St Patricks Athletic leapfrogged Derry City and into second place in the League of Ireland Premier Division after a 7-0 victory over the hapless UCD.

A Chris Forrester penalty and an own goal by Michael Gallagher sent the Saints on their way in the first half before Sam Curtis, Jason McClelland, Mason Melia and two from Tommy Lonergan in the second made it a night to forget for the Students.

The first half of this tie was a quiet enough affair in an overcast and damp evening in Richmond Park that did not spring into life until the hour mark when the floodgates opened.

The Students buoyed by last week’s victory over Sligo Rovers started off the early part of the game pushing deep into the St Pats half, attempting to put some pressure on the home side’s backline but soon faded out of the match around the tenth-minute mark.

The Saints bossed the opening period, dictating the play and having the majority of the possession, and took the lead through a Chris Forrester penalty just before the quarter-hour mark.

Jessie Dempsey clumsily took down Jake Mulraney inside the box after the Saints forward had burst onto a through ball. Forrester coolly stepped and fired past Kian Moore in the UCD goal to make it 11 goals for the season for the former Peterborough United man.

The Supersaints doubled their lead just before the break when Michael Gallagher stuck the ball into the back of his own net attempting to snuff out a wicked Mulraney cross that was just pleading to be tucked away.

John Daly’s men added to their tally moments after the restart with Sam Curtis escaping his marker and headed home from a corner to score his second league goal of the season.

Around the hour mark St Pats rang in the substitutions with Thijs Timmermans, Tommy Lonergan, Jason McClelland, and Mason Melia coming on in what Daly might jokingly admit was a stroke of genius as three of the four found the back of the net.

Lonergan drilled in a sweet left-footed shot low into the corner of the net before McClelland tapped home from close range seconds after coming off the bench, then 15-year-old Melia squeezed in a real poacher’s goal to make it 6-0 to the Saints.

Lonergan then headed in his second for the club from a free kick to add to the Student’s woes and make it a night to forget for College.

Melia became the youngest-ever goal scorer for St Pats and came close to adding to that record-breaking goal in the dying moments of the game only for Harvey O’Brien’s clearance off the line.

An excellent victory for the Inchicore-based outfit and will certainly announce their title credentials as we head into the business part of the season.