Stephen Kenny: We want to get up the league table

Stephen Kenny said he was eager for his team to climb up the table after St Pat's secured the biggest result of his stint so far, with a dramatic 2-1 win over champions Shamrock Rovers in Richmond Park this evening.

Still trailing 1-0 with 15 minutes remaining - Johnny Kenny having given the visitors the lead shortly after the half hour mark - Pat's forced the equaliser on 76 minutes, Mason Melia harrying Lee Steacy into a panicked clearance, which was lashed only as far as Ruairí Keating on the edge of the box.

The striker composed himself and bent a curling shot into the far corner. And, while Pat's have been sickened by late goals twice already in Kenny's short reign, at home to Shels and away to Bohs, tonight it was they who tasted injury-time euphoria, Brandon Kavanagh forcing home the winner in front of the stunned away supporters.

"I feel the players deserved that overall. It's been a really intense period, six games in three weeks," Kenny told RTÉ Sport after the game.

"We've left some points behind us for sure in my first couple of weeks. We came out the right side of a tight game tonight.

"It was a very good game of football, I felt.

"We'd a definite penalty, an absolute cast iron penalty in the first couple of minutes. It can't get any more blatant than that. Terrific cross from Jake Mulrangey and Mason has done brilliantly and the goalkeeper has collided with him but it's not given.

"We concede a goal. That's Shamrock Rovers quality, with Neil Farrugia down the right, a terrific player.

"Second half, we raised our game, I felt. There was a high level of energy and commitment. We forced the equaliser.

"We'd a very contentious offside as well (before that). Ruairí Keating's one was a very, very tight decision. My