BACK DOWN TO HERTHA; HERTHA BERLIN 2 ST PAT'S 0 ACTION FROM OLYMPIC STADIUM UEFA CUP 1ST ROUND 1ST LEG Saints' Euro adventure looks doomed after glory run.

Byline: BY PAUL O'HEHIR

IT may only be a two goal deficit but St Patrick's Athletic have it all to do if they are to reach the promised land of the Uefa Cup group stages.

The Saints were far from outclassed in Berlin last night, yet they were outgunned when and where it mattered.

John McDonnell's men heroically brought the fight to their opponents for lengthy spells and defended with tenacity.

But they lacked bite in front of goal and never looked like troubling home keeper Jaroslav Drobny.

An away strike here would have proved most valuable but it wasn't to be. Rather Hertha bagged twice in the second half and will rightfully be eyeing the group stages.

But St Patrick's should not be entirely dismissed ahead of the return leg at the RDS in a fortnight.

We already know they can summon the strength for a European duel.

Such is the flair they sometimes adopt, they would always be confident of bagging a brace - but Hertha, while far from outstanding, are still leagues apart.

And when factoring in the four games they must play in 11 days, not to mention the RDS being alien to them, the odds are stacked heavily against St Pat's.

Saints fans on the way to the Olympic Stadium were divided about what would constitute a good result.

Some were steadfast in their view that their heroes would pull off a famous win.

Others were more realistic, predicting score draws. And a good number were quietly fearing the worst.

But those predicting a stalemate were well within their rights to rejoice in the stands at half-time.

St Patrick's were certainly overworked in defence but coped admirably.

If only they could have capitalised on some of thei promising play in midfield.

But the fact the Hertha Berlin faithful jeered their team off the pitch at the break illustrated the hosts' difficulty in breaking down the game visitors.

And that frustration carried through to the press box, with one German journalist leaning to a colleague during the interval and declaring: "This is horrible."

St Patrick's won't have cared one way or the other.

McDonnell's men had a gameplan and stuck to it rigidly.

That said, his defenders were working overtime from the outset as Berlin were always keen to attack.

But while former Liverpool striker Andrej Voronin, playmaker Gojko Kacar and lone hitman Marko Pantelic were inventive with ball to feet, they rarely struck fear.

Still, Barry Ryan was forced into a smart save just 14 minutes in when Pantelic headed from close range.

The St Pat's keeper batted the looping ball high into the air and skipper Jamie Harris and defensive colleague Jason Gavin were on hand to clear to safety.

That chance served as a wake-up call and it was one the Dubliners responded to.

They were always willing to probe when afforded th space to do so. Gary Dempsey grafted hard in midfield while Keith Fahey, lacking full fitness, showed neatness of touch as he tends to do despite being somewhat off the pace.

Winger Ryan Guy proved a handful for the home defence but McDonnell's men were at times sluggish committing men forward.

However, Dempsey left the Germans blushing when capitalising on a mistake from Kaka and Drobny but he could only find the side net from a tight angle.

At the other end, Kacar kept Ryan on his toes with a low effort which trickled a foot or two wide.

Hertha coach Lucien Favre revamped his team at the break with Maximilian Nicu and Fabien Lustenberger introduced for Kacar and Pal Dardai.

And those changes paid immediate dividends. Alan Kirby was forced to clear Nicu's first effort off the line but when Voronin fed the sub a second time, he made no mistake when scooping home amid a sea of bodies from just inside the box.

And had Dempsey not timed his sliding challenge on Voronin to perfection minutes later, the Saints would have been facing an altogether more imposing task.

But they kept at their task and, indeed, spent a good deal of the second half in enemy territory.

The only trouble was the lack of a killer ball to unlock a Hertha rearguard that was living dangerously at times.

Hertha, though, were still menacing at the other end with Voronin relishing the free role he was afforded on the night.

He was always the catalyst behind the hosts' best work and when Gavin blocked his shot 15 minutes from time, Brazilian Cicero was on hand to poke home the rebound.

Ensuring they didn't concede a third was paramount and that they managed.

The Saints of Inchicore certainly have it all to do to salvage anything from this tie but such is their unpredictability you'd be foolish to declare them a beaten docket just yet.

HERTHA BERLIN: Drobny; Kaka, Simunic, Stein; Friedrich, Dardai (Lustenberger 45), Cicero, Piszczek; Voronin, Kacar (Nicu 45); Pantelic (Domovchiyski 82).

ST PAT'S: Ba Ryan; Lynch, Gavin, Harris, Byrne; Guy, Fahey, Dempsey (Bialek 90), Kirby (Bo Ryan 63); Quigley, O'Neill (Fitzpatrick 82).

REFEREE: Tomasz Mikulski ATTENDANCE: 13,045

CAPTION(S):

CLOSE SHAVE St Patrick's keeper Barry Ryan makes a save to keep out Marko Pantelic last night but was finally beaten twice; Jason Gavin stops Andrej Voronin; Damien Lynch denies Pantel; Hertha congratulate scorer Nic; DISAPPOINTED Mark Quigley trudges off after 2-0 defeat in Berlin yesterday