St Patrick's show up the harsh realities

Like the old joke about the British royal family thinking the world smells of fresh paint, it's increasingly easy to believe that Pat Dolan thinks that all National League grounds are packed for games these days. On Saturday night some 3,500 turned out to see his team make their way into the quarter-finals of this season's FAI Cup, eight times the regular attendance at St Colman's Park, and the St Patrick's manager took it to be another sign that things are on the up for the game here.

While Dolan and his boys move on to the next full house, though, the man who must attempt to lure the crowds back to Ramblers on a consistent basis was clearly still coming to terms with the magnitude of his task. New manager Ian Butterworth was as upbeat as could have been expected after his side had lost out to the Dubliners, but the gap between the two teams, he admitted, is considerable and much work lies ahead. "I've learned a lot about my lads and about Irish football tonight," said Butterworth afterwards. "We have a lot of teenagers here who have to have more confidence in themselves. People keep saying they are young, but I had 100 first division appearances under my belt by the time I was 20, so sometimes you've just to say that if you're good enough then you should go out and do it."

The ability of some of those Ramblers youngsters may be beyond doubt but, as Saturday's game highlighted, they have much to learn from their new boss about applying themselves effectively in the face of quality opposition.

Dolan paid tribute to the home side's containment of his men in the first half and the former Norwich captain certainly marshalled well from the back. In midfield, however, the visitors were given too much time on the ball throughout and after Ian Gilzean tapped home the opening goal of the game - one which Butterworth claimed had more than a hint of offside about it - on 30 minutes, it seemed unimaginable that the locals would battle their way back to level terms.

In attack, the workrate of Tony Izzi and, particularly, Paul Coughlan was remarkable, but for most of the game they were heavily out-numbered, and when support did arrive, it usually brought with it a somewhat haphazard approach to finishing.

Their goal, which came immediately after Leon Braithwaite had doubled the St Patrick's lead from a couple of yards out, predictably involved just the two strikers. Trevor Wood got a fingertip to Izzi's shot, but Coughlan, the former Cork City man, arrived on cue to head the loose ball home.

Even then, it has to be said, the goal had a hint of consolation about it. While the player-manager continued to steady the ship, around him the legs were tiring. If, in the first half, the scoring chances had been evenly divided, now they were almost all going the way of the Premier division leaders. Ramblers goalkeeper Paul Kee was fortunate not to have been beaten more than once over the closing half hour, with Gilzean missing the best of the visiting side's chances five minutes from time.

By then, however, the striker had already rounded off a fine individual performance by playing a prominent part in the third goal, which Eddie Gormley slipped past Kee and into the bottom right corner.

COBH: Kee; Butterworth, D O'Connor, Murphy; Kelly, L O'Connor, Dalton, Eviston, Byrne; Izzi, Coughlan. Subs: Ward for L O'Connor (75 mins), Fleming for Eviston (79).

ST PATRICK'S: Wood; Burke, Hawkins, Lynch, Doyle; Campbell, Croly, Gormley; Braithwaite, Gilzean, Molloy. Subs: Gaynor for Gormley (87 mins), Reilly for Braithwaite (89 mins), Long for Molloy (76 mins).

Referee: J Feighery (Dublin).