Details

Date Time League Season
30 April 2021 5:45 pm LOI Men's Premier Division 2021

Match Report

Forrester bags two in Pat’s home win

Chris Forrester netted twice, as St. Pat's continued their impressive run, with a solid 3-nil home win over Longford Town this evening at Richmond Park.

A completely different attitude coming after the break allowed Stephen O’Connell’s boys to keep their clean record in home games.

Grey days for the Bishopsgate boys, incapable of dismantling Jaros’s yet another clean sheet. A fifth loss in the last six games makes of them one of the two teams at the bottom of the SSE Airtricity League.

Forrester got the more than deserved 'Man of the Match' award; as he scored a brace in the second half, the first a most likely contender for goal of the season so far.

Moments before, substitute Ronan Coghlan changed the score for the first time with just two minutes on the pitch.

The sleepy start to matters from the home side allowed the opponents to believe Richmond Park would be the venue to put an end to six games without a single win.

With the first quarter of an hour gone, Longford came with the first serious attempt to go into the lead as it ended up a let-off for the defence.

The avenues for changing the score became mirages, with both sides struggling to break the opponent’s web, although Stephen O’Donnell’s troops seem the group more in need of the chances.

And from it came a whole performance. O’Donnell’s changes made all the difference, as substitute Coghlan just needed two minutes to change the score; as he enjoyed an easy finish after an incomplete save by Longford’s goalkeeper Michael Kelly.

Five minutes later Chris Forrester brought the moment of the game. A magnificent right-foot shot from long range gave no chances for the keeper to stop it.

The demand for a reaction brought Longford forward in the pitch, leaving space at the back and it was precisely how Pat’s found the way for the third strike, with Forrester completing the brilliant brace; as he drizzled two defenders with a right-and-left move after putting it past the keeper.    

St. Pat's Ath

1Vitezslav Jaros Goalkeeper
4Sam Bone Defender 44'
29Paddy Barrett Defender
5Lee Desmond Defender 66'
20Shane Griffin 10 Defender
6Jamie Lennon 2 Midfielder
8Chris Forrester Midfielder 52', 91'
16Alfie Lewis Midfielder
17Darragh Burns 3 Forward
15Billy King 18 Forward
12Matty Smith Forward 82'
21Barry Murphy Goalkeeper
#Danny Norris Midfielder
2John Mountney 6 Midfielder
3Ian Bermingham 17 Defender
9Nahum Melvin-Lambert Forward
10Ronan Coughlan 20 Forward 46'
18Ben McCormack 15 Midfielder
31Kian Corbally Midfielder

Longford Town

30Michael Kelly Goalkeeper
3Paddy Kirk 10 Defender
4Aaron Robinson Midfielder
7Dylan Grimes 15 Midfielder
9Aaron Dobbs 8 Forward
12Aaron O’Driscoll Defender
14Aaron Bolger 11 Midfielder 65'
16Aodh Dervin Midfielder
19Karl Chambers Forward
22Joseph Manley Defender 86'
32Joe Gorman Defender
1Lee Steacy Goalkeeper
5Michael McDonnell Midfielder
6Dean Zambra Midfielder
8Rob Manley 9 Forward
10Sam Verdon 3 Forward
11Callum Thompson 14 Midfielder
15Aaron McCabe 7 Midfielder 86'
20Dean Byrne Midfielder
23Ben Lynch Midfielder
  • 90'

    A hat-trick of goals sees the hosts maintain their impressive form. FT - St. Patrick's Athletic 3 Longford Town 0

  • 91'

    St Patrick's bags their third goal. Again by Chris Forrester, with another reeling strike as he grabbed the loose ball inside the Longford box and drizzled both two members of the defensive line and the keeper to put it in the back of the Longford net.

  • 86'

    Joseph Manley is the second Longford player carded inside a minute

  • 86'

    Just eight minutes on the pitch, Longford's Aaron McCabe picks up a yellow card

  • 85'

    King is out of the action

  • 85'

    McCormack comes in for the closing stages

  • 82'

    Matty Smith sees yellow!

  • 82'

    Matty Smith sees yellow!

  • 78'

    Dylan Grimes comes off to give McCabe game time.

  • 78'

    Aaron McCabe is in on the action

  • 82'

    Longford are pressing hard, trying to produce something; but St Pat's are holding them well, with a strong defensive display.

  • 78'

    Aaron Bolger is the man to make way.

  • 78'

    Thompson comes in for Longford - He'd been primed since early in the second half to come on, and now he enters the field.

  • 77'

    2-0 on the board demands a reaction for Longford, as St Patrick's have been managing to put some ice on the ground.

  • 71'

    Aaron Dobbs heads for the bench

  • 71'

    Rob Manley enters the fray for the visitors

  • 65'

    Lee Desmond is carded for Pat's

  • 65'

    Aaron Bolger becomes the first Longford Town player to pick up a yellow card

  • 56'

    Darragh Burns is off, as Bermingham takes his place.

  • 56'

    Ian Bermingham comes in, in place of Darragh Burns.

  • 56'

    Patrick Kirk goes off as Verdon comes in.

  • 56'

    Sam Verdon comes in for Longford instead of Patrick Kirk

  • 46'

    Shane Griffin is on the bench for the closing 45 minutes.

  • 46'

    John Mountney is in for the second half

  • 46'

    Jamie Lennon comes off for Pat's after the interval.

  • 46'

    Ronan Coughlan comes in for Pat's

  • 52'

    Ronan Coughlan turns provider as Chris Forrester delivers a magnificent goal for the hosts to push them further in front on the scoreboard. Two goals in seven minutes for the hosts. Longford boss Darragh Doyle won\'t be happy.

  • 46'

    The substitute Ronan Coughlan makes the first for St. Patrick's enjoying an easy finish after the goalkeeper couldn't clear it properly.

  • 46'

    The second half is underway here in Inchicore, as Longford tip off.

  • 45'

    Half-time at Richmond Park, still with nil-nil on the score. The avenues for scoring for both teams seem to be closed. Seems like the biggest concern here was not to concede a goal, instead of trying the opposite keeper.

  • 44'

    Yellow card for St. Patrick's Sam Bone for a foul on Longford's Karl Chambers.

  • 39'

    This is a curious situation. Longford were about to make a substitution. As it was about to happen the team's medic screamed for the coach, saying the number 3 is OK. They don't need to be subbed.

  • 34'

    Longford's goalkeeper Lee Stacey is screaming for the team to go up in the field. He doesn't need too, however as it's been Longford who have been winning yards for the last 10 minutes.

  • 23'

    The Bishopsgate side comes with a proper chance to take into lead, but it's ultimately a let-off for the St. Patrick's defence.

  • 23'

    A nice cross coming in from Darragh Burns but Longford defence clears it well.

  • 22'

    22 minutes gone and the game has been basically a battle in the middle, There haven't been many chances in this match so far.

  • 14'

    Longford comes with a quick response, but Pat's keeper Viteslav Jaros holds it well.

  • 13'

    Darragh Burns comes with the first attempt of the game with a curveball. As it goes slightly off the bar

  • 7'

    This has been St Pat's so far in the season. Pressing high in early doors in the game, and trying to stay forward most of the time.

  • The referee has blown the whistle and the game is on in Richmond Park with lovely weather.

  • And here comes the teams.

  • Recent history visiting Pat’s has not played in Longford’s favour, with six losses in the last seven clashes. However, it’s a ground with happy memories for the black and red striped jersey: Last time playing at the Inchicore venue, the Bishopsgate boys confirmed promotion to the Premier Division by beating Shelbourne in the playoffs.

  • The Saints return home, with Richmond Park so far proving to be a solid fortress: Longford will be looking to steal the first points of the season from the Saints, as Stephen O’Donnell’s side have won all the home games so far, against Drogheda, Derry City and Waterford.

  • Good afternoon and you are very welcome tonight’s live coverage of the clash between St. Pat’s and Longford Town. My name is Bernardo Santos and I'll be keeping you updated on all the matters happening here at Richmond Park.

Past Meetings

1
LOI Men's Premier Division
Bishopsgate, Longford

Longford Town FC v St. Patrick's Athletic FC

3 - 3
LOI Men's Premier Division
Richmond Park

St. Patrick’s Athletic FC v Longford Town FC

1
LOI Men's Premier Division
Bishopsgate, Longford

Longford Town FC v St. Patrick's Athletic FC

3
LOI Men's Premier Division
Bishopsgate, Longford

Longford Town FC v St. Patrick's Athletic FC

3
LOI Men's Premier Division
Richmond Park

St. Patrick’s Athletic FC v Longford Town FC

2 - 2
LOI Men's Premier Division
Bishopsgate, Longford

Longford Town FC v St. Patrick's Athletic FC

Ground

Richmond Park
Emmet Road, Kilmainham C ED, Dublin, Dublin 8, Leinster, D08 VK72, Ireland

With previous experience on a top-tier sports newspaper and a media department of a former European Champion club, Bernardo also collaborates as a sports journalist and media editor at St. Patrick's Athletic.