Jason McClelland earns point for St Pat’s but Galway United left furious

Happiness was in short supply at full time, though.

While Galway United were under the cosh for long spells against a Saints team who will consider this to be two points dropped, a late red card for David Hurley and fury around a disallowed goal meant that John Caulfield and his staff were irate rather than relieved even though this will go down as a good result when the dust settles.

The Galwegians need to focus on the fight to avoid the drop now that their FAI Cup campaign is over, and this is a step in the right direction with the scores from elsewhere working out reasonably well.

By contrast, the Saints need wins in the league that will take the pressure off their cup exploits as far as European football has concerned.

They’ve got work to do.

In the slippery conditions, their trickiest players thrived with Kian Leavy delivering full value to the paying punters as he slalomed around Galway challenges in the search for joy. His inability to apply the final touch was the only problem. Not that he was alone in that regard.

After a lucky escape when Patrick Hickey couldn’t convert an under-hit Luke Turner backpass, the Saints should have gone ahead when a clearance caught out a staggered United back line and Mason Melia raced through on goal but former Saints favourite Brendan Clarke stood tall to deny the Spurs-bound striker who endured a frustrating evening.

When he did get away from Clarke to meet a Leavy pass, he couldn’t find the target with Garry Buckley deflecting it wide and the increasingly powerful teenager was also off target with a pair of free headers either side of the break.

Caulfield wasn’t happy, replacing Jeremy Sivi on the half hour mark and withdrawing Axel Piesold at the break in an attempt to shore up the midfield with Leavy thriving in central areas, showcasing a dribbling ability that makes the Ardee native stand out from the crowd.

Yet it was Piesold’s replacement Hurley that would break the deadlock from a penalty kick that he earned with the help of a rash Chris Forrester tackle. The Saints playmaker did damage in his own box for once, losing control in an attempt to intercept a ball bouncing towards Hurley and taking out his opponent in the process. That error was punished.

It would have represented a smash and grab and, naturally enough, the Saints poured on the pressure with Clarke adding to his save count by pushing an effort from the rampaging Leavy over the bar. But the equaliser did come, and the manner of it will frustrate the veteran netminder as Jason McClelland was given time to arrow a left-footer into the bottom corner.

Pat’s went hunting for the winner, yet there were moments of concern at the other end, and some controversy when Hickey was called out for a handball after appearing to win an aerial collision with Joseph Anang.

He didn’t seem to know a lot about it but Rob Harvey had made his call before the ball was stroked into the empty net. Attention shifted to the other end as Luke Turner was inches off target in a dramatic conclusion where both sides went full tilt, with simmering tensions boiling over when Hurley was red carded for a late tackle on Leavy and home fans rowed with the Galway bench as the final whistle blew in the aftermath.

St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang, Sjoberg, Redmond, Turner, McClelland; Forrester (Baggley 84), Lennon; Mulraney (Kavanagh 70), Leavy, Power (Garrick 70); Melia (Carty 84)

Galway United: Clarke, Esua, Buckley, Slevin, Burns (Horgan 90); Bolger; Piesold (Hurley 45); Sivi (McCarthy 32), Hickey, Keohane; McGuinness (Walsh 80)

Ref: Rob Harvey

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