Campbell delivers the crock of gold

THE rainbow which crowned Oriel Park before the kick-off, last night proved prophetic indeed. On the brink of another tortuous week after another tortuous night, suddenly Paul Campbell delivered a stunning 86th-minute free-kick and the crock of gold was St Patrick's at last.

Relief, joy, ecstasy, it was all there. The homeliest club of them all had homed in on their fifth league, and no one could begrudge them it. In vintage St Patrick's style, they had stuck honestly and rigidly to their task until the very last, after Dundalk had themselves threatened to poop the party in classic style.

Shades of Leeds against Manchester United in midweek; the outgoing champions resiliently made light of Richie Purdy's 10 minute dismissal. Re-aligning their forces, they made St Patrick's graft for everything. But that's something they've never shirked.

Whatever cautious instincts St Patrick's may have begun the match with (and they appeared to be playing fairly deep at the outset), they were given every encouragement within 1O minutes of the kick-off when granted a numerical advantage.

Paul Osam, switched inside in place of the injured Eddie Gormley, picked out Brian, Morrisroe with an intelligent pass from outside his area. Off Morrisroe scampered, pushing the ball beyond Richie Purdy in the centre circle, whereupon the Dundalk full-back crudely upended him with a miss-timed, scything, sliding tackle.

Referee Brendan Shorte didn't hesitate to brandish the red card, and even the obligatory complaints seemed fairly muted.

Immediately the tone of the night was set. Dundalk rolled up their sleeves, with Peter Withnell dropping into midfield and Keith Long switching to right back.

As influential as the early Purdy dismissal was a brief but genuine downpour which simply settled on the badly rutted playing top. That rutted harm. And a foul (far less severe) by the St Patrick's right back, Willie Burke, on the Dundalk left winger, Brian Byrne appeared as if it might have just as big a bearing.

John Coady swung over the resultant free kick, Peter Withnell rose highest and the ball broke for Stephen Napier to volley Dundalk spectacularly ahead via Gareth Byrne's fist and the post.

However, the maxim that a team is most vulnerable immediately after scoring was promptly underlined again. From the kick off, St Patrick's worked the ball out wide to Peter Carpenter and his diagonal cross picked out Ricky O'Flaherty. A perfectly placed, looping header beat John Connolly for O'Flaherty's 14th league goal of the season.

Thereafter St Patrick's sought to exploit their advantage by working the ball around, usually out wide where the surface was better. With the lively Morrisroe reverting to his more effective left flank, the quality of their crosses from him, Paul Campbell and full backs Willie Burke and Peter Carpenter was generally excellent.

But Dundalk fought tooth and nail, competing for everything. Nor was it a purely defensive exercise. They, too, demonstrated a willingness to work the ball around on the sticky surface and forced a steady-enough supply of chances from counter-attacks to keep the huge St Patrick's following on tenterhooks.

A fair old battle ensued, especially in a marvellously competitive second-half when Dundalk excelled. Nerves crept into the visitor's play - Joe Gallen scuffed a good shooting chance after a slip by Burke - before the exchanges cranked up another gear after 55 minutes.

A Morrisroe free was flighted to the far post, Dave Campbell's brilliant diving header cannoned off the bar and Paul Osam converted the close-range rebound. However, a linesman's flag had already been raised for a distinctly dubious offside decision.

Typical of a rat-tat-tat match, that was quickly cancelled out when Dundalk had claims for a goal denied three minutes later. John Coady picked out Withnell, and from his cross an outstretched Brian Byrne poked the ball beyond Gareth Byrne, only for the St Patrick's goalkeeper to claw the ball back perilously close to the line.

Now the St Patrick's crosses fairly rained in. Recalling times of old, Liam Buckley strained his, neck muscles and flashed one header wide and another, seven minutes from time, against the post. In between, Brian Byrne failed to convert a Keith Long centre, while O'Flaherty tested Connolly, McDonnell half-volleyed over on the run from about six yards and the substitute, Johnny Glynn, miscued another heading chance with his first touch.

The tension and the exhortations from the Saints' following rose by the minute, and there were only four left when Brian Byrne lost control of the ball and upended Noel Mernagh on the edge of the area.

They'll never admit it, but the Saints' supporters must have been wishing privately Eddie Gormley was around. No need for him this time.

Calmly weighing up his options, Paul Campbell curled the 20-yard free over the wall and, squeezed it unerringly into Connolly's top corner, where it briefly nestled like a bird homing into its nest. Off Campbell went on the high to end all highs. Cue the pitch invasion.