Waterford's unbeaten run came to an end in Richmond Park on Friday night. This was a very tight affair and on the overall play the visitors could have grabbed a point despite the fact they trailed two-nil after 58 minutes but it was not to be. Paddy Barrett, the Larchville born St Patrick's Athletic player admitted after the match that Waterford were the best team we have played this season.
The hosts created the first chance of note on nine minutes when former Blues player Sam Bone played the ball down the right-wing for Billy King, who turned inside two Waterford players, but his left-footed strike from 20 yards was just wide of Brian Murphy’s near post.
Junior Quitirna had Waterford’s first shot on goal three minutes later when he took possession out on the right, but keeper Vitezslav Jaros saved his effort from distance with ease, before a dangerous Pat’s attack involving Bone was cut out by Murphy at the other end.
Shane Griffin flashed a free-kick from the left side of the penalty area narrowly over the bar on 14 minutes after Prince Mutswunguma was pushed over by Chris Forrester, before Matty Smith set up Ben McCormack for Pat’s two minutes late, but his cracking effort flew inches over Murphy’s crossbar.
The home side broke the deadlock on 23 minutes when Billy King burst forward from the right that saw Blues skipper Niall O’Keeffe got a toe to the ball as he tried to clear, and when it broke straight to Matty Smith, and coming in from the left-wing, he fired a first-time right-footed strike past Brian Murphy from 14 yards.
Chris Forrester played a neat one-two passing move with Billy King that could have yielded a second goal for his side on 36 minutes, but when the midfielder latched onto the ball into the centre, he couldn’t direct a right-footed shot on target.
There was another decent chance for the hosts five minutes before the sound of the halftime whistle when Darragh Power fouled King out on the left that saw Ben McCormack put in a brilliant ball from the resulting set-piece, but attacker Nahum Melvin-Lambert couldn’t connect on the ball from close-range.
Blues defender Jack Stafford got in a vital intervention to deny Darragh Burns a second goal in first-half injury time when the winger, who replaced the injured goalscorer Matty Smith, got to the back post to meet a McCormack left-wing cross, but the Waterford player just got to the ball first to knock it out for a corner.
It was Melvin-Lambert that went close to putting the hosts in further control five minutes into the second half when he got on the end of a right-wing Ben McCormack cross, but his shot was just wide of the near post as his side continued to boss the contest.
Eddie Nolan picked up a yellow card for a late challenge on Billy King on 52 minutes as he tried to get into the penalty area down the right-wide, but the resulting Paddy Barrett free-kick was straight down the throat of keeper Murphy.
The Blues had a golden chance to level the tie on 57 minutes when Junior Quitirna dispossessed Paddy Barrett 30-yards from goal before racing clear on goal on the left-side, but with Cian Kavanagh for company, he opted to go himself only to blaze wide of Vitezslav Jaros’ right-hand post.
It was to prove a costly miss as St. Pat’s doubled their lead at the other end two minutes later when Billy King managed to keep the ball from going out down the left-side before pulling it back to Ian Bermingham, and his cross saw Nahum Melvin-Lambert nod home from close-range.
Junior Quitirna pulled his side back into the game from the penalty spot on 64 minutes when he went down under a challenge from Lee Desmond, and although keeper Jaros guessed the right way, he couldn’t keep out his well-placed spot-kick.
Eddie Nolan was just off target with a header after a Shane Griffin free-kick five minutes later, the Blues could sense perhaps getting an equalising goal with manager Bircham making a number of substitutes, but it was the hosts that could have put the game beyond doubt with just over five minutes remaining.
The dangerous Darragh Burns got free down the right-wing before putting in a brilliant cross to the back post where it looked as if Jason McClelland had a simple tap in, but Darragh Power got in a last ditch tackle to keep his side in the game.
As Waterford pressed for an equalising goal, Greg Halford sent in a long throw that was cleared by Paddy Barrett before Shane Griffin’s ball looking for Nolan and Kyle Ferguson went out over the line as the Blues pressed for a goal.
There were worrying scenes deep into the five minutes added on when St. Patrick’s Athletic Lee Desmond was involved with a clash of heads with his goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros, and after eventually receiving lengthy treatment, he was carried off the pitch as his side held out for all three points in their title challenge.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Vitezslav Jaros, Sam Bone, Ian Bermingham, Paddy Barrett, Lee Desmond (Sam Curtis ‘104), Alfie Lewis (Jamie Lennon ’60), Chris Forrester, Ben McCormack (Jason McClelland ’72), Matty Smith (Darragh Burns ’26), Billy King, Nahum Melvin-Lambert (Ronan Coughlan ’72).
WATERFORD FC: Brian Murphy, Darragh Power, Cameron Evans (Kyle Ferguson ’67), Eddie Nolan, Jack Stafford, Niall O’Keeffe (Greg Halford ’72), Shane Griffin, Junior Quitirna, John Martin, Prince Mutswunguma (Isaac Tshipamba ’72), Phoenix Patterson (Cian Kavanagh ’46).
Referee: John McLoughlin (Roscommon).
