LIVING up to their name of `Workers', last night's Leinster Senior League visitors to a sodden Richmond Park toiled gamely and with gusto. But, though playing at a canter, the National League's finest just now emphasised the gulf in class from first to last. The second round of the FAI Harp Lager Cup comes calling, and St Patrick's probably won't stop marching there.

Workman's/Dunleary had their moments, most notably a consolation goal, and retained their pride. They'll take home a nice little earner courtesy of another healthy Inchicore turnout of 3,000 or so. The visitors defended with commitment until the bitterly cold end and sought to create space for themselves when they could.

Unflustered midfielder Willie Smith and right-back Dave McDonald looked the pick of their players technically.

St Patrick's will not have been doing cartwheels in the dressing-room afterwards but it was a job professionally done and the pitch, like the home team, held up well despite persistent rain which became heavier as the night wore on.

Amid the sheets of rain the junior visitors put up the shutters with a 5-4-1 system and presented St Patrick's with a blanket defence. Tackling hard, they conceded frees almost at will and while that may have gone unpunished against most sides, even at this advanced level, it was never going to do so against a team containing the master of dead ball situations. Eddie Gormley.

Afforded countless opportunities to indulge in his remarkable array of inswingers and outswingers. left footers and right footers, Gormley pummelled a heavily congested Workers' area. It was the supreme irony that the breakthrough came by way of a deftly taken Paul Campbell free-kick. But Gormley wasn't allowing too much of that, and boarding the frees and corners thereafter, Inchicore's Hagi set up two further set-piece goals to emphasise the home team superiority.

With a less benevolent referee than Paul Dempsey, the damage might have been greater, especially bearing.in mind that Johnny Glynn was blatantly upended in the visitors' area. Whether or not Workers' physical approach accurately reflected the environs they came from, it certainly didn't reflect well on the Leinster Senior League but, in mitigation, the greasy playing top made mistimed tackles look worse than they were.

The tone was set with four Gormley frees and two corners inside the first eight minutes, and not for the first time, he almost scored directly with one corner when the ball was headed off the line at the far post by Dave McDonald.

By hook or by crook the Workers goal survived until Paul Campbell picked out man of the match Ricky O'Flaherty for a routine close-range header after 32 minutes.

The lop-sided nature of the contest was maintained until the in-form Galwayman O'Flaherty, a cult hero hereabouts, tested the ever-alert Paul Heffernan with a reprise of last week's stunning 25 yarder against Bohemians after 56 minutes. Immediate consolation came by way of Gormley's ensuing corner, glanced home at the near post for O'Flaherty's seventh goal in six games.

The juniors' high point came with only their second sortie into St Patrick's territory when Barry Egan punished slack marking to convert a Ronnie Allen cross. Stung by this, St Patrick's responded within a minute, this time Glynn heading home another viciously inswinging Gormley corner.