For the second week in a row, St Patrick’s Athletic showed the character required to escape from relegation trouble.
Liam Buckley’s side came from behind to beat Derry at Richmond Park seven days ago and they did the same again against a troubled Bray Wanderers side that is understandably struggling at the moment with the club’s financial strife weighing on their mind.
It was a flurry of activity at the beginning of the second half that inspired the successful drive for three points that move Pat’s out of the relegation zone — although they will be back in it if Sligo Rovers win at Limerick this evening.
However, Liam Buckley will know that a repeat of this level of performance over the next ten games will be enough to get the 2013 champions out of danger.
Bray led at the interval with a goal that came against the run of play. The hosts had started brightly, but their confidence was punctured as they failed to take their chances with Billy Dennehy lobbing over an unguarded goal when Peter Cherrie raced from his line and Christy Fagan misplacing a header from a clever Conan Byrne cross.
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Bray have serious attacking in their ranks, though, and when they hit financial difficulty after the summer break Gary McCabe was the main man in demand. The winter capture from Shamrock Rovers has been galvanised by the move in terms of his on-field performance, but off-field reasons could drive him away. And when he was fouled outside the box eight minutes before the interval, the natives sensed danger.
St Pat’s are one of the clubs that would like to sign McCabe and he showed why when curling a delicious free kick over the wall and into its intended destination with the help of the underside of the crossbar.
The hosts then had a shout for a penalty ignored by the referee Neil Doyle, leaving the locals annoyed.
Their mood lifted dramatically shortly after the restart. First Cherrie flapped at a Dennehy corner and Byrne was in the right place to steer the ball home. He then turned provider to complete a fantastic team move with a run down the right that was followed by a cross which Fagan swept home.
The Pat’s striker did miss a chance to put the game beyond doubt and that created a nervous finale for the home crowd as the Bray manager, Harry Kenny, changed things up in search of parity. But they lacked real conviction in the final third as McCabe was eventually subdued. Their push for Europe will fall short on this evidence.
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All involved with the club have more pressing short-term concerns at the moment. Buckley’s team have lived with a different type of stress this season, but they could relax when Josh O’Hanlon converted the insurance goal in stoppage time.