Daniel Kelly punishes wasteful St Pat's as Shels snatch late win
Daniel Kelly scored an 84th minute winner for Shelbourne against St Patrick's Athletic. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
St Patrick’s Athletic were left to rue a penalty miss and a host of missed chances before being sunk by Daniel Kelly’s late winner as Shelbourne snatched an unlikely come-from-behind victory at Richmond Park.
Jamie Lennon had given St Pat’s a fully deserved first half lead before Shels levelled through Sean Moore early in the second half.
Defeat from a winning position was all the more frustrating for Stephen Kenny’s Saints as leaders Shamrock Rovers lost 2-0 at Galway United.
St Patrick's thus drop to third in the table behind Bohemians and remain six points off the champions ahead of a trip to Derry City on Monday. Unbeaten now in four games, a rejuvenated Shelbourne consolidate fourth place.
Top of the table when they last played 27 days ago, St Pat's started on the front foot, creating two glorious chances inside the opening four minutes.
First Barry Baggley gave Aidan Keena a sight of goal only for the current player of the month to shoot tamely at Ed Beach.
The Shels goalkeeper then produced a fingertip save to thwart Anthony Olusanya after Keena had slipped him in.
The visitors had another let-off minutes later when Kian Leavy went down under a challenge from James Norris. And though referee Paul Norton initially pointed to the spot, he changed his mind on checking with an assistant.
The openings kept coming for Saints, Leavy drilling into the side netting, almost capitalising on a mistake by Kameron Ledwidge.
Another loose pass, this time by Kerr McInroy, then had Shels in trouble again on 14 minutes.
The Reds’ skipper gifted the ball to Leavy who raced into the area only to be bodychecked off the ball by Ledwidge.
Norton again pointed to the spot and didn’t change his mind on this occasion. There was a reprieve for Shels, though, as Keena blasted his spot kick against the crossbar.
Beach was there again 10 minutes later to make a parry save from Zach Elbouzedi’s deflected drive after Shels gave the ball away cheaply yet again.
It was the half-hour before Shels seriously threatened, Dan Kelly glancing a James Norris cross off target.
But St Pat’s had been by far the better side and finally got their reward two minutes before half-time with Lennon the architect and finisher.
The Saints’ anchor midfielder first won the ball following a clearance from a corner. He then worked a one-two with Baggley before shooting through the legs of Untergrabner and past Beach from 14 yards.
It should have been 2-0 minutes after the restart, Olusanya slicing his effort dead in front of goal from Elbouzedi’s low cross.
It proved a sliding doors moment as Shels broke to equalise on 49 minutes. Kelly found the run of Moore past Sean Hoare to shoot under Joseph Anang.
St Pat’s regained the initiative with substitutes Ryan Sheridan and Ryan Edmondson having a shots deflected and saved respectively either side of Keena rifling over the top.
But the sting in the tail arrived on 84 minutes when Shels broke for their winner.
There was no St Pat's free kick forthcoming for what looked a clear push by Sam Bone on Romal Palmer. Shels countered with Kelly racing through to shoot low to the corner of the net.
Shels finished with ten men when substitute Ali Coote received a straight red card for a bad foul on Sheridan.
Anang; Redmond, Hoare, Turner; Lennon; Elbouzedi, Baggley (Forrester, 72), Leavy (Sheridan, 61), McClelland (Brown, 83); Keena (Palmer, 83), Olusanya (Edmondson, 72).
Beach; Untergrabner (Lunney, 65), Casey, Ledwidge; Kelly, McInroy, Henry-Francis (Coote, 71), Norris (Bone, 71); Moore (Boyd, 88), Caffrey; Odubeko (Martin 65).
Paul Norton (Dublin).
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