Trevor Molloy scored a stunning free-kick as St Patrick’s Athletic beat Dublin City 2-1 for their third win on the spin to maintain their good league form and move to within three points of leaders Drogheda United.
Dublin City boss Dermot Keely spoke of 'chalk and cheese or Jekyll and Hyde'in reference to his team’s two most recent displays.
Having responded to abject defeat to Bohemians in their last match at Dalymount with a 2-0 win in Bray last week, Vikings reverted to their unhappy alter ego as they put in a very poor performance in submitting tamely to an in-form St. Pat’s.
'If we back off we’ll be spanked, it’s as simple as that,' stressed Keely in his programme notes. It just about summed up the first half as his team trooped off 2-0 down at the break.
Referee Damien Hancock disallowed a third minute effort from David Mulcahy for an infringement, before playing a good advantage for the lead score four minutes later.
Alan Keely scythed down Mulcahy 30 yards out, but St. Patrick’s retained possession and Hancock let it go as the visitors exacted telling retribution. Molloy’s cross from the right picked out Paul Keegan who beat Gary Rogers at his near post.
Another clumsy tackle brought St. Patrick’s second goal on 29 minutes. Dublin captain Stuart Malcolm, in attempting to retrieve an error, was booked for a foul on Sean O’Connor in the inside left channel some 25 yards out.
Further punishment was clinically executed as Molloy curled a powerful free-kick round the dubiously constructed wall and past the despairing dive of Rogers for a sublime strike, his third goal in successive matches and fourth of the season.
St Patrick’s remained in full control into the second half with Molloy’s cheeky free-kick almost catching out Rogers Robbie Collins had to clear Darragh Maguire’s header off the line.
Dublin never threatened until the 72nd minute when Ben Whelehan’s header from Collins’ corner came back off a post
Dublin City: Rogers; Brennan, Malcolm, Keely (Whelehan, h/t), Doyle; Pender (Rooney, 34 mins.), McGill, Shiels, O’Donnell (Crowley, h/t); Collins, Freeman.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Ryan; Murphy, Brennan, Maguire, Frost; Fitzpatrick, M. Foley, Mulcahy, O‘Connor; Keegan (M. Quigley, 61 mins.), Molloy.
Referee: Damien Hancock (Dublin).
