Fagan’s double helps Pat’s just get over line

St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Bray Wanderers 2

St Patrick’s Athletic ended up hanging on in a match that they really should have won more comfortably to cut the gap to leaders Dundalk to four points.

Bray had only managed 12 league goals before the mid-season break and it was the Saints who were quick to add to their tally of 38 on 13 minutes when Conan Byrne ran on to James Chambers’ raking cross-field ball and squared for Chris Forrester to tap in.

It was very much a lacklustre contest in the first half and with Alan Matthews’ barked instructions piercing a subdued atmosphere Bray responded to get an unexpected equaliser four minutes before the break.

Jake Kelly, who had been causing major problems, ran on to David Cassidy’s pass in the box and stretched to beat Brendan Clarke from an angle.

Pat’s showed much more urgency after the break and went ahead again when Christy Fagan nodded in his 14th goal of the season from close range.

James Chambers’ cheeky back-heel then played in Fagan again, who coolly beat Stephen McGuinness.

Liam Buckley’s side seemed determined not to make it straightforward for themselves, though, and Kelly made it 3-2 on 77 minutes with a sublime free-kick smashed into the top corner.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: B Clarke; C McCormack, D Foran, G O’Brien, I Bermingham; G Bolger; J Chambers, K Brennan (K Fahey 72); C Byrne, C Fagan (L Lynch 84), C Forrester (M Quigley 69).

BRAY WANDERERS: S McGuinness; E McGill, S O’Connor, R Maloney; A Hanlon, G Kelly, D Cassidy, D Zambra, S O’Neill (D Scully 60); J Kelly, I Akinade.

Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).