St Patrick's Athletic secured a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Dundalk in the Premier Division's Regular Season round 30 on Monday evening. The result leaves the visitors firmly at the summit with 56 points, while Dundalk remain in fourth place on 41. And here's the thing — this wasn't a game that needed much explanation once the opening goal landed.
Aidan Keena opened the scoring in the 21st minute before doubling his tally seven minutes later. Anthony Olusanya picked up a yellow card in the 29th minute as Dundalk tried to respond. Keena was then substituted for Aodh Dervin in the 69th minute, a move that coincided with Leonardo Gaxha's booking. Ryan Sheridan added a third in the 75th minute, and Ryan Edmondson sealed it with a fourth in the 82nd.
What struck the eye was the efficiency. Dundalk held 53 per cent possession but registered zero shots on target, while St Patrick's Athletic managed eight from just 10 attempts. The visitors created three big chances compared to none for the hosts. To be fair, Dundalk threw bodies at the problem and it simply didn't work.
There were plenty of changes on both sides. Dundalk brought on Luke Mulligan and Harry Groome at the break, while Cian Dillon and Barry Baggley came on together in the 58th minute. St Patrick's Athletic made three substitutions in quick succession around the 79th minute, bringing on Trevor Clarke, Ryan Sheridan and Anthony Olusanya.
We had backed the visitors to win, with 43 per cent confidence, and the match played out exactly as we expected. St Patrick's Athletic were sharper in the final third, completing 262 passes compared to Dundalk's 293, but with far more precision. They won 12 tackles to four and intercepted 13 times.
The gap at the top of the table now stands at 15 points. Dundalk's recent form — a draw with Waterford followed by a heavy defeat to Derry City — makes this result feel like confirmation rather than surprise. St Patrick's Athletic have now extended their unbeaten run and show no signs of slowing down.