Shamrock Rovers' grip on the Premier Division summit was loosened by a damaging 2-0 defeat to St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park. The Dublin derby loss cuts their lead at the top to just three points, with the Saints now poised to potentially go top on goal difference.
Jay McClelland opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a side-footed volley that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar. Aidan Keena doubled the advantage just past the half-hour mark, heading home Zach Elbouzedi's cross to put the hosts firmly in control.
Early setback
The match started disastrously for the champions. Jamie Lennon's long pass found Ryan Sheridan, who laid it back for Lennon to deliver a first-time ball into the box. McClelland met it perfectly to give St Pat's a dream start. Rovers struggled to respond, with their best first-half chance falling to skipper Roberto Lopes, whose flick from a Jack Byrne corner was brilliantly tipped over by goalkeeper Joseph Anang.
Keena's goal in the 33rd minute compounded the visitors' problems. Lopes was then booked for a foul on Ryan Edmondson shortly after, summing up a frustrating half. Stephen Kenny's side, having knocked Rovers out of the FAI Cup last month, avenged three league defeats from earlier in the year with a disciplined first-half display.
Rovers unable to respond
Manager Stephen Bradley made a halftime change, bringing on Adam Brennan for Tunmise Sobowale. Rovers enjoyed more possession after the break but created few clear chances. Dylan Watts had a shot saved by Anang before the interval, and after it, efforts from distance by Jake Mulraney and Dan Cleary flew narrowly wide.
St Patrick's defence, marshalled by Joe Redmond, Sean Hoare and Luke Turner, held firm throughout. Redmond made a key block to deny Michael Noonan, and the hosts managed the game intelligently in the closing stages with a series of substitutions.
"Having knocked holders Rovers out of the Club Orange Men's FAI Cup last month, Stephen Kenny’s Saints duly avenged their three league defeats to them earlier this year," said Kenny.
The result leaves the title race wide open. Just five weeks ago, Rovers held a ten-point cushion at the summit. Now, after this defeat and a game in hand, their lead is a precarious three points. Rivals Bohemians also won, beating Galway United 3-2, to sit three points behind Rovers in third.
Shamrock Rovers now sit first with 56 points from 30 games, but their recent form shows no wins in their last five outings. They must regroup quickly ahead of their next fixture, a home game against Waterford on 18 September. The team's current squad details and statistics are available on our squad and stats pages.
