Tunde Owolabi hat trick shocks high-flying Saints

This result means that the Saints have missed out on the chance to join Shamrock Rovers at the summit and are still three points adrift having played two games more.

Fri, 20 Aug, 2021 - 22:18

Chris Ashmore

Finn Harps 3 St Patrick’s Athletic 1

Belgian striker Tunde Owolabi scored a sensational hat-trick as battling Finn Harps shocked St Patrick’s Athletic in a rip-roaring encounter at Finn Park.

This result means that the Saints have missed out on the chance to join Shamrock Rovers at the summit and are still three points adrift having played two games more.

For Ollie Horgan’s Harps this was a third league win on the trot and will give them added renewed belief that they have the ability to stay up in the top flight.

And it was the home fans - in a capped attendance of 800 - who had the first chance to raise the decibel levels following a goal.

Owolabi got the opener in the 13th minute with a cracking low drive into the bottom far corner of the net.

But the Inchicore side were back on level terms within two minutes as Barry McNamee was penalised for hand ball and Chris Forrester duly obliged by sending the resulting spot-kick past Mark Anthony McGinley.

On a slippery surface, the intensity shown by both sides rarely slackened in this absorbing clash interval, and Owolabi produced a wondergoal after some deft footwork to put Harps 2-1 up on 41 minutes.

Stephen O’Donnell made a triple substitution at half-time with new signing Jak Hackman, Darragh Burns and Ronan Coughlan coming on for Melvin Lambert, Billy King and Jay McClelland respectively.

But Owolabi struck again with his third of the night on 53 minutes as he ran onto a long ball from Ryan Connolly - timing his run to beat the off-side trap - and then taking his time to get around the advancing Jaros and slot the ball into the net.

There were further chances at both ends and Owolabi could well have added to his tally while Kyrian Nwoko hit the post for the visitors.

FINN HARPS: McGinley; O’Sullivan (Dunleavy, 75 mins), Boyle, Webster, Mustoe; Rainey (Doherty 90+3), Seymour, Coyle, Connolly, Barry McNamee; Owolabi (Foley, 86).

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Jaros; McCormack (Nwoko, 59 mins), Barrett (Abankwah, 88), Bone, Bermingham; Lewis, McClelland (Coughlan, h-t), Forrester, Smith; King (Burns, h-t), Melvin Lambert, (Hikman, h-t).

Referee: D McGraith (Dublin).