ST PATS have registered a 3-2 win against Melrose to snare their second victory of the season.
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It was a bruising encounter that wasn’t free from controversy, with the deciding goal scored from a free kick given inside the box.
St Pats coach Alex Vaskovic said the game could have gone either way.
“The boys worked really hard, both teams had a lot of chances, it was a very free-flowing game,” Vaskovic said.
“I’m sure it would have been a pretty good game for the spectators.”
The momentum was on a pendulum as both teams had the run of the play at various points, but it was St Pats defence that held up under some immense pressure late in the first half and consistently throughout the second half.
The last line of defence and coolness under pressure was something Vaskovic was pleased with after the game.
“Our defence is something we’ve been working on, that coupled with our fitness is starting to pay off a little bit,” he said.
“We’ve got a bit more of a settled side now, so having a little bit of depth is pretty helpful.”
Andy Stevens was crucial in the forward half, scoring one goal and setting up a number of attacking plays from the flank.
Melrose coach Chad Thompson rued a few missed chances after dominating possession for a good amount of the second half.
“We’ve got to take our chances, if we’d done that we might have come away with a different result,” Thompson said.
“I thought we probably had the better of the possession but if you don’t score you don’t win games, it’s a simple as that.”
“We’ve got a chance to bounce back against the Heart after Easter.
“I think the boys will be pretty sore after that, so we’ll see how we go and try our best to be ready for it after the break.”
St Pats have a job ahead of them to improve their record when they come up against Albury United.