Hutton Rescues Point for Lucky Shels
Friday, August 17th, 2001
Shelbourne 1 - 1 Saint Patrick's Athletic
Peter Hutton scrambled a second half goal to salvage a point at Tolka Park for a bedraggled Shelbourne side as Dermot Keely's worries continued to mount ahead of the potential mauling awaiting his team against Brondby of Denmark next week.
Shelbourne, fortunate to take points away to lowly Monaghan in the opening game of the season may have gone into this first Dublin Derby believing that they could get the train back on the right tracks, however Pat Dolan's Saints had other ideas. Patrick's produced a passing game which at times made the home side's more direct "style" of play seem positively 'Wimbledonesque' in contrast.
For all their sweet build-up play the Saints struggled to find a breakthrough however, against a rock solid Shels defence whose more reckless challenges and jersey tugging on Liam Kelly and Ger McCarthy were treated rather leniently by the eccentric refereeing of Paul McKeown. The opening goal in the 35th minute was from the old Pat's in more ways than one as a 'born again' Paul Osam, by far the game's most outstanding player, rose highest at a classic Martin Russell set piece corner to give the Inchicore side a deserved 1-0 lead.
Shelbourne, although unable to compete with the Saints when the ball was played on the deck, did carve out some half-chances with their more direct and workmanlike approach. Fortunately for the Saints the Baker boys were as erratic as ever and blazed over several scorable opportunities with typically wild efforts when the home side would have benefited from more cooler heads up front. Gary Haylock looked the most likely candidate to provide that cool head but apart from one chance in the first half that forced Shay Kelly into action the former Paninos striker is getting on a bit now and is far too long in the tooth to trouble young defenders like Colm Foley and Darragh Maguire for 90 minutes. He may score against lesser sides but it will be no surprise if he is rested in future big games in favour of fitter players like Richie Foran.
Hutton's strike came 10 minutes into the second half but little was seen of Shels from that point on as Paul Marney, the Saints impressive new midfielder had a good chance after Ger McCarthy sent him clean through the Shelbourne defence but much to Keely's relief Williams stood his ground.
At 1-1, the spoils were there for the taking and it was the Saints who went closest to taking them all. Twice, Ger McCarthy blazed in on the right side of the box only for Williams again to stand tall and late on, the Reds' keeper came to the rescue again with an amazing tip over save to deny substitute Michael Holt as Pat's finished the stonger.
In other news Saints fans were forced to pay £8 into Tolka Park to a ground where the drainage problem has still not been addressed by Ollie Byrne and the Shels board. As it rained heavily prior to kick off the Saints fans were forced to endure the waterlogged conditions underfoot as the walkways around the appropriately named 'Riverside Stand' were flooded with the usual run off from the roof of the stand. From a club which regularly boasts of having the 'best facilities' in Ireland, Saints fans will be justified in feeling a little short changed by Ollie Byrne's ludicorous asking price of £8 to have their footwear destroyed. It is difficult to see many Saints responding to Shelbourne's traditional desperation pleas for other NL club fans to come to Tolka to back them in Europe next week. At those prices and with such poor facilities for spectators, who could blame them.
Shelbourne: Williams; Heary, Gannon, McCarthy, Minnock; R Baker, D Byrne, Hutton, B Byrne (Fitzpatrick, 53 mins); D Baker (Crawford, 77mins), Haylock.
St Patrick's Athletic: Kelly; Croly, Foley, Maguire, Burke; Mbabazi (Griffin, 64 mins), Marney, Osam, Russell; McCarthy (Harris, 86 min), Kelly (Holt, 84 mins)..
Referee:P McKeon (Dublin).
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