IT CERTAINLY can be a funny old game. The champions beaten at home by the team at the foot of the table. Home Farm/Everton had to win sometime, but who would have imagined they'd do it at Richmond Park and with a team stitched together almost at the last minute.

They even, had to, survive the last 20 minutes without their goalkeeper Brian O'Shea who was taken to hospital with a suspected broken right arm.

Home Farm manager Dermot Keely made four enforced changes from last week bringing veterans Brendan Plaice and Peter Eccles, signed from Shamrock Rovers on Thursday, into central defence. Neither had started a league game this season.

Stephen McGuinness was pushed up into midfield with a debut up front for reserve team player Joey Herron.

The opening goal arrived after eight minutes. Coady's miscued corner went to former St Patrick's player John Byrne on the edge of the area and his half hit shot went through a crowded box to beat Brian McKenna and lodge in the bottom corner of the net.

Shaken, St Patrick's rallied and O'Shea had to make a fine save from Liam Buckley on 14 minutes, tipping his 25 yard drive onto the crossbar and out for a corner. But more sloppy defending cost St Patrick's a second goal three minutes later.

Coady was again involved, playing Trevor Vaughan in down the left. Vaughan drew McKenna before calmly crossing for the unmarked Karl Gannon to tap the ball into the net from three yards.

Home Farm remained the better side early into the second half, Vaughan blazing a good chance wide on 62 minutes, before O'Shea's 70th minute retirement gave St Patrick's the impetus.

Coady went in goal and was beaten on 77 minutes when McDonnell, as he's so often done in the past, led the charge, with a goal from a glancing header from substitute Trevor Croly's free kick.

But it was not enough as Home Farm held on to come off the bottom of the table.