St Patrick’s Athletic scored three times in the final 11 minutes to hand Finn Harps a heavy defeat that sees Ollie Horgan’s men drop into the relegation zone.
St Patrick’s Athletic 4 Finn Harps 0
Kurtis Byrne netted twice, either side of a goal by Conan Byrne, as Pat’s swept to an emphatic victory.
Kurtis Byrne’s close-range finish from Billy Dennehy’s cross seven minutes from time steered Liam Buckley’s Pat’s on their way to a huge win before Conan Byrne made sure of it with a third in added time.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Harps had Eddie Dsane sent off in those torrid closing moments before Kurtis Byrne, with the game’s final attack, had a shot soar off Ciaran Coll and high into Ciaran Gallagher’s net.
Leading through Graham Kelly’s 23rd minute opener, the Saints put the game to bed when Kurtis Byrne flicked home after a superb Pat’s move, just after Sean Houston touched a Danny Morrissey centre wide at the other end.
Harps fell to pieces and leave the capital nursing a heavy defeat just three days before they host runaway League leaders Cork City in a live television game in Ballybofey on Monday.
Harps are now tenth, but just eight points separate six teams as the battle to avoid the drop looks set to go to the tape.
The visitors were up against it when Kelly broke the deadlock and it was a goal that, not for the first time this season, the Harps rearguard won’t reflect too kindly on.
Kelly, surging in on the right-hand side, to get onto Josh O’Hanlon’s pass was given too much freedom to manoeuvre and the midfielder powered home .
With Owen Garvan – who was stretchered off in the second half sporting a nasty gash on his left leg — on top of the engine room battle and with Pat’s targeting the Harps left flank the home side probed intently.
Damien McNulty took the ball off Kelly’s toe just as he was eyeing up the target after a cut-back from Conan Byrne.
Barely 30 seconds into the second half, Kilian Cantwell had to take the ball off the goal-line after O’Hanlon slid beyond the advancing Ciaran Gallagher, whose midriff was stung by a dangerous near-post cross by Barker.
Harps ought to have been level by the hour but Eddie Dsane – who had netted five goals in his last six games, including the winner in the Cup against Bohs last week – headed wide from eight yards after connecting to Sean Houston’s cross.
The marauding Ethan Boyle, with the space opening in front of him, made up acres of ground, but saw his shot parried by Barry Murphy with the game in its final 15 minutes.
With half-time approaching, Dsane had Harps’ first shot on target when his daisy cutter forced Murphy into a smart save.
Harps had an early warning across their brow when Ian Turner lost Mark Timlin before offloading to the scampering Barker, but the full-back’s low shot was turned away by Gallagher at the near post.
Byrne curled over from a free-kick after O’Hanlon drew a foul from Cantwell but even at that Harps had their moments, without testing Barry Murphy, in the opening stanza.
Timlin shot wide after a decent Harps move, but Harps were under the cosh
Harps – with the suspended Paddy McCourt and Caolan McAleer – showed two changes from the side that began last week’s epic Cup clash with Bohemians. McNulty and Gareth Harkin were restored to the team as Tommy McBride and Pascal Millien dropped out.
Harps won on their last visit to the Emmet Road when goals by Houston and the since-departed Ciaran O’Connor earned them their first win of the season, but there was to be no repeat as Pat’s proved too hot on the night.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Barry Murphy; Michael Barker, Lee Desmond, Jordi Balk, Ian Bermingham;
Conan Byrne, Owen Garvan (JJ Lunney 69), Ian Turner, Billy Dennehy (Darragh Markey 90); Graham Kelly, Josh O’Hanlon (Kurtis Byrne 74).
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Ethan Boyle, Kilian Cantwell, Damien McNulty, Ciaran Coll; Eddie Dsane, Jonny Bonner (Danny Morrissey 68), Gareth Harkin, Mark Timlin (Tommy McBride 88); Sean Houston; Ibrahim Keita (Pascal Millien 67).
Referee: Robert Harvey.