LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREMIER DIVISION/St Patrick's Athletic 1 Shamrock Rovers 0:PETE MAHON may not quite have delivered on his target upon arrival back in September of making Richmond Park "a fortress" again, but last night's win over their southside rivals made it seven points from 15, which suggests he was roughly half way there.
That was just about enough as it turned out for his side to steer clear of the play-offs without the need for serious misfortune to befall Derry City at Abbotstown this afternoon.
The form of the Inchicore outfit under the former Bohemians boss was actually top-three material, possibly better if they could have edged another couple of the games against Rovers who had beaten them in all three previous league meetings this year.
But none of that mattered much to the sizeable home support last night. They had turned out in the hope of seeing a miserable campaign finish on a minor high, and from the time Ryan Guy put them in front with a close-range header they set about enjoying the occasion. They taunted their visitors for having endured much the same set of disappointments they did 12 months ago and joyfully celebrated the fact they will get to do it all again in 2010.
How many of these players will be around then remains to be seen – just three are under contract for another campaign. But those among the rest who want to stay have done themselves some good over the past few weeks: the early-season capitulations against Galway, Derry and Cork seem like a distant memory.
True, Rovers had little to pick themselves up for after last week’s disappointment, and the hosts still played sloppily enough at times to drive Mahon to public distraction. But his players looked the better side in a pretty fast and furious contest.
Paddy Kavanagh should have equalised for the visitors when he drove over from 10 yards after initially sidestepping two defenders with a brilliant first touch, but then Glen Fitzpatrick might well have got a second for the locals midway through the second half when he was allowed to meet Bobby Ryan’s cross from the left virtually unchallenged on the edge of the six yard box.
His glancing header barely involved any contact, but the striker’s tireless effort epitomised the sense of renewed passion about the place. That was enthusiastically acknowledged when Fitzpatrick, so often a target for stinging criticism from the stands, left the pitch 10 minutes from time to a standing ovation.
“It would have been nice to have made it through the season with the need for a change but I’m delighted with the way the lads reacted to Pete’s arrival,” said the club’s chief executive Richard Sadlier.
“It’s been a tremendously difficult season and it’s a huge relief that it’s ended this way,” he continued. “Looking at tonight’s performance, it’s difficult to believe that we could have been facing into a play-off on Tuesday. But over 36 games you finish where you deserve to, and we just have to start looking forward again now.”
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Clarke; Lynch (Haverty, 75 mins), Harris, Gavin, Stevens; Guy, O’Connor, Byrne, B Ryan; Quigley, Fitzpatrick (O’Brien, 80 mins).
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan, Sives, Price, Chisholm; Kavanagh (O’Connor, 62 mins), Robinson, Bradley (Amond, 76 mins), Cahill; Twigg, Barrett (Baker, 62 mins).
Referee: A Kelly (Cork).
