Match Preview

vs DROGHEDA UNITED
League
Friday, August 21st
7:45pm
Sullivan and Lambe Park

BUY TICKETS

Relegation battlers Drogheda United were simply no match for St Patrick's Athletic at Sullivan & Lambe Park, as despite the eventual victors being far from their best, they emerged comfortably from a largely one-sided affair to edge closer to Shamrock Rovers at the Premier Division summit.

The Saints extended their unbeaten stretch to eight games in all competitions as they defeated United once again in the fourth and likely final meeting of the campaign.

While an FAI Cup renewal remains a possibility, Pat's have completed a clean sweep of victories over Drogheda United in the Premier Division. Their sequence against them now reads 12 matches unbeaten, a run stretching back almost three years now.

Finland international Anthony Olusanya and midfielder Barry Baggley, in injury time, scored the goals that earned three points on a routine night in the end for the men from Inchicore. Leading by just one goal two minutes into injury time may not appear the most comfortable scoreline, this was in actuality a very one-sided encounter.

Olusanya had handed Pat a 17th-minute lead and it came with the help of his strike partner Keena, whose reverse pass bamboozled James Bolger and allowed the summer arrival to run into the penalty area and shoot across goal, into the bottom corner.

Luke Dennison had earlier denied Chris Forrester from range and he was also well placed to stop deny Anto Breslin squeezing past him when the wing back and been allowed in behind. James Brown, once a Drogs hero himself, headed over too with the goal gaping.

Kevin Doherty was furious with his team, and they improved after the break but not enough to cause Pat's sufficient problems or to warrant a leveller. Substitute Baggley calmly found the net in the 92nd minute to seal the win. Drogheda had no chances of real note, with Joseph Anang untested.

Pat's did not look particularly likely to score a second to that point - a fact that gave an increasingly restless and despairing home support some hope - but Stephen Kenny could call upon Zach Elbouzedi and Ryan Edmondsen from the bench too.

Having accounted for Rovers in the cup last week and with the Hoops still with European aspirations to balance alongside their domestic affairs, Pat's are well positioned to launch their assault on top spot. Kenny has been in this position before.

By the end of the game, the atmosphere at Sullivan & Lambe Park was a palpably sour one. With United now sitting in the relegation play-off place, their 2024 FAI Cup win and sixth place finish of last season seem a distant memory.

The Louth derby is up next for them, before bottom side Sligo Rovers visit in the league. Friday night was the first of four consecutive home matches. Doherty will hope the mood will have shifted and the needle moved on United's tough season by the end of that sequence.

© rte.ie

Date	Competition	Home Team		Away Team
August, 21st 2026	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	2	REPORT
April, 17th 2026	League	Drogheda United	1	St Patrick's Athletic	3	REPORT
January, 20th 2026	Leinster Senior Cup	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT
August, 22nd 2025	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
April, 21st 2025	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT

Date	Competition	Home Team		Away Team
September, 19th 2026	League	Sligo Rovers	0	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
September, 14th 2026	League	Dundalk	0	St Patrick's Athletic	4	REPORT
August, 21st 2026	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	2	REPORT
August, 9th 2026	League	Shelbourne	1	St Patrick's Athletic	2	REPORT
July, 10th 2026	League	Waterford	1	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
June, 30th 2026	Leinster Senior Cup	Bray Wanderers	2	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
June, 26th 2026	League	Bohemians	2	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT
May, 29th 2026	League	Shamrock Rovers	1	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT
May, 26th 2026	Leinster Senior Cup	Dundalk	0	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
May, 22nd 2026	League	Derry City	0	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT

Date	Competition	Home Team		Away Team
August, 21st 2026	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	2	REPORT
June, 12th 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	2	Drogheda United	0	REPORT
April, 17th 2026	League	Drogheda United	1	St Patrick's Athletic	3	REPORT
March, 13th 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	4	Drogheda United	1	REPORT
January, 20th 2026	Leinster Senior Cup	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT
September, 5th 2025	Leinster Senior Cup	St Patrick's Athletic	2	Drogheda United	0	REPORT
August, 22nd 2025	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
June, 13th 2025	League	St Patrick's Athletic	0	Drogheda United	0	REPORT
April, 21st 2025	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	0	REPORT
February, 14th 2025	League	St Patrick's Athletic	0	Drogheda United	0	REPORT

Date	Competition	Home Team		Away Team
September, 19th 2026	League	Sligo Rovers	0	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
September, 14th 2026	League	Dundalk	0	St Patrick's Athletic	4	REPORT
September, 11th 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	2	Shamrock Rovers	0	REPORT
August, 28th 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	0	Waterford	2	REPORT
August, 21st 2026	League	Drogheda United	0	St Patrick's Athletic	2	REPORT
August, 9th 2026	League	Shelbourne	1	St Patrick's Athletic	2	REPORT
August, 2nd 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	1	Derry City	1	REPORT
July, 24th 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	1	Dundalk	1	REPORT
July, 10th 2026	League	Waterford	1	St Patrick's Athletic	1	REPORT
July, 3rd 2026	League	St Patrick's Athletic	3	Galway United	0	REPORT