Early goal is vital for St Pat’s

St Patrick's Athletic will go all out for an early goal against Belgian side Gent to keep alive their Intertoto Cup dreams at…

St Patrick's Athletic will go all out for an early goal against Belgian side Gent to keep alive their Intertoto Cup dreams at Richmond Park tomorrow night.

The Inchicore side trail 2-0 from the first leg of this second round tie in Belgium last week - and manager Pat Dolan admits it will be an uphill task for his team.

But he said: "This tie is still very much alive and an early goal would work wonders for us.

"It's just a shame we were punished by two silly defensive errors which presented Gent with two goals in the first leg.

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"We did have chances and I know the players will be determined to put the record straight.

"I am sure that the Belgians will not be looking forward to playing in front of a an enthusiastic full-house Richmond Park crowd.

"We finished the stronger team last week and that's where I want the lads to pick up from and make it a real contest."

But Dolan must plan without striker Mbabazi Livingstone, who picked up a yellow card in last week's first leg.

It was his second of the competition to date, and therefore the Ugandan international must serve a one match ban.

Phillip Hughes is the likely replacement but both Liam Kelly and new signing Brian Byrne (Shelbourne) could also come into the reckoning.

St Pat's hopes of reaching the third round and a clash with Spanish club Malaga next week will depend on experienced midfielders Martin Russell and Paul Osam.

If they can create the openings for striker Ger McCarthy, it could be an uncomfortable evening for Gent.

Having defeated Croatian side Rijeka in the previous round on the away goals rule, the Dublin club are not without hope of causing an upset.

But that early goal will be so important while also keeping a close eye on Gent's dangerous Greek striker Alexandros Kaklamanosui, who scored both goals in the first leg.