Derry City maintained their stay at the top of the table with a stunning demolition job of St Patrick’s Athletic, who slid to a third defeat in six at a rain-lashed Richmond Park last night.

After Friday night’s dramatic injury-time loss to Bray, Pat’s chose a rather more conventional, yet wholly more unpalatable, means of shipping a defeat: This time out they had surrendered long before the break.

With the ruthless efficiency that bore all the hallmarks of a side with their eyes on the ultimate prize, Derry ripped the Saints apart in the opening half as they engineered three fine goals that will have left no one in any doubt as to the side that is most likely to dethrone the champions.

The visitors were immediately into their stride and eviscerated the Pat’s midfield from the off as the Derry quartet — with Gareth McGlynn outstanding — revelling in the space afforded to them.

Pat’s sloppiness in possession was a feature from the start and when McGlynn picked up another errant pass his astute ball down the inside-channel saw Ciaran Martyn square the ball for Thomas Stewart to bundle home his fourth of the season after nine minutes.

Derry’s confidence was such that both Mark Farren and Clive Delaney had to be content with places on the bench, but the duo were hardly missed as the unmarked McGlynn thumped home a second just past the half-hour.

Such was the disparity between the sides that there was hardly a ripple of amazement when Martyn rose to head home Ger O’Brien’s pin-point cross four minutes later.

The home fans booed their team down the tunnel at half-time, but not even the sending off of Steven Gray for a second yellow mid-way through the second-half could inspire the Saints as Derry maintained their fine early season form.