John Russell was growing tired of the pats on the back for moral victories but feels his Sligo Rovers jigsaw is finally taking shape.
The Bit O’Red were unlucky to lose 2-1 against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght on Friday having brought the fight to the champions.
But on a swift return to Dublin three days later, they deservedly took all three points against a St Pat’s side who must think it’s Groundhog Day.
Max Mata’s second-half header consigned the Saints to a third defeat on the spin having righted a poor start to the season by going on a four-game winning run.
Eoin Doyle’s straight red for diving in on Will Fitzgerald, as he ran the clock down at the death from a short corner, compounded the toothless hosts' frustration.
And just to make matters worse, Saints skipper Joe Redmond is facing a prolonged spell on the sideline following hamstring surgery.
St Pat’s boss Tim Clancy said: “It’s not as bad as Adam Murphy’s last season when he was out for five or six months, but it’s still a significant one.
“We don’t know the time frame; hamstrings are tricky with recovery but he had the procedure and will be in the brace for a couple of weeks and then slowly come back.”
Redmond’s team are shipping goals in his absence - seven in the last four - whereas Rovers kept their first clean sheet of the season in this sun-kissed Inchicore clash.
New Zealand international Mata, the Premier Division’s top scorer with nine goals, started and finished the move for the only goal of the game.
Early in the second-half, he climbed highest to head home Johan Brannefalk’s precision cross from the right at close range.
And Russell said: “I’m delighted. We knew the importance of getting three points.
“You’re getting pats on the back on Friday night but it's no good to you when you don't get any points.
“I felt here it wasn't our best performance of the season but we limited St Pat's to a couple of chances, set plays, a few that flashed across the box.
“But the goal we scored, it was real quality. If the pitch was watered we might have exposed them a bit more, but to come away with three points is very important.”
St Pat’s offered so little threat. Jay McClelland and Jake Mulraney had efforts from distance and across goal respectively but neither caused any panic.
“It’s not good enough,” fumed Clancy. “When you go from top scorers in the league to not getting shots on target in the last two games, it’s just not good enough.”
He continued: “The goals we’re giving up are poor. Really sloppy goals. Joe Redmond is out, but we’ve also got Tom Grivosti and Harry Brockbank out as well.
“We’re missing your three most experienced centre halves but we have to defend better.
“It’s a tight league, but you have to be winning games and that’s just not good enough today. It's hard sitting here straight after a defeat but that was a sore one.
“We need to try and get back into the right frame of mind to go and win at Cork City on Friday.”
St. Patrick's Athletic: Lyness 6; Sjoberg 5 (McGrath 66, 6), Curtis 5, Lewis 5, Breslin 6; Timmermans 5 ( Kreida 45, 6); Murphy 5 ( Lonergan 66, 6), McClelland 6 (Atakayi 71, 6), Forrester 6, Mulraney 5; Carty 6 (Doyle 66, 5).
Sligo Rovers: McNicholas 6; Brannefalk 7 (Lafferty 84, 5), Pijnaker 7, Mahon 7, Hutchinson 7; Morahan 7, Browning 7; Liivak 6, Barlow 5 ( Radosavljevic 46, 7), Fitzgerald 7; Mata 7 (Cawley 77, 6).
Referee: N Doyle
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