St Pat's secure first win in three with 3-0 win over Drogheda

St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Drogheda United 0 

Goals from Billy King, Eoin and Mark Doyle got St Patrick’s Athletic back on track with a first win in three games in the Richmond Park drizzle.

Dominant from the kick off, the only surprise at the interval was that the home side weren't more than one goal to the good.

The woodwork and frantic defending deprived Tim Clancy's side of a 12th minute lead, Ben McCormack crashing a header off a post with Jack Scott’s follow up deflected for a corner.

Drogheda escaped conceding a penalty on 25 minutes, their skipper Dane Massey’s raised arm clearly making contact with the ball from Eoin Doyle’s header.

Coming McCabe then made good stops to deprive Eoin Doyle and Adam O’Reilly before the breakthrough finally arrived on 41 minutes. Scott’s deep cross from the right looked to be going out of play.

But skipper Chris Forrester got there to pull it back from the end line for King to arrive and find the net with a first time volley for his fourth goal of the season.

Drogheda were better after the restart, but for all their endeavour struggled to break down the home defence as St Pat’s played their way back into the game.

Tunde Owolabi was sprung from the bench and was pivotal in all but sealing the win with St Pat’s second goal on 86 minutes, dispossessing Massey to cross and give Eoin Doyle the easiest of his nine goals this season.

Mark Doyle added the gloss a minute into added time with a sublime back post volley from Kyle Robinson’s deep cross.

St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Scott, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; O’Reilly, Forrester (Robinson, 90); King (McClelland, 85), McCormack (Owolabi, 70), M. Doyle; E. Doyle.

Drogheda United: McCabe; Heeney (Lyons, 77), Quinn, Weir, Massey; Deegan, Nugent (Clarke, 66); Foley (Rooney, 62), Brennan, Markey; Williams.

Referee: Ray Matthews (Midlands).