2019 Season Preview: St Patrick's Athletic

Manager: Harry Kenny

Stadium: Richmond Park

Players in: Cian Coleman (Limerick), Mikey Drennan (Sligo Rovers), Chris Forrester (Aberdeen), Ciaran Kelly (Drogheda United), Brandon Miele (Shamrock Rovers), Georgie Poynton (Dundalk), Gary Shaw (Shamrock Rovers), David Webster (Waterford).

Players out: Michael Barker (Bohemians), Killian Brennan (Retired), Ryan Brennan (Shelbourne), Conan Byrne (Shelbourne), Thomas Byrne (Drogheda United), Achille Campion (Released), Jake Keegan (Greenville Triumph), Ian Turner (Cobh Ramblers).

Extratime.ie Key Man: Chris Forrester

Harry Kenny had already recruited well in the off-season with the addition of attacking options in Gary Shaw, Brandon Miele and Mikey Drennan, but they can only do so much without creative players around them to make chances.

So it was the return of Chris Forrester to Inchicore after leaving Aberdeen for compassionate reasons that has set tongues wagging in the league this season, for the midfielder’s return could be the catalyst for the Saints becoming challengers once more.

Pars have had a rough time of it since Forrester left for Peterborough United in 2015, but in Forrester they have a full-blown amusement arcade whose goals alone should be enough to shift a few extra season tickets – but it’s the goal he makes for others that will define the Athletic’s season.

Extratime.ie One to Watch: Jamie Lennon

Jamie Lennon isn’t exactly an unknown quantity, having earned his place as a regular fixture in midfield last year, but fresh from his Ireland under-21 debut last week, the Dubliner will look to make this his breakout season.



Calm, tidy and collected on the ball, and deceptively strong, Lennon is the sort of midfielder who makes things look easy and, with his positioning and awareness of space, makes it easier for the players around him to get forward and make things happen.

If he begins the season in the same vein as he finished the last, he’ll be a shoo-in for Stephen Kenny’s under-21 side when they kick off their Euro qualifying campaign against Luxembourg in March.

How they did last season:

League: 5th

Pats only escaped relegation with a draw on the final day against Derry City in 2017, and an indifferent beginning to the 2018 season brought immediate pressure on manager Liam Buckley, who eventually fell on his sword in September.

Ger O’Brien took charge for the final few weeks of the season and, with seven points from their final four games, steered the Saints to a fifth-place finish – an end position that might have left Buckley wondering whether the pressure on him was unfair.



The final league table saw the Saints finish on 50 points out of a possible 108, winning 15 of their 16 games, and nine points behind fourth-placed Waterford in the last European spot.

FAI Cup: Second Round

The Saints saw off Leinster Senior League side Inchicore Athletic 5-0 in a local derby in round one, with substitutes Jake Keegan and Conan Byrne both bagging second-half braces after it was scoreless at the break.

The following round saw Pats come up against Derry City, who had seen off Blarney 12-0 in the previous round, at the Brandywell. Aidy Delap’s late goal secured a 1-0 win for the Candustripes as Ian Turner missed a penalty in injury time.

EA Sports Cup: Second Round

After getting a bye in the first round, the Saints were drawn at home to the reigning champions Dundalk as the winners of the past four tournaments faced off.

Mick Leahy scored three times in extra time – once in his own net and twice in the opposition’s – as the tie finished 4-4. It was Darragh Markey’s sudden death miss that allowed Marco Tagbajumi to seal an 8-7 shoot-out win.

What to expect this season:

It’s been a winter of change at Richmond Park with two of the club’s most experienced faces – Liam Buckley and Conan Byrne – checking out, and Harry Kenny taking the reins.

Kenny’s arrival coincided with the club returning to training during the daytime in line with rivals Dundalk, Cork City and Shamrock Rovers, which they hope will give them an edge on the field.

It’s the new signings – experienced campaigners like Shaw and Forrester moreso than promising youngsters like Cian Coleman – that will make or break the Saints this year.

Kenny worked his magic once before while at Bray Wanderers – before a budget crisis derailed the team – and he certainly has the personnel to put out a first team that can match any in the league.

The question is whether he has the squad depth to match the top three from last season? His resources will be tested in the frontloaded start of the season and more will be known by the end of the first round of games in April.

Title Odds: 7/1

First game: Cork City (home), Friday, February 15th (kick-off 7.45pm).