St. Pat's are the League of Ireland champions for the first time since 1999. The Saints beat Sligo Rovers 2-0 at Richmond Park to secure the title with two games to spare thanks to first half goals from Greg Bolger and Anto Flood. The win stretched Saints unbeaten run to 13 games in the league and was all the sweeter given it was against reigning champions Sligo Rovers who had beaten St Pat’s 3-2 at the Showgrounds 12 months ago to lift last year’s crown. It was Sligo who started the better, creating two chances inside the opening five minutes. Saints keeper Brendan Clarke did well to save Alan Keane’s early shot, which took a deflection off Killian Brennan. Evan McMillan should then have done better than head straight into Clarke’s arms with a free header from Aaron Greene’s diagonal ball. Minutes later, Clarke fumbled a weak shot from Kieran Djilali as Sligo had clearly started the better.
Having settled into the game, St Pat’s then had their fans in raptures on 33 minutes when they took the lead from a stunning goal. A weak, headed clearance fell for Greg Bolger some 25 yards out and the midfielder unleashed a superb right-foot drive that flew into the top corner of Rogers’ net for a wonderful first league goal of the campaign. Rogers prevented a second home goal on 41 minutes, diving full stretch to push Killian Brennan’s free kick around the post. But St Pat’s duly doubled their lead a minute later with a terrific break down the right by John Russell and his perfect low cross gave Flood a simple tap in. In a less-exhilarating second half, Sligo almost got back into it on 74 minutes. But twice Clarke did well to save, first from Keane and then from a David Cawley follow up. Fittingly, man of the match Bolger was then there to clear off the line six minutes from time in the final countdown to the ecstatic scenes that welcomed Alan Kelly’s final whistle as an eighth League of Ireland title pennant was on its way to Inchicore.
