St Pat's swagger back to the top

St Patrick's Athletic 2 Shamrock Rovers 1:It's been a long week for those affiliated with St Patrick's Athletic. A gruelling, but successful, trip to Sligo was followed in quick succession by a marathon Setanta Cup exit to Drogheda. But after a sluggish start here the hosts ensured that recent defeat was only a wobble, nothing more. Normal service has resumed.

St Patrick's were tested initially but regrouped smartly and battered Rovers in the second half with scintillating football. They really should have won by more. With the compact ground close to capacity, those in attendance were treated to an intriguing derby tussle.

Pat Scully's team have played with no fear this season and last night, even in defeat, they showed no respect for their high-flying opponents. From the first whistle to the last they chased, harried, passed and created. St Patrick's three-man defence spent much of the opening half backtracking, as Ger Rowe, Jamie Duffy and Andy Myler tricked, teased and tormented.

Still, for all their possession, goalkeeper Barry Ryan was only truly tested on one occasion. Ger O'Brien's low ball flummoxed the defence allowing David Cassidy in on goal. He had more time on his side than he realised and rushed his shot. Still, Ryan was at full stretch to bat away the goal-bound effort.

St Patrick's, too, were inventive when afforded space. Their surges upfield were calculated and slick, with Joseph Ndo, Keith Fahey and strikers Gary O'Neill and Mark Quigley finely in tune. It was no surprise, too, that the quartet singled out Aidan Price, the Rovers captain returning from a lay-off, and lacking in sharpness.

However, both Price and Barry Ferguson coped admirably when ran at. Sensing this, St Patrick's channelled much of their best work thereafter down the right where Anto Murphy repeatedly had Robbie Clarke's measure. Indeed, the pairing were central to the opening goal after 25 minutes. Clarke initially appeared to have dealt with Ndo's diagonal ball but slipped, allowing Murphy to seize possession and slot through Barry Murphy's legs.

By this stage St Patrick's were playing the eye-catching football that has typified their season. Rovers, though, will have felt aggrieved to trail at the break considering the difficulties they brought upon their hosts.

But frustratingly for the travelling fans, their team failed to mirror that performance on resumption. The home side galloped forward at every opportunity, tearing apart their opponents who fed off scraps and chased shadows for the remainder of the game.

With their game-plan evaporating around them, and at an alarming rate too, Rovers were gifted a lifeline in the 67th minute. Fahey tripped substitute Tadhg Purcell in the area but Myler walloped the resulting penalty off the post.

Balls rained in on the Rovers defence thereafter with Ndo, Fahey and Stephen Paisley all going close. Even closer still were O'Neill and Quigley who both hit the crossbar, the latter's a spectacular effort from distance. But a second goal was always on the cards; Darragh Maguire looping a header under Murphy's bar with six minutes remaining.

Rovers, though, ensured a tense finish when Purcell stooped low to head home a cross from the left. It was an admirable response but the hosts were already in cruise control, swaggering their way back to the top of the table in the process.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Ryan; Maguire, Brennan, Paisley; Murphy, Fahey, Mulcahy, Kirby; Ndo; Quigley, O'Neill. Subs: Frost for Murphy (71 mins), C Foley for Quigley (89 mins).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; O'Brien, Ferguson, Price, Clarke; Danny O'Connor, Cassidy, Pender; Duffy, Myler, Rowe. Subs: Purcell for Duffy (49 mins), Dave O'Connor for Pender (65 mins), Ryan for Price (72 mins).

Referee: A Kelly (Cork)