Goalkeeper Clarke scores from the spot to give St Pat’s win at Sligo

Sligo Rovers 1 (Keegan 30) St Patrick’s Athletic 2 (Drennan 40, B Clarke pen 58)

Goalkeeper Brendan Clarke scored the winner from the penalty spot as St Pat’s beat Sligo Rovers at a rain-soaked Showgrounds on Saturday night.

The Saints captain caught everyone by surprise by racing forward after Simon Madden was tripped in the area. He demanded the ball from striker Achille Campion before sending his opposite number, Mitchell Beeney, the wrong way.

Prior to that, a dull lower mid-table clash in front of a crowd of 1,536 was finally sparked to life on 30 minutes thanks to a neat finish from Jake Keegan.

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He ghosted in behind the defence to flick Lee Desmond’s pinpoint delivery into the net.

Ten minutes after the opener, the hosts were deservedly level after a period of sustained pressure yielded successive corners.

After Seamus Sharkey twice threatened from the set-pieces, his defensive colleague Patrick McClean then hit the crossbar from Regan Donelon's delivery, and Mikey Drennan was on-hand to fire home the rebound for his fifth goal in five games.

The weather deteriorated in the second half, but Clarke raised the excitement levels by netting from the spot just before the hour.

Keegan went close to grabbing his second after that, but his curling effort was pushed on to the crossbar by Beeney.

Sligo Rovers: Beeney, Sharkey, Mahon, McClean, Donelon, Keaney, Cawley (Morrison 76), Lynch, Wixted (Cretaro 63), Twardek (McAleer 69), Drennan.

St Patrick's Athletic: B Clarke, Madden, Barker, Leahy, Desmond, R Brennan, Lennon, D Clarke, Markey, Keegan, Campion.

Referee: R Rogers