St Patrick's Athletic 5 UCD 0: St Patrick's Athletic eased five points clear at the top of the Premier Division table as their biggest win of the season stretched their unbeaten league run to 12 games.

Goals from Killian Brennan, Conan Byrne, Chris Forrester and a brace from Jake Kelly blew UCD away in the second half at Richmond Park as Liam Buckley’s side capitalised fully on champions Sligo Rovers losing at home to Dundalk.

After UCD’s Robbie Benson shaved the bar, St Patrick’s responded to dominate, though they somehow contrived to go reach the the interval without having converted one of a host of chances.

John Russell planted a downward header just wide from their first chance before Forrester, Byrne, Brennan and Russell were all guilty of clear misses. Having huffed and puffed in front of goal in the first half, it took St Patrick’s just a minute of the second to finally get their noses in front.

Kenny Browne’s header from Byrne’s corner was pushed out by O’Donnell and Brennan reacted well to rifle to the net off his left foot. Five minutes later it was 2-0. Eagle-eyed Russell slipped Byrne through on goal and the former Student drilled a left-foot shot past O’Donnell.

A defensive slip then gifted Forrester a clean run on goal and he raced in to dink the ball cleverly over O’Donnell for the third on 71 minutes to end the game as any kind of contest.

Substitute Jake Kelly added the fourth on 83 minutes, a solo run putting him on goal to drill a low shot past O’Donnell

Kelly added his second four minutes later, confidently finishing off a move involving Seán Gannon and Forrester.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O'Brien, Kenna, Browne, Bermingham; Russell (Gannon, 77), Bolger, Brennan; Byrne (Kelly, 72), Fagan (Flood, 68), Forrester.
UCD: O'Donnell; Matthews, Kavanagh, O'Connor, Langtry (McNelis, 74); Clarke, Walsh (Bolyle, 59), McCabe, Burke; Benson; McMillan (Corcoran, 65).
Referee: Paul Tuite (Dublin).
Attendance: 963.