In near freezing conditions which saw thick fog reduce visibility, a first half goal to Kirralee Naylor was all that separated the two teams after 70 minutes.

The Saints dominated the early stages of the contest and won their first short corner in just the third minute of the match.

While Kristy Conroy’s subsequent shot was blocked, it was a sign of things to come as Pat’s defender Bec Clayton made sure the ball did not cross the halfway line for almost 10 minutes.

After weathering the storm, Souths were desperate for a break and were content to knock the ball long not in search of an open player but as a chance to get out of their own half.

But just as Souths looked like they had found their feet, Pat’s struck 13 minutes into the half.

From their second short corner Conroy shaped like she was about to blast a shot at goal, but instead at the last second she passed the ball left to an unmarked Naylor, who pierced the defence and found the back of the net.

While the goal seemed to spark Souths into life, the young side were unable to equalise before half-time.

After the break it was Souths’ turn to launch an attacking blitz as the Saints’ defence went into overdrive to keep their one goal buffer.

Even though Souths were able to secure two short corners in just five minutes, Pat’s desperation made sure any shot heading towards goal was deflected away.

By the time the final siren went St Pat’s coach Ben Weal seemed delighted his team had performed so admirably.

“I’m very happy with the result, it was a tough sort of grinded out sort of game, but the local derby tends to be that sort of game,” he said.

“There was a far bit of passion involved but it was a very clean game considering, I think the fact that on the sand base turf the ball sticks to the ground made it more cleaner.

“Unfortunately it is a game that would have been a lot better on a Saturday, a lot more of a spectacle, but you can’t help these things.”

While Weal said it was a good all round team effort that got Pat’s the win, he did signal out a number of players for their hard work .

“Bec Clayton is always tough at the back and Kathleen Ryan had a really good game at left half,” he said.

“We actually had three girls rotating through the two half positions, Alana Brown did really good and Danika Daymond went very well.”

ST PAT’S 1 (Kirralee Naylor) defeated SOUTHS 0