Joe Redmond answers Saints’ prayers with late Pat’s leveller against Derry City

St Patrick’s Athletic 1 Derry City 1

Chris Forrester of St Patrick's Athletic, left, in action against Adam O'Reilly at Richmond Park. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Aidan Fitzmaurice

February 17 2023 10:28 PM

If the playing fields of Dublin were a happy hunting ground for Derry City last season, the new campaign could be a bit more tricky on the evidence of an opening night when the Ulster club had to settle for one point instead of three.

Aside from two losses in Tallaght Stadium last year to the champions, Derry won all of their league games played in Dublin (and also picked up the FAI Cup there).

Having been in front for most of this game, thanks to a first-half goal from Jordan McEneff, this looked like another successful raid on the city.

But a St Pat’s side who had been second best for long spells came out of their shell late on and, with added potency from a host of subs, came up with an equaliser three minutes from time.

Defender Joe Redmond was the man with the vital touch after a corner by newcomer Vladislav Kreida.

A sell-out crowd of 4,789 was a huge positive for St Pat’s, and their ability to turn defeat into a draw will encourage manager Tim Clancy.

However, Pat’s will need to work out why they were so tame for so long and left it too late to really test a Derry team who lost one of their starting XI to injury in the warm-up (Michael Duffy) and then saw defender and captain Cameron McJannet forced off with an injury before half-time.

It was all very tame and nervy until the game fired up in the 26th minute, when City should have taken the lead.

Debutant Ollie O’Neill set up Ryan Graydon with a sublime pass but while Graydon’s effort was on target, he made it too easy for David Odumosu to make the save.

A hero on that occasion for the Saints, Odumosu went to the other end of the scale two minutes later when a poor clearance gifted the ball to O’Neill, and Odumosu was left stranded as the Fulham loanee teed up his shot and Pat’s needed captain Redmond to make the header to clear the danger.

Pat’s offered little at the other end, bar a shot from Chris Forrester on 31 minutes that was far too tame.

Derry had their reward on 37 minutes. McEneff got on the end of a clearance out of defence by Shane McEleney. He was in a battle with Redmond which the usually-reliable Saints captain should have won given his superior height and build, but McEneff shrugged him off and fired home his first goal for the club.

Just before half-time Pat’s carved out an opening. Jamie Lennon’s shot was blocked but the Saints looked to be lacking punch – and it was no surprise when striker Jake Mulraney was brought off the bench early in the second half for his debut.

Attackers Serge Atakayi, Eoin Doyle and debutant Conor Carty also came off the bench to change the script and with three minutes left, Pat’s had their reward – Redmond’s touch proved decisive after Derry failed to clear Kreida’s corner.

ST PAT’S ATHLETIC – Odomuso; Lewis, Grivosti (Atakayi 65), Redmond, Breslin; Lennon, Kreida; M Doyle (Mulraney 53), Curtis, Forrester (E Doyle 74); Lonergan (Carty 74).

DERRY CITY – Maher; Coll, S McEleney, Connolly, McJannet (Boyce 44); Graydon, O’Reilly, Patching, McEneff (C Kavanagh 70), O’Neill (P McEleney 58); McGonigle (B Kavanagh 70).

REF – Rob Harvey