LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREMIERVIEW DIVISION:St. Patrick's Athletic 0 Cobh Ramblers 3 - TWO GOALS and a skilful assist from Davin O'Neill gave Cobh Ramblers' survival hopes a massive boost at Inchicore.

Cobh also kept a third clean sheet in a row as St Patrick's capitulated. Bohemians could have lost at United Park and still won the league title last night.

But this match was about Cobh who equalled their biggest win of the season to move them to within two points of fourth bottom Finn Harps with four games to play.

Both sides benefited early on from the soggy conditions, but Cobh took advantage to take the lead on 14 minutes. Dave Rogers slipped trying to control Barry Ryan's clearance. Alan Carey fed O'Neill who picked his spot to drill to the bottom corner despite Ryan getting a hand to the ball.

St Patrick's were struggling and both Ryan Guy, from a Keith Fahey ball, and then Gary Dempsey, from Stephen Brennan's cross, headed way off target.

St Patrick's boss John McDonnell couldn't have been happy at the break and reshuffled his side, taking off keeper Ryan, going three at the back and pushing skipper Jamie Harris up front.

However, replacement keeper Lance Friesz was beaten on 61 minutes as Cobh scored a superbly-worked second goal. Carey's cross was headed down by O'Neill for Ross Gaynor who volleyed to the net.

O'Neill fittingly had the final word when adding his second of the night on 84 minutes. The striker's initial shot came back off the crossbar following a scramble and he reacted first to shoot to the net.

ST PATRICKS ATHLETIC:Barry Ryan (Friesz, half-time); O'Cearuill (Bialek, 69 mins), Harris, Gavin, Rogers; Brennan, Fahey, Dempsey, Kirby; Guy, G Fitzpatrick (S Fitzpatrick, 65 mins)

COBH RAMBLERS:McCarthy; Coleman, Murray, Guthrie, J Meade; O'Brien; Carey, O'Halloran, J Kearney (Mulcahy, 87 mins), Gaynor (Kavanagh, 72 mins); O'Neill.

Referee:Declan Hanney (Dublin).