St Patrick's Athletic v Drogheda United Prediction: 11/5 St Pat's to edge Inchicore clash

A ropey run of one win in six games has ensured St Patrick's Athletic have slipped backwards in the League of Ireland title race.

St Pat's are now behind champions Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians as the action resumes following a short summer recess, with the Richmond Park side eight points off top spot having played a game less than their two Dublin rivals.

Drogheda are third-from-bottom with five league wins in 19 attempts and, like their hosts, just one in the previous six and the Co Louth outfit have a poor record against St Pat's.

St Patrick's Athletic v Drogheda United Tips Summary

Best Bet - St Patrick's Athletic to win & under 2.5 goals @ 11/5
Alternative Bet - Kian Leavy anytime goalscorer @ 4/1
Bet Builder - St Patrick's Athletic to win either half, Under 3 goals & Over 9 corners @ 4/1

St Patrick's Athletic v Drogheda United Prediction

Best Bet: St Patrick's Athletic to win & under 2.5 goals @ 11/5

Stephen Kenny and St Pat's have seen their season stall after six wins in seven in the spring propelled them to the summit in the League of Ireland.

Their Easter Monday defeat against 10-man Dundalk was to be the start of a 10-game run in which they have landed just three wins.

The most recent reverse was a 1-0 defeat to champions Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght in late May that allowed the Hoops to create a gap on the chasing pack and St Pat's have failed to score in three games.

In Drogheda they face an opponent that has also struggled and the Louth side are winless in 10 games against St Pat's.

This promises to be an attritional contest in Inchicore - where two of the last three meetings have failed to produce a goal – but after a two-week break and a chance to reset - Kenny's side are fancied to eke out a low-scoring win.

Alternative Bet: Kian Leavy anytime goalscorer @ 4/1

It's been a rollercoaster start to the summer for Kian Leavy as the midfielder came off the bench to earn his first senior cap for the Republic of Ireland in last week's friendly draw with World Cup co-hosts Canada.

He became the first player to play for Ireland while with the Inchicore club since the late Noel Campbell in 1971 and spoke of the encouragement he got from Troy Parrott and Seamus Coleman during that international camp.

Leavy has four goals in the league this season alongside three assists, already a personal best for the 24-year-old. He has found the net in both games against Drogheda this term and can torment Kevin Doherty's side again.

St Patrick's Athletic v Drogheda United Bet Builder Tip

• St Patrick's Athletic to win either half

• Under 3 goals

• Over 9 corners
  

  Pays 4/1

A lack of goals has undermined St Pat's and they have gone more than 280 minutes of football without troubling the scorekeeper.

They were 4-1 winners here in March against Drogheda but, before that, three of the four league meetings had produced just one goal combined, with two scoreless draws.

St Pat's need to find a way through and may do so against a Drogheda side with the season-worst defence in the Premier Division.

Drogheda have come from behind to take a point in their last two games against Dundalk and Waterford, so ruling out a fightback would be dangerous. The hosts can win at least one half.

In their last five games St Pat's contests have averaged more than 10 corners, while for Drogheda's last five the figure is 9.6 per game. They can combine for double figures now.

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Key Match Stats

• St Patrick's Athletic have won just once in six games (D3, L2)

• Drogheda also have one win from their last six games (D2, L3)

• St Pat's are unbeaten in 10 league meetings with Drogheda (W5, D5)

• Two of the last three meetings at Richmond Park ended scoreless

• Only bottom club Waterford (40) have conceded more goals than Drogheda (32) this season

• St Pat's start the weekend as joint-leading goalscorers with 31 from 19 league games

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.