Edmondson double ensures St Pat's go top 

St Pats’ Ryan Edmondson celebrates scoring his side’s third goal. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Bohemians 1 

A brace of goals from Ryan Edmondson helped St Patrick’s Athletic come from behind to down Dublin rivals Bohemians and, in the process, regain top spot in the Premier Division.

Trailing to Marcus’s Strods lightning first-minute lead, Stephen Kenny’s Saints stormed back into the game to blow Bohemians away to delight their fans in the bulk of the 5,435 attendance at a bouncing Richmond Park to usurp Shamrock Rovers, who lost at Derry City, and edge a point clear at the summit.

A third successive defeat means Bohemians, who led the table unbeaten for much of the opening round of games, are now without a win in seven games.

But Alan Reynolds side had the perfect start here, remarkably taking the lead after just eight seconds.

It was route one stuff from Ross Tierney’s tip-off back to goalkeeper Kacper Chorazka, who launched his clearance into the St Pat's half.

Douglas James Taylor out-jumped Tom Grivosti to nod the ball down for Latvian Strods, who rifled a half volley past Joseph Anang for a fine first league goal for the club.

Unchanged from getting back to winning ways in Drogheda last week, stunned St Pat’s nonetheless responded positively to level on 10 minutes.

Bohemians failed to properly clear a Barry Baggley ball into their area which broke for Saints’ Luke Turner.

Showing clever feet, the defender slalomed past three Gypsies players before laying the ball off for Edmondson.

The Yorkshireman took the shot on first time to find the back of Chorazka’s net from the edge of the area.

The thrilling start in the Inchicore sunshine belied the previous three meetings between the sides which had ended scoreless.

The save of the first half then denied St Pat’s the lead on 27 minutes.

Skipper Joe Redmond worked a one-two on the right with James Brown to gallop through a breach in the Bohs rearguard. Chorazka was out quickly to save with his feet.

The busy Chorazka was there again with another big save, pushing Baggley’s deep cross out for a corner as Saints all but laid siege to the visitors’ goal.

And though Brown’s delivery wasn’t cleared, Bohs survived Saints’ sustained period of pressure when Turner’s header came back off the angle of a post and the crossbar.

Survived, that is, until three minutes before half-time when St Pat's side were deservedly ahead.

Zach Elbouzedi sent Kian Leavy away on the left. Sam Todd’s poor clearance from the cross dropped straight to Jamie Lennon, whose shot deflected off Patrick Hickey to wrong-foot Chorazka and find the net.

Edmondson missed a chance when miscuing in front of goal two minutes after the restart before extending St Pat’s lead on 52 minutes.

Chris Forrester, on during the first half for the luckless Aidan Keena who went off with a leg injury, flicked on Baggley’s corner for Edmondson, unattended at the back post, to head home his sixth goal of the season.

With their five substitutes on, Bohemians laboured to get back into the game, only pressing St Pat’s late on.

And Anang would prevent a grandstand finish with the save of the night on 83 minutes to deny Dawson Devoy when getting a fingertip to turn the Bohs skipper’s effort round a post.

St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Redmond, Grivosti, Turner; Brown (Boyce, 88), Lennon, Baggley, Leavy, Elbouzedi (Breslin, 67); Keena (Forrester, 21), Edmondson (Nugent, 88).

Bohemians: Chorazka; Power, Hickey, Todd, Mullen (Parsons, 80); Devoy, McDonnell (Whelan, 60); Rooney (Diallo, 60), Tierney (Myers, 60), Strods; James-Taylor (Kavanagh, 69).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork).

Attendance: 5,435.