A Derek Glynn double secured all three points for Galway United as they inflicted a second defeat in five days on table-toppers St Patrick’s Athletic following a topsy-turvy eircom League of Ireland Premier Division encounter at Richmond Park.
Mark Quigley had put Pat’s ahead, but like he did against Longford in the week, Glynn found the net twice to take the points.
The Saints have had it all their own way at home this season but they came up against a resilient United who gave nothing away in the opening minutes.
Derek O’Brien, Stephen O’Flynn and Glynn all had opportunity to punish early poor Pat’s defending but their own bad finishing let them down.
Still, it was Pat’s who had forced three corners in the opening 15 minutes.
Immediately after the third corner, Galway pushed the ball back down the other end where Glynn shot narrowly wide when under pressure from John Frost.
Pat’s were looking lethargic, and it showed on 20 minutes when Quigley hammered a Keith Fahey corner kick over the crossbar and into the foundations of the currently under-construction Inchicore-end stand. Indeed, the ballboy on duty on-site saw more of the ball then Galway keeper Gary Rogers.
O’Flynn flung in a well-placed free-kick for United on 27 minutes but it took a wicked deflection off the Pat’s wall - and Alan Kirby’s head mainly - and bounced into touch.
Then, totally against the run of play, Pat’s took the lead on 29 minutes. A Barry Ryan goal-kick found Kirby deep on the left wing and he flicked the ball on to Quigley who lobbed the advancing Rogers for his ninth league goal of the season.
The lead lasted just five minutes however, as Glynn shocked the vociferous home crowd by collecting a Ciaran Foley ball and firing past Ryan from inside the area.
Galway’s Alan Murphy had the first chance of the second half with a delicious free-kick on 55 minutes which cleared the Pat’s wall and the crossbar.
The home side were also guilty of wastefulness, with Kirby blasting a shot over the top on 66 minutes following good work from Anto Murphy and Dave Mulcahy.
Ryan kept Pat’s in it on 68 minutes when he pulled off a fantastic point-blank save from O’Flynn, with Glynn putting the rebound into the side netting.
Glynn made no mistake on 75 minutes when he put Galway ahead. He took possession just right of the Pat’s box and slotted past Ryan and into the bottom left corner of the net.
St Patrick’s Ath: Ryan, Brennan, Frost (Guy 69), Mulcahy, Maguire, Kirby (M Foley 77), Fahey, O’Neill (O‘Connor 69), M Quigley, Murphy, Paisley.
Galway United: Rogers, James, Reilly, Charles, Nooitmeer, Lester, Foley (Russell h/t), Glynn (Cooke 81), O’Flynn, Murphy, O’Brien.
Ref: Anthony Buttimer (Cork)
