St. Patrick’s Athletic produced a three-goal display to defeat the Blues on Friday evening at Richmond Park in our third-last away game of the 2024 season.
First-half goals from Zach Elbouzedi and Mason Melia were key for St. Patrick’s Athletic to inflict a first SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division defeat on Waterford FC in their league clash played in front of a healthy 4,237 crowd at Richmond Park on Friday evening.
It was the home side that nearly got off to a dream start after three minutes. Anto Breslin played a sweet ball that picked out Chris Forrester, who laid the ball off to Brandon Kavanagh on the top of the penalty area, but his effort struck the bar.
The Saints continued to open Waterford, and another chance came their way on seven minutes when Kavanagh found space out on the right, but his effort was clawed out for a corner that saw Tom Grivosti’s close-range header go wide of Sargeant’s far post.
Jamie Lennon was the next player to go close for Stephen Kenny’s side two minutes later when he took a flicked pass from the influential Kavanagh 25-yards from goal, but Sam Sargeant parried away his stinging right-footed strike.
It was the brilliance of Sargeant that kept the Inchicore outfit at bay on 24 minutes, when Brandon Kavanagh arrowed a left-footed 25-yard effort that looked destine for the near top corner, but the netminder superbly turned the ball around the posts.
Waterford skipper Barry Baggley had an effort on the half-hour mark that was going wide of the far post turned out for a corner before Dean McMenamy went down in the area under a challenge from Tom Grivosti on 32 minutes, but he was cautioned by referee Neil Doyle for simulation.
Ryan Burke went close for the Blues a minute later when he got free out on the left before cracking in a low shot that saved by keeper Joseph Anang before the netminder was also equal to the task seconds later when keeping out a well-struck Dean McMenamy effort.
Just when one thought that the Blues had gotten a foothold into the game, they fell behind on 35 minutes before conceding a second four minutes later. Brandon Kavanagh was the instigator with a sublime ball that ran onto former Blue Zach Elbouzedi, and he beat Sam Sargeant at his near post with a left-footed finish for his first league goal.
Just minutes later it was two, when Jake Mulraney raced down the right wing, before his ball across the Blues penalty area fell to Mason Melia who powered a right-footed shot past Sargeant.
Waterford had a chance to pull a goal back three minutes into the second-half. McDonald’s long ball out of defence was laid off by Padraig Amond into the path of Ryan Burke, but his first-time shot on his unfavoured right-foot fizzed wide of Anang’s right-hand upright.
McMenamy tested Joseph Anang with a shot from the top of the penalty area on 52 minutes as his side tried to get one back before Burke had a penalty appeal turned down for handball soon afterwards, that was waved away by referee Doyle.
St. Pat’s found a third on 78 minutes, when two substitutes combined as Kian Leavy fed the ball to Aidan Keena on the left, and his effort struck the underside of the bar before bouncing down with the flag of assistant referee Darren Carey quickly raised and the goal given.
St Patrick’s Athletic FC: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; Lennon, Forrester; Elbouzedi (63′ Leavy), B. Kavanagh 84′ (McClelland), Mulraney (63′ Turner); Melia (75′ Keena).
Waterford FC: Sargeant; Radkowski, Horton (82′ Flynn), Leahy; Power, McDonald, Baggley (82′ McCormack), McMenamy (82′ Glenfield), Burke; Amond, Bellis (87′ Arubi).
Attendance: 4,237.
