Powerful Pat’s hit five and close gap on Sligo

St Patrick’s Athletic 5 UCD 0

While UCD were unchanged from last Friday’s games, injuries and suspensions forced St. Pat’s into no fewer than six switches to their starting line-up.

But it scarcely showed as Liam Buckley’s side dominated virtually from the start, taking the lead on 16 minutes. A sublime pass from Chris Forrester split the College defence for the run of Jake Kelly who took a touch before side-footing into the corner of the net.

Kelly should have doubled his tally just two minutes later when again put in on goal, this time from Anto Flood’s clever back-heel. But, doing precisely the same thing, the winger saw his effort come back off the butt of a post.

It was far from one-way traffic in the first-half, though, as Barry Murphy twice had to exert himself to make decent saves from long-range efforts by David McMillan and Robbie Benson. McMillan then blazed over the top in first half stoppage time when he really might have equalised.

St. Pat’s remained much the better side in the second-half and duly doubled their lead on 58 minutes. Ryan Coombes, named in Paul Doolin’s Ireland under-19 squad earlier in the day, and Flood combined to put Faherty in for a close-range finish off his right foot.

Faherty was there again to head in his second from Forrester’s cross on 66 minutes after the midfielder initially shot against a post.

Forrester provided another assist for the fourth goal, giving Flood a simple tap-in on 72 minutes, with Faherty completing the rout when rifling home five minutes from time.

ST. PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Murphy; O’Brien, Browne, Price, Bermingham; Forrester, Carroll, Coombes (Boyne, 81m); Faherty, Flood (O‘Flynn 81m), J. Kelly (D. Kelly 73m).

UCD: Barron; Douglas (Lyons, 61m), Leahy, O’Connor, Nangle; Clarke (Mulhall 61m), McCabe (Kavanagh, 61m), O‘Conor, Ledwith; Benson; McMillan.

Referee: Tom Connolly (Dublin).