mid-season arrivals Harry Wood and Aidan O’Brien shouldn’t really be leaning on match sharpness issues at this stage but while they linked up well on occasion, it all broke down when they reached the penalty area.
Without meaning to state the bloody obvious, these encounters often come down to the finest of margins and, while the Saints resurgence under Kenny has been characterised by flying wingers and a revitalised spine, their work on set-pieces has added a vital layer of icing.
For the second game in a row, their breakthrough came from skipper Joe Redmond wrestling free in the penalty area to get the final touch on a dangerous dead ball from Brandon Kavanagh.
That advantage carried the Saints until the recess, and they embarked with greater purpose, the woodwork saving Shels again when Mulraney’s curled effort was inches away from perfection.
Pat’s kept asking the questions and, while there was a brief Shels resurgence around the hour mark, it looked like game over when Paddy Barrett’s attempted pass gifted the ball to Zack Elbouzedi who squared for Kavanagh who finished from close range. There were opportunities for Pat’s to bag a third in the aftermath.
But Duff rolled the dice midway through the half, throwing caution to the wind by sending in Smith and John Martin to beef up the attack.
A team that has struggled for goals found them, with a slick one-two allowing Tulloch to find the top corner with a right-footer before the direct route to Seán Boyd – an important arrival – drew a clever knockdown and a magic moment from Smith, cutting onto his left foot to give Joseph Anang no chance.
The Hollywood ending could have been delivered when Tulloch fired straight at Anang from close range. But there was still one more twist in the tale.
SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett, Griffin (Wilson 41), Ledwidge; Coyle, Caffrey (Martin 68); Burt (Coote 55), Wood (Smith 68), Tulloch; O’Brien (Boyd 55).
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; Lennon, Forrester (Bolger 61); Elbouzedi, Kavanagh (Kazeem 87), Mulraney (Melia 76); Keena (Leavy 76).
REF: D Mac Graith
