UCD 0 St Patrick's Ath 3: ST PATRICK'S Athletic moved within a point of leaders Bohemians when goals from Glen Fitzpatrick, Ryan Guy and Keith Fahey gave them a comfortable victory over Premier Division strugglers UCD at the Belfield Bowl yesterday.
Bohemians can, however, restore their four-point advantage in the race for the title with victory over Shamrock Rovers in the eagerly awaited Dublin derby at Dalymount Park tomorrow night.
St Patrick's, who started with the side that saw off the Latvian team JFK Olimps 2-0 in the Uefa Cup qualifier at Richmond Park on Thursday, had a chance of opening their account after 12 minutes.
Winger Guy sent Damien Lynch down the right and he posted a cross that goalkeeper Matt Gregg could punch only as far as Mark Dempsey. But Gregg recovered to block the striker's effort near the edge of his box.
Then a Fahey corner on the left was missed by Gregg only for Quigley to volley a shot well over the top from close range.
Guy set up another chance for the Inchicore men with a cross from the right, which was headed just wide by striker Fitzpatrick.
All that pressure was bound to tell and St Patrick's deservedly grabbed the lead on 32 minutes.
Derek O'Brien broke powerfully from his own half to supply Quigley, who shot from 30 yards. Gregg could only half-parry the ball and Fitzpatrick made no mistake when collecting the rebound and firing into the unguarded net.
Little was seen of UCD as an attacking force, though winger Darren Meenan did have one effort well blocked by the St Patrick's captain Jamie Harris.
Seconds before the interval, a long-range effort by the former Plymouth Argyle man Shane Duggan was comfortably collected by goalkeeper Barry Ryan.
Lynch sent one shot straight at Gregg shortly after the interval before St Patrick's almost stretched their lead on 53 minutes.
The industrious Fahey burst past two defenders before unleashing a shot from 15 yards, which the outstretched Gregg deflected for a corner.
The UCD keeper performed more heroics when finger-tipping a fiercely struck right-foot drive from Derek O'Brien from 16 yards over the bar and then blocking a Quigley effort with a knee.
The game was over as a contest on 74 minutes when Fitzpatrick put in a curling shot from the edge of the box.
It rebounded off the upright, and Fahey collected to send in a low cross, which was tapped home from close range by Guy.
Fahey had his just reward for his hard work on 85 minutes when shooting home his team's third goal from a difficult angle on the left after Guy had supplied a telling pass in the build-up.
UCD: Gregg; Shortall, McNally, Kenna, Stevens; Fitzgerald (O'Neill 70), McFaul (Reilly 62), Finn, Duggan, Meenan; McWalter.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Barry Ryan; Lynch, Harris, Paisley, Byrne; Guy, Fahey, Dempsey (Bialek 86), O'Brien (Kirby 81); Quigley (Bobby Ryan 74), Fitzpatrick.
Referee: A Buttimer (Cork).
