League of Ireland Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 4 (Forrester pen 45+4, Elbouzedi 57, 61, Edmondson 77) Waterford 1 (Mahon 5)
St Patrick’s Athletic have gone five games unbeaten since Shamrock Rovers turned them over at Richmond Park on April 10th.
Zach Elbouzedi’s second goal, a screamer from distance, is what will be remembered from a dominant display by Stephen Kenny’s team in front of 4,132 spectators.
It looks like a routine victory but Waterford took an early lead and seemed comfortable defending in a low block until familiar failings – mainly lapses in concentration – saw their miserable winless run continue.
For a time, it was meat and drink for Kevin Long. The Waterford centre-half was cleaning up as St Pat’s chased down John Mahon’s fifth minute goal. Ball after ball was spun into the box. Long, who won the last of 17 caps for the Republic of Ireland in 2020, headed each one away.
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They came from every angle imaginable, although the real danger happened every time Kian Leavy turned and dribbled at Waterford.
Leavy is having a career season and increasingly looks a cut above the League of Ireland. He is being chopped down at every opportunity, according to Kenny who used his programme notes to highlight “cynicism of the highest order.”
The former Ireland manager said something similar about the treatment of Mason Melia last year.
“Statistically, Leavy is the most fouled player in the league,” Kenny wrote, inferring that the hacking is premeditated as players know they can swallow yellow cards.
Sure enough, Sam Glenfield was booked for upending Leavy on the edge of Waterford’s box a few seconds after Mahon’s headed goal down the other end from a Bernardo Couto corner.
More on Glenfield anon.
“Kian has been scythed down several times this season and on a couple of occasions could have resulted in serious injury,” Kenny added, “He definitely needs protection.”
Leavy did conjure two opportunities to equalise for St Pat’s but the only obvious weakness in his game – shooting – let him down. Same goes for the lively Barry Baggley who scuffed another opportunity.
Not that it was one-way traffic. St Pat’s had 77 per cent possession in the opening half, but Lonergan could have made it 2-0 before the turn.
Instead, St Pat’s drew level. Referee Robert Harvey had a clear view of Glenfield wrestling Baggley to the ground three minutes into two minutes of injury time. Several St Pat’s players sought a second yellow for Glenfield, to no avail, before Chris Forrester popped his penalty over Arlo Doherty.
Graham Coughlan, Waterford’s fifth manager in three years, replaced Glenfield at half-time.
Coughlan, like his predecessors, has his work cut out but it is a surprise to see a team with Long in defence and Padraig Amond partnering Lonergan up front, going 15 games without a win in the Premier Division.
Now 10 points adrift of ninth-placed Sligo Rovers, after John Russell’s side took a point off Shelbourne at Tolka Park, relegation seemed certain when Elbouzedi scored St Pat’s second goal.
It was far too easy. Leavy drew three men to him near the corner flag before Forrester flicked on James Brown’s cross for Elbouzedi to glide in front of Waterford right back Jordan Houston at the back post.
Inside four minutes, Elbouzedi profited from Leavy’s blocked shot to score his second. He needed one rolled touch to create the angle, another to curl the ball beyond Doherty.
Ryan Edmondson made it 4-1 when Leavy burst from midfield and Elbouzedi spurned a chance of a hat-trick to gift the English striker his eighth of the campaign.
With Shamrock Rovers winning 3-1 in Galway and Bohemians coming from behind to beat Dundalk at Oriel Park, the three points keep St Pat’s sitting second in the table, sandwiched between their Dublin rivals.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Brown, Hoare, Redmond, Turner; Forrester (Lennon 79), Nugent; Baggley, Leavy (Palmer 79), Elbouzedi; Edmondson (Mata 79).
Waterford: Doherty; Houston (Faria 75), Cann, Mahon, Long; Couto; McMenamy (Johnson 68), Noonan (Voilas 83), Glenfield (Heeney h/t); Amond, Lonergan.
Referee: Robert Harvey.
