Late O'Flaherty goal seals points for St Patrick's

ANOTHER Friday night in Richmond Park, another nerve jangling St Patrick's performance, and another topsy turvy goal feast. It's almost guaranteed.

Twice taking the lead, twice forfeiting it and thus finding themselves level when on the balance of play they should have been about 4-1 ahead, the league leaders then completely lost their way for the majority of the second half.

A sixth successive draw beckoned. The palpitation level rose by the minute as Brian Kerr threw on additional striking power. However, it was his decision to retain faith in his often out of touch leading goal scorer, Ricky O'Flaherty which was rewarded by an 84th minute winner remarkably O'Flaherty's second of an otherwise non vintage night.

To cap a fair old roller coaster of a game for a huge Richmond Park crowd, the result from Dalymount extended St Patrick's lead to five points. "Ah, it's beautiful, isn't it?" smiled one contented local who will have snored peacefully last night.

Yet for much of the night the St Patrick's performance resembled a bad dreams the harder they ran the more difficult it became to shake off a dogged Drogheda.

Propelling the ball forward quickly in a vintage, up and at em' home performance, St Patrick's hurried and hounded Drogheda. Mistakes proliferated in a contest played at a furious pace, as referee Dennis McArdle was unusually lax.

St Patrick's were ahead after seven minutes with a goal which was entirely down to Liam Buckley's perseverance. Chasing a back header by Noel Reid which fell short of a hesitant John Grace, Buckley then won a ball he had no right to win and steered it into an empty net.

Richmond settled back for a Friday night romp, but that's not St Patrick's style. Within five minutes Drogheda were level St Patrick's pushing out in a line in military fashion, but not proving so disciplined about the ball, which Bobby Browne slipped through for Trevor Vaughan to score his first Drogheda goal.

How Drogheda survived the ensuing half hour battering is anybody's guess. With Dave Campbell pushing up to great effect, St Patrick's seemed to win everything in the air from Paul Campbell's well delivered set pieces.

In the next six minutes alone, Brian Morrisroe volleyed over on the run O'Flaherty's shot was cleared off the line by David Fairclough Dave Campbell's glancing header from the ensuing corner squirmed past the Unguarded far post. On and on it went.

The breakthrough came more through craft than route one, and owed its origins to the patience of Noel Mernagh as he was hounded away from Drogheda's area. Eventually he picked out Morrisroe on to Paul Osam, out wide to Peter Carpenter, in to O'Flaherty. The lay off to Osam an excellent through pass for Buckley and, though he was denied by Grace, O'Flaherty nervously converts the rebound via the post.

But half time, as it so often does to a dominant team, interrupted St Patrick's momentum, and, within two minutes, Drogheda were level again. The outstanding Colm Tresson, running at the opposition for one of many times, benefited when John McDonnell's clearance ricocheted off Noel Mernagh into his path, and Tresson crossed invitingly for Barry O'Connor to score at the far post.

Now the battle was truly joined. When you lose your momentum, it's practically impossible to get it back. St Patrick's became hurried and their distribution went awry. Drogheda looked more and more dangerous on the break, Tresson shooting just wide.

The game erupted again entering the last 10 minutes as David Nugent sprung the home offside trap only for Gareth Byrne to save brilliantly. At the other end, McArdle was too far behind play when a combination of John Carroll and Noel Reid brought him down and Tresson cleared off the line from Johnny Glynn.

Cue the saviour once more. Reid and Carroll had been outstanding in dealing with the aerial stuff in the second half but the indefatigable Jason Byrne finally beat Reid to a long diagonal ball by Carpenter, and O'Flaherty nipped in ahead of Carroll to loop his header over Grace. It was his 11th league goal of the season, and his 15th in all.

The old ground fairly erupted, as much with a great explosion of relief as unbridled joy. Hard cheese on Drogheda, all the same.