Although St Patrick's Athletic manager John McDonnell is delighted with his team's results of late he is demanding an improvement in performance ahead of the club's FAI Cup showdown later this month.

Having lost their way in the league rather spectacularly following an eye-catching start, McDonnell's side now have a season-defining semi-final against Shamrock Rovers to look forward to.

The recent cup win over Longford twinned with subsequent league victories over Drogheda and Bohemians have certainly revived the Inchicore club ahead of the Rovers tie in a fortnight.

But, following Friday's fortunate 1-0 win over Bohemians at Dalymount, McDonnell is demanding a collective improvement in performance having seen his side scrape three unlikely points.

"If we play like we did in the first half, be it against Bray this weekend or against Rovers in the cup, we'll be in trouble and won't get away with it," he says.

"We've played better and lost games this season but still I suppose this demonstrated the character and resilience of my team.

"We've dug out a result, grinded one out and that augurs well for the semi-final with Rovers.  We still have to improve in areas, definitely, but it was vitally important to maintain that winning mentality."

Shamrock Rovers host St Patrick's at Tolka Park on Friday week.