Dundalk's incredible start to life back in the Premier Division continued at Oriel Park as first-half goals from Tyreke Wilson and Shane Tracey saw them end top-of-the-table St Patrick’s Athletic’s seven-match unbeaten run.
Stephen Kenny’s side were the only team who had got the better of the Louth men in the first series – winning 4-0 at Richmond Park on 27 February – but they were very much second best here, even after the hosts were reduced to 10 men following Daryl Horgan’s dismissal 10 minutes from the end.
Coming into the game on the back of their first away win of the campaign against Shelbourne on Friday, Dundalk hit their opponents early once again to lead 2-0 after 21 minutes and St Pat’s had no real response as they crashed to their second defeat of the season.
The Lilywhites were most people’s favourites to go down at the start but 10 games in they are three points off the top and, perhaps crucially, 13 clear of bottom place.
It was the visitors who were first to threaten on five minutes with Enda Minogue forced to make a fine stop to deny Max Mata after he was picked out all too easily by James Brown’s cross. Jason McClelland’s follow up was then blocked by Conor O’Keeffe.
That was to prove crucial as Dundalk hit the front three minutes later with Wilson’s strike from Gbemi Arubi’s pass taking a deflection off Darragh Nugent before looping up and over the helpless Joseph Anang.
Horgan then fired wide for the Louth men before playing a role in his side’s second on 21 minutes. A slip by Nugent was seized upon by Tracey, who released his captain out wide. His cross was pushed clear by Anang but only as far as Tracey, who slammed home his first goal for his home town club just two days after his 20th birthday.
The hosts continued to dominate the chances in the period after with Barry Baggley coming to his side’s rescue on a couple of occasions as he cut out Eoin Kenny’s cutback before getting across to deny Sean Spaight after a brilliant break involving Horgan and Arubi.
St Pat’s had their best first half spell in the minutes before the break. McClelland should have halved the deficit when he cut in from the left before cutting back onto his right foot on 42 minutes, but he blazed his effort over.
Ryan Edmondson, who had replaced fellow sub Romal Palmer, also had a couple of half chances either side of another effort from Horgan that was saved at point-blank range by Anang.
There was another big chance for Edmondson six minutes after the restart after he was teed up by Joe Redmond at the edge of the box, but he pulled his effort to the left and wide.
Despite plenty of hustle and bustle, there were no real chances of note after that until the 80th minute when Arubi was denied by Anang after overpowering Redmond to a route one ball. From the resultant corner, Horgan picked up a second yellow for his delay in taking it.
Chris Forrester had a shot deflected wide just after that before Brown had an effort deflected over by Harvey Warren four minutes from the end.
Six minutes were added but a McClelland effort that was saved by Minogue was about as good as it got as Ciarán Kilduff got the better of his old mentor.
Dundalk: Minogue; T Wilson, Warren, O’Keeffe (Animasahun, 56) Spaight (JR Wilson, HT); Dervin, Burns (Buckley, HT); Kenny (McDaid, 72), Tracey (Groome, 56), Horgan; Arubi.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Redmond, Hoare (Nzingo, 76), Turner; Brown, Baggley, Nugent (Lennon, HT), McClelland; Leavy (Forrester, 76), Keena (Palmer, 17) (Edmondson, 44) ; Mata.
Referee: Aaron O’Dowd.
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