Kevin McElroy’s last gasp winner saw Saints return to action with a priceless victory.

Level as the game moved into the sixth minute of stoppage time, McElroy sparked scenes of joy for the Dumbarton side – as he nodded into the net with almost the last touch of the game.

And in their first outing for almost a month, boss Johnny O’Brien praised his side for their never say die attitude.

He said: “Not having played for three weeks was a worry pre match. Although we knew the players had trained well over the period, the lack of game time was a concern.

“We actually started brightly but we were a bit ragged after the break.

“It clearly wasn’t our best showing this season but I’ve told the players how happy I was with the team spirit and desire they showed.

“They didn’t just accept the draw and to keep on pushing into the 96th minute and then get the winning goal was quite special.”

After an enforced layoff that had stretched into its third week, any pre-match fears of rustiness were eased in the first half as Saints mounted attack after attack as they looked to extend their unbeaten start to the season.

A mixture of strong winds and determined opponents ensured that clear goal scoring opportunities were at a premium – despite the home side being camped in Stenny’s half for the first 45 minutes.

Saints lead up play, especially through both full backs Doherty and McColl was excellent but poor finishing left Saints goalless at half time.

The second half was a scrappy affair with both teams cancelling each other out. With Saints getting more desperate for the breakthrough goal they pushed more players further up the park which left gaps in defence for Stenny to exploit.

As the game looked to be heading for a goalless draw, Aaron Parfery drove into the box before crossing to Kevin McElroy who smashed a superb volley towards the top corner of the net.

Stenny keeper Keenan reacted brilliantly to save the shot but Brandon Carmouche was on hand to tap home the rebound. Saints looked home and dry but with a minute of normal time remaining poor defending gifted Stenny an equaliser.

Saints looked to have dealt with a ball into their box but despite keeper Wylie’s shout to clear the ball to safety, centre back May decided to pass the ball back to the stopper in a crowded box.

The ensuing panic left Wilson with an easy chance to gain equality and he took it gleefully.

Saints were now looking at their first dropped points of the season as the referee indicated there would be six minutes of injury time.

They pushed forward as they laid siege on goal and their endeavour was rewarded in the very last minute.

Dylan Brown lobbed a high hopeful ball into the air which Keenan seemed to lose the flight of.

He only succeeded in pushing the ball on to the bar and the ever alert Kevin McElroy was on hand to nod the ball into the empty net.

As with all last minute winners, it sparked scenes of joy on the Saints touch line as players, management and fans celebrated a vital win.

St Patrick’s: N.Wylie, M.Doherty, R.McColl, J.May, D.Brown, L.Gray, D.Molloy, N.MacGuire, K.McElroy, B.Carmouche, C.McElroy.

Subs: J.Paterson, A.Parfery, R.Beaton, D.Burnside, G.McCulloch, B.Gallacher.

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