Sublime late Kian Leavy strike for Pat's stuns Galway

Pat's dominated possession but chances were at a premium. Still, Stephen Kenny's side deserved the win which puts them on seven points

St. Patrick's Athletic's anager Stephen Kenny celebrates after the game with Kian Leavy. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

SSE Airtricity Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 1 Galway United 0 

Kian Leavy struck a sublime 90th minute winner as St Patrick’s Athletic finally wore down a dogged Galway United at Richmond Park to move second in the Premier Division table.

Rampant in scoring four times in beating Dundalk on Friday night, Stephen Kenny’s side found John Caulfield's tenacious Tribesmen a much tougher proposition here.

Though St Patrick's dominated possession, chances had been at a premium, with the game still scoreless entering the final minute.

The frustration of the home faithful would find relief, though, as substitute Max Mata chested the ball down into the path of Jay McClelland who swept it on to Leavy.

The Ardee native, immense throughout as he was on Friday, met the ball first time to drill a left foot shot past Evan Watts for no more than St Patrick’s dominance on the night deserved.

Duly capitalising on a fast start on Friday when running up a 2-0 lead inside 26 minutes in their 4-0 victory over Dundalk, St Pat’s were eager to do so again as they took the game to Galway from the first whistle.

Centre-back Sean Hoare, a scorer against Dundalk, headed over from a Barry Baggley free kick before the latter’s direct effort from another set-piece flashed past a post.

The pace and trickery of Leavy soon weaved a chance when he dribbled in from the right to rifle over the top.

Disciplined and with a solid shape, Galway had conceded just two goals in their three previous games and again defended stubbornly here as the home side continued to probe for openings, Jamie Lennon’s drive deflected out for a corner on 25 minutes.

Galway were no little threat when they relieved the pressure at one end and got forward themselves, St Pat’s goalkeeper Joseph Anang having to punch away David Hurley’s in-swinging corner in a moment of worry for the home side.

Much of the play remained at the opposite end with St Pat’s having a couple of half-hearted shouts for penalties rightly not entertained by referee Aaron O’Dowd as they laboured to get a shot on target.

The clearest chance, and only one of a generally uneventful opening half, fell Galway’s way on 37 minutes.

Midfielder Aaron Bolger, on for striker Stephen Walsh in a reshuffle, doggedly nicked the ball off Baggley in the corner.

That gave Arthur Parker a clear run on goal down the inside-right channel. Anang stood up well to turn the shot out for Galway’s third corner of the half.

Leavy continued to be St Pat’s chief threat, running at the Galway defence at every opportunity, but Watts remained untested between the Galway posts as the home side’s 68 percent possession was counting for nothing.

Resuming with added impetus, St Pat’s pinned Galway in from the resumption, Ryan Edmondson finally working Watts three minutes in.

Romal Palmer then just couldn’t turn his shot on target after incisive play from James Brown and Edmondson.

New Zealander Mata worked Watts again late on before playing his part in the build up to Leavy’s deserved late winner to break Galway's resistance.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Anang; Redmond, Hoare (Boyce, 75), Turner; Brown (Mata, 75), Leavy, Lennon (Nugent, 70), Baggley, McClelland; Palmer (Forrester, 62); Edmondson (Keena, 62).

GALWAY UNITED: Watts; Williams, Brouder, Facchineri; Parker, Hurley, Barratt (Wolfe, 62), Keohane (McCarthy, 83), Devitt; Lomboto (Twardek, 62), Walsh (Bolger, 32).

Referee: Aaron O’Dowd (Dublin).

Attendance: 3,809.