The Saint, Cork City, 11th April 2023

Saints v Cork City

Athletic

Manager: Tim Clancy Assistant: Jon Daly

Tá áthas orainn fáilte a chur roimh an mbainistíocht, imreoirí agus lucht tacaíochta

Chlub Pheile

Cathair Chorcaí go Phairc

David

Dean

Joe

We are pleased to welcome the management, players and supporters of Cork City FC to Richmond Park tonight.

Match Officials

Cork City

Asst

Jimmy Corcoran

Gordon Walker

Cian Coleman

Matt Healy

Ally Gilchrist

Tunde Owolabi

Aaron Bolger

Ruairi Keating

Barry Coffey

Cian Bargary

Albin Winbo

Daniel Krezic

Darragh Crowley

Joshua Honohan

Ethon Varian

John O’Donovan

Cian Murphy

Kevin Custovic

Jonas Hakkinen

Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh Franco Umeh

President’s Welcome

Tom O’Mahony

Good Evening

You're very welcome to Richmond Park for tonight's game against Cork City and we extend an especially warm welcome to the visiting players, supporters and officials. There is a very long and very proud League of Ireland tradition in the southern capital. We've missed them from the Premier Division recently and it's good to have them back.

Last week's game against UCD saw us looking a lot more like the real St Pats than was the case in earlier games. There was certainly a sense that, as new players bed in, we're getting closer to where we need to be, and it was assuredly a relief to move into a very crowded mid-table. Another few wins could move us into the European qualification places which is of course the first objective every season. I want to pay a special tribute to the club staff who ensured that last week's match could go ahead. They may not have moved heaven and earth, but they certainly shifted an immense amount of water after an incessant deluge in the couple of hours before kick-off left areas of the pitch unplayable. It was very much to their credit that the match was able to go ahead and, of course, three important points were banked.

Some of you may have noticed that we finished the game with five teenagers including four who have come through our Academy in Sam Curtis, Tommy Lonergan, Ben McCormack and Adam

Murphy. A couple of days later, another of our Academy graduates, James Abankwah, also still a teenager, made his Serie A debut for Udinese, only the fifth Irishman to have played Italian football at the top level. The importance of our Academy to the sustainable future of our club can never be overstated and I want to thank all our Academy coaches for the wonderful work they are doing with the stars of the future.

The games come thick and fast in April. We're on the road to Drogheda on Monday and then take on the early pacesetters in Dalymount Park next Friday, before welcoming the defending champions to Richmond Park and rounding off the month with a challenging trip to the Brandywell. We will need to keep building on last week's improved performance if we're to earn the points we need from that very demanding run of games. What isn't in doubt is that your support will continue to play a huge role, both home and away. A large number of you braved the elements last Friday on what must have been one of the wettest nights of the year, and your support was really appreciated.

Enjoy the game!

Tom O'Mahony President St Patrick's Athletic FC

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC FOOTBALL CLUB

Richmond Park 125 Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8, Ireland

Tel: +353 1 454 6332

Fax: +353 1 454 6211

For media enquiries, please email press@stpatsfc.com

Opening Hours: 9.30am-5pm (Mon-Fri).

See our facebook page for additional opening hours on match days.

HONOURS

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

1951/52, 1954/55, 1955/56, 1989/90, 1995/96, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2001/02, 2013

FAI CUP 1958/59, 1960/61, 2014, 2021

LEAGUE CUP 2000/01, 2003, 2015, 2016

PRESIDENT'S CUP 2014

LEINSTER SENIOR CUP 1947/48, 1982/83, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1999/2000, 2011, 2014, 2019

LOI SHIELD 1959/60

FAI SUPER CUP 1999

DUBLIN CITY CUP 1953/54, 1955/56, 1975/76

LFA PRESIDENT'S CUP 1952/53, 1953/54, 1955/56, 1971/72, 1990/91, 1996/97

FAI INTERMEDIATE CUP 1947/48, 1948/49, 1952/53 (Reserves)

FAI JUNIOR CUP 1940/41

FAI YOUTH CUP 1944/45

Safety at Richmond Park

Stadium Regulations

• All persons entering the stadium are admitted only subject to the following ground regulations and to the regulations of the Football Association. Entry to the ground shall be deemed to constitute unqualified acceptance of all these rules and regulations.

• Firework, smoke canisters, bottles, glasses, cans, flags, banners, poles, flares and any other articles or containers which could or might be used as a weapon or likely to cause a nuisance to other people in the stadium are not permitted within the stadium and any person in possession of such an article or container may be refused entry or ejected from the stadium.

• Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an Adult and that adult must accept respon sibility for those in his/her charge.

• Spectators are not permitted to bring alcohol or any banned substances into the stadium.

Safety Notice

Ronan O’Flaherty

• There is a no smoking policy in effect in both stands.

• The climbing of walls, floodlight pylons, stands or any structure inside theg round is strictly forbidden.

• Any persons found damaging or defacing the property of St Patrick’s Athletic FC will be liable to prosecution.

• Any excessive noise, such as that from the use of radio sets megaphones and/or behaviour likely to cause confusion or nuisance i.e.: Laser lights of any kind is not permitted inside the stadium.

• Foul or abusive language is not permitted inside the stadium and will result in ejection from the stadium.

• No form of racist abuse will be tolerated inside the stadium and will result in ejection from the stadium and may result in a prosecution by An Garda. St Patrick's Athletic shows the red card to racism.

• St Patrick’s Athletic Football Club are committed to ensuring the safety of all spectators at Richmond Park. It is therefore important that the following information is read and strictly adhered to.

• Anyone requiring medical attention during the game should alert their nearest steward or club official and will be directed to the St John’s Ambulance attendant or First Aid Room.

• Any person who does not comply with instructions from a steward may be ejected from the stadium.

• In general, the right of admission is reserved to the Club Management of St Patrick’s Athletic FC.

• St Patrick’s Athletic FC reserves the right to refuse admission or eject any person from the stadium who refuses to be searched by a police officer.

• Any person who blocks, or obstructs a gangway in any way and refuses to move on request may be ejected from the stadium.

• St Patrick’s Athletic FC reserves the right for its servants or agents to remove from the stadium any person who does not comply with the stadium regulations or whose presence inside the stadium could reasonably be construed as a source of danger, nuisance or annoyance to any spectator.

• Parents, Guardians or any adult responsible for children inside the stadium should ensure that children are supervised at all times.

• Cigarettes should be properly extinguished as they can be a major cause of fire.

• The use of flares inside the stadium is strictly forbidden.

Emergency Procedure

In the event of an emergency at Richmond Park requiring evacuation of the ground in part or whole, spectators are requested to remain where they are and listen for announcements over the public address system. The announcements may direct spectators in a specific area of the ground, or the stadium as a whole, to evacuate the through exit gates to the outside of the stadium, or through perimeter gates onto the pitch. Club stewards and members of the Garda Siochana will assist in directing spectators. If requested to vacate a specified area of the ground, spectators should do so as calmly and quickly as possible to assist in a safe and speedy evacuation. Do not, under any circumstances, re-enter an evacuated area. Please take note of your nearest exit.

Good Evening

Welcome back to Richmond Park and your second issue of the Saint in a week! It's been a tight turnaround on and off the pitch and here's hoping you are reading this edition in slightly dryer conditions than we were served up with last Friday!

The ship has steadied over the last few weeks, but of course, there's a long road ahead in terms of moving up the table, but in a league this competitive, your fortunes can rise as rapidly as they can fall. It's great to have Cork City back in the Premier Division and they always bring a good crowd on their travels, we hope they have an enjoyable and safe trip.

We would also like to make a request, the programme is very well received and read

and we appreciate all the good things we hear about it. But we would like to sell more of them! Sales have not been great this year, and while we realise it's never going to be a huge money-maker, it doesn't have to be a loss-maker here, so if you can encourage friends or family to pick up a programme it really would be much appreciated and I firmly believe, that it represents good value for money, in addition to being a genuine collector's item!

Enjoy the read and enjoy the game!

Ruairi Kavanagh Editor The Saint

Ruairi Kavanagh Design Joe O’Rourke

Photography Sportsfile & Inpho

Ronan O’Flaherty

Ruairi Kavanagh

THE OFFICIAL MATCH BALL OF THE SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE AVAILABLE AT UMBRO.IE

Ronan O’Flaherty The Dugout

A very good evening to everyone and a very warm welcome to the management, players, officials and fans of tonight’s opponents Cork City.

Colin Healy has done a serious job in leading Cork City back to the Premier Division this year, and the Premier Division is a better league when there is a team from Cork competing every week.

It was great to be able to get last week’s game against UCD played, as without the serious effort and commitment from many people at the club who worked tirelessly for hours prematch the game would have no doubt fallen foul to the terrible weather we seen last Friday. A big thank you to all and a special thank you to Daniel and Dave, the pitch stood up brilliantly to the conditions.

To play UCD last week in front of an almost full house was absolutely fantastic, and it certainly inspired the players to produce a winning performance.

To those of you who stood or sat in the stand for the game a big thank you from everyone at the club. To sell out all the home tickets is again great testament to our supporters who played no small part in driving the team on to a very welcome 3 nil victory. The team showed great drive and commitment to take the game to UCD from the off, with a much improved display earning us a deserved victory. The game also saw another masterclass from Chris Forrester who chipped in with two goals, and was unlucky not to have scored a hat-trick, with Jake Mulraney getting his

second goal for the club with another strike from outside the box.

Our opponents tonight have had a solid start to the season sitting on six points at the moment and have picked up some valuable points on the road away to Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers and we know we will face a really tough opponent who will challenge us for the entire game tonight.

Colin will have his team fully committed and well organised and will come to Inchicore with no fear, they’re a team of many talents and have some really exciting young players.

We go into tonight’s game still without the services of Harry Brockbank and Danny Rogers who thankfully has returned to light training and gym work.

We have prepared for tonight’s game with a real focus on producing a performance that will give us the platform to get a positive result and know we will need to work hard from the start and will need to be professional at all times and play to our

Our home games to date have been sell outs and we have seen a wonderful atmosphere here in Inchicore, we really want to deliver the right results for all our fans and with your help and support we will do everything we can to achieve this

Thanks for getting behind the team and I hope you enjoy the game.

Thanks, Alan Mathews, Technical Director, St Patrick's Athletic FC.

Alan Mathews

Q&A - Chris Forrester

Ronan O’Flaherty

BIRTHPLACE: Dublin.

PREVIOUS CLUBS: Bohemian FC, St Pats, Peterborough, Aberdeen.

TEAM SUPPORTED AS A BOY: Liverpool.

FIRST FOOTBALL MEMORY: Playing ball with my friends.

BOYHOOD HERO: Steven Gerrard.

BEST GOAL SCORED: FAI Cup Final vs Bohs.

BEST GOAL EVER SEEN: Keith Fahey vs Bohs.

BEST MOMENT IN FOOTBALL TO DATE: Cup final vs Bohs.

MOST SKILLFUL PLAYER PLAYED WITH: Martin Samuelson (Peterborough)

MOST SKILLFUL PLAYER PLAYED AGAINST: Willian

TOUGHEST OPPONENT: Finn Harps away!

BEST GROUND PLAYED AT: Stamford Bridge or Aviva.

FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Florida.

FAVOURITE SPORT OUTSIDE

FOOTBALL: Like Eoin Doyle, just football, football, football!

BEST FRIEND AT CLUB: Bermo before he left...I do

BEST DRESSED AT CLUB:

WORST DRESSED AT CLUB: Jay McGrath.

BEST ADVICE GIVEN: Tough one that, but probably do something that makes you happy!

Darren Conn

Oh My Word!

Ronan O’Flaherty

Thirty-seven months pass in a blink. We've had better three-year periods, but challenging times aren't without their benefits. No sweet without sour.

Two teams trudged onto the field with varying weights of anxiety in their boots. It wasn't time to panic, but the early-season facts told a story.

St Patrick's had lost two of their first three. The most recent disappointment arrived seven nights earlier at Tolka Park. It had been the old tale of footballing frustration: loads of the ball but none of the net. Shelbourne did what the visitors couldn't, courtesy of Jaze Kabia. And that was that.

It could have been our last chance to see live football for God knows how long. With each passing day, the global picture became more alarming. But it held out for another week. And so, we attended Pat's v Cork with an intention to savour it, no matter the score or quality of play.

We took up our usual spot at the back of the Camac Terrace. A friend arrived moments later with his young son, which prompted a rethink of vantage point.

Watching the action from the Camac is not straightforward. A cluster of heads will always be in your eyeline, some of which will obscure your view more than others. This is par for the course of standing on any terrace. The real bother is caused by a mix of the floodlights and television gantry.

The floodlight issue can be remedied by a series of physical movements, all performed with feet glued to the spot. A tilt of the knee and swivel of the hips goes a long way toward seeing beyond the obscured view. Depending on the location of the floodlight, such lower-body movements may even be unnecessary.

A jolt of the head, from left to right and back again, can give the illusion that we are somehow engaged in a game of peekaboo, but it is effective. There is no such remedy for seeing beyond the gantry. Any play around the corner flag where the Camac and Shed End meet is nigh on impossible to see.

The above obstructions are too much for a seven-year-old to get around, so we decamped to the Patrons' Stand.

The journalists at the back of the main stand that night reported on a deserved win for St Patrick's.

Michael Corry wasn't seated with those scribes but his report for Pundit Arena holds up as an important snapshot of the time. A passionate supporter of Armagh GAA, this was Corry's first taste of the League of Ireland. He approached it with an open mind, even if the initial sights and sounds made him feel a little unsure.

"Walking through Inchicore en route to Richmond Park, the vast amount of gardaí patrolling the Emmet Road area is striking," he wrote. "For a first-time visitor popping his League of Ireland cherry, this feels strange.

"The pre-match boombox is audible but not yet visible as the noise becomes a guidance system leading towards the Friday night lights. It’s St Patrick’s Athletic versus Cork City on March 6. Two high-profile clubs, rich in history yet desperate for points despite the fact the season is barely a month old.

"Upon entering Richmond Park, the pre-game fears immediately dissipate. The back of the main stand is awash with people of all ages, from pre-adolescent teens barely old enough to remember Pats’ 2013 league title to veterans of the stand, around long enough to remember the glory years under Brian Kerr, who led his boyhood club to a first league title in 34 years back in 1990.

"What is clear from spending an evening at Richmond Park is that this is a club steeped in family values. The first 10 minutes are spent wandering the facilities, chatting to whoever will talk.

"First, it’s the programme seller whose warmth is welcoming on a cold March evening. Following that is the people of Shay’s burger van, happy to help facilitate catering needs while also having a bit of craic along the way.

"We then stop for a brief introduction to Claire. She seems to be in a rush. Turns out she’s freezing cold having been at the ground since 6.30 getting the club shop ready so the kids aren’t short of snacks and parents cups of tea. Our meeting with Claire lasts barely 20 seconds but it’s clear she is a key cog in the match-night operation."

Cork City had finished no lower than second in the five seasons from 2014 to 2018. However, a major decline set in in 2019, leading to the departure of John Caulfield mid-season and an eighth-place finish in the 10-team league.

Ahead of the 2020 season, they were identified as a team that may struggle. The first four games had done little to change public opinion as Cork lost three before finally getting off the mark with a 1-0 victory against Finn Harps. And then they arrived at Richmond Park.

Pat's had been the better team in the first half but the game remained scoreless. Half-time

Quiz Time

Kieran Coughlan

@ronanoflaherty

chatter was different from the norm. It wasn't a day to be preoccupied by football, even though it was doing its best to provide a welcome distraction.

The Saints won 1-0 courtesy of a composed finish by Billy King. The result failed to have the usual impact on supporters. Leaving Richmond Park, the pep in the step that usually accompanies victory was not there. Life was about to change. We could all feel it. Any day now.

Michael Corry summed up the importance of the victory, writing: "It was a first home win of the season that saw St Pat’s jump into fourth place. Despite the fact the season was still in its infancy, the

win was vital given that in seven days' time, they were due to travel north to face champions Dundalk. Only, that game never went ahead on the scheduled date."

The article finishes on an ominous note: "Less than a week after King’s goal injected the club with a timely boost, there’s no more football to be had. For how long? Well, nobody quite knows."

Tonight, Cork City return to Inchicore for their first league game here since March 6, 2020. Thirty-seven months pass in a blink.

It's a different world now.

Any views expressed in this article are the contributor's own.

1 Who is currently the longest serving player in the Saints squad?

2 Bray Wanderers defender Dave Webster is a cousin of which current Saints player?

3 Who was the last player from Cork City to score in Richmond Park?

4 Former Saint Tunde Owolabi was born in which country?

5 Which player has made the most appearances in a North London Derby?

6 Which player was Serie A top scorer on three different occasions in the 90s yet never won a League Title?

7 Which current Everton player helped Nottingham forest gain promotion last season?

8 Which current Brighton player scored their first ever Premier League goal?

9 What was notable about the first goal scored at the World Cup in Qatar?

10 Who was the oldest member of the Welsh World Cup squad in Qatar?

9 It was the first opening goal ever scored from the penalty spot. 10

1 Jamie Lennon. 2 Eoin Doyle. 3 Karl Sheppard. 4 Belgium. 5 David O' Leary. 6 Giuseppe Signori.

7 James Garner. 8 Pascal Gross.

Wayne Hennessy.

Opposition Watch - Cork City

Eoghan Gardiner

The visit of Cork City to Inchicore presents the Saints with the chance to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone at this early stage of the season, as well as to continue working on the improvements that we've seen in recent weeks. City, meanwhile, will be looking to prove their worth in the division by picking up points that could make all the difference come November.

Although the Leesiders have had a decent start to the season, including being one of the many sides to benefit from the inability of Shamrock Rovers to register three points up until last week, they have recorded only a single win to date; a 4-0 home victory against UCD. This has been complemented with draws against Sligo Rovers, Shamrock Rovers and, most recently, Drogheda, but the anxiety to get another win on the board must be kicking in around Turners' Cross.

Their home draw with Drogheda last week will have been a frustrating one for the Rebel Army. Things started well for them, when an Aaron Bolger free-kick

from the left found the head of Ruairí Keating to put his side one goal ahead early on. At this stage, Cork supporters must have been hoping for a repeat of the UCD fixture; a few goals for their side and three points.

However, Drogheda found themselves level before the half-time whistle when, as he attempted to block a pass into the box from Drogheda man Darragh Markey, a touch from Cork's Ally Gilchrist put the ball over the City goalkeeper and resulted in an own goal.

There was more frustration for City when Cian Bargary, having received the ball in

the box from teammate Daniel Krezic, failed to put his side ahead. Although he managed to beat the goalkeeper with his effort, it was to be blocked by the Drogheda defence before it could reach the goal.

Another opportunity presented itself for Cork, when a throw-in from Bargary almost found its way to Cian Murphy at close range after being knocked on by teammate Cian Coleman. Unfortunately for the Rebels, Murphy couldn't make contact with the ball before slipping. If the weather in Cork last Friday was anything like it was here in Inchicore, you'd have to forgive him.

After four minutes of added time, some City supporters were appealing to the referee for a free-kick just outside the box after Murphy had been challenged, only for the official to bring the game to a halt. The outcome of this final attack was probably viewed similarly to the game as a whole in the eyes of the Rebel Army faithful: frustrating.

Without wanting to underestimate them, Cork, having gained promotion to the Premier Division after

Colin Healy

winning the First Division title last year, would likely view anything better than relegation as a successful first season back in the top flight. That first campaign after promotion is usually the hardest, after all. They will have fancied their chances at staying up at the beginning the season, and I'm sure they still do, but the good start that Drogheda have had must be cause for concern. Many will have picked some combination of Cork, Drogheda and UCD as the teams that they'd expect to see at the bottom of the table come the end of the season. City, positioned in ninth, find themselves only

ahead of last-placed UCD, but behind fifth-placed Drogheda.

In saying that, there are only three points between ourselves in eighth and Dundalk in third, with the Rebels trailing the Saints in ninth by a mere two points. This is a gap that they could overcome tonight by leapfrogging right over us with a win. This shows not only how tight the season has been so far, but also that it is still, of course, far too early to believe that current positioning will not change drastically as the season progresses.

Given the previous two results that the Saints managed to secure, a 2-2 draw away to Shamrock Rovers and a 3-0 win last week at home to UCD, one would think that a win could be in order for the Red Army tonight. Not only is it important to pick up three points in fixtures like these, but we must also be looking to continue to improve on performances. The two, of course, tend to go hand-inhand.

While the Saints were most certainly deserved winners last week on the basis of

their performance, it would be fair to say that the weather played its role in the proceedings. As such, it was difficult to take as many talking points away from the game. A dry pitch tonight, therefore, would be most welcome.

Here's hoping, first and foremost, that the Saints can grab three points, and that they are three points that are well deserved, but also for a quality fixture for all of the supporters that have made their way to Inchicore to support their respective sides tonight.

Any views expressed in this article are the contributor's own.

Ruairi Keating

Aaron Bolger

Who’s Who at The Saint?

Like so many other things on match night, it takes considerable effort to compile the issue of The Saint you’re viewing. So who’s who?

RUAIRI KAVANAGH: EDITOR

Works with the club, contributors and designers ato deliver each issue. Apart from that he specialises in getting randomers to come along to their first Pats game. This tactic has yielded a 100% win ratio to date.

JOE O’ROURKE: DESIGNER

Part of the All Saints Show, having previously designed the club murals among other things Joe has spearheaded the redesign of The Saint and was a major reason for us being named Programme of the Year. Thanks Joe!

PAT O’CALLAGHAN

Long club serving historian and programme curator. Pat has been involved with the club and the programme for decades. He’s also one of the friendly faces you encounter when entering the ground to buy your programme.

JIMMY EDWARDS

Following on from his father's (of the same name) 30 years of writing for the programme, Jimmy Edwards (Junior) continues the Pensive Points tradition.

JOHN OWENS

Statto supreme, we reckon he has shares in Microsoft Excel. An incredible range of knowledge, John was way too modest when he once described himself as just a ‘guy with a few spread sheets!’.

IAN TEMPLEMAN

Our foreign correspondent. Writes, with considerable eloquence, from the UK with his observations on our league and particularly the Saints. Ever reliable, always has his copy in first.

RONAN O’FLAHERTY

Journalist with a passion for Pats, Ronan comes from good Saints stock, as his surname might suggest. Ever the optimist Ronan can put a positive slant on the most dismal run of form. We know, we gave him plenty of opportunities last season!

DARREN CONN

Originally from London, he has been following Pats since the first week he moved to Dublin. He is an avid programme collector and dedicated to keeping the match programem alive. He collects everything football related, much to the sorrow of his long suffering fiance.

KIERAN COUGHLAN

When not found on the Camac, Kieran is to be found finding inventive ways to torture Saints fans with his fiendishly tricky questions.

SEÁN BRENNAN

Seán is a full time languages teacher in Dublin a part time writer on football culture and cooking. He has been following St Pats since the early noughties and Serie A since the late nineties. A former resident of France, UK and Germany, he enjoys train journeys, radio, pasta and everything with the prefix ‘Euro-‘.

SEAN CREEDON

A Kerryman living in Dublin... a long time. He has been attending League of Ireland and Republic of Ireland home games for over 50 years. Interested in all sports, but mainly GAA, Soccer and Rugby. A member of the Soccer Writers’ Association. Writes on LOI and international matters.

SARAH TYNAN

Sarah has been a keen follower of the Saints since she was 6, getting to most games home and away and even the odd European adventure. She’s delighted to add a bit of youth and much needed diversity to the programme team.

EOGHAN GARDINER

From Palmerstown, Eoghan covers opposition analysis for The Saint. He has a background in media and communications, and can usually be found in Section G on matchday.

Irish Independent

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

PREMIER DIVISION • CARLISLE GROUNDS

BRAY WANDERERS 1 ST PATRICK'S ATH 3

IT proved third time lucky on the road for the Saints as they secured their first away league win of the season.

Two goals either side of half-time by Christy Fagan and Lee Lynch coupled with substitute Chris Forrester’s injury-time strike saw the defending champions get their campaign back on track at a wet and blustery Carlisle Grounds.

However, a major downside to the result was the 82nd-minute departure of Ireland star Keith Fahey with a suspected hamstring problem.

Just as it seemed the sides would go in level at the break, the Dubliners snatched a 44thminute lead.

Conan Byrne hung up a deep right wing cross and Fagan steered a looping header back across goal from eight yards.

Forrester was sprung from the bench for the start of the second period, and he needed just six minutes to play a crucial role. His slide-rule pass released Lynch and he

beat the offside trap to slot under the advancing Stephen McGuinness from 12 yards. Bray rallied and scored off a training routine nine minutes from the end as Graham Kelly’s corner picked out David Cassidy, who lashed through a crowded area from the edge the box.

But the Saints sealed the points two minutes into stoppage-time. Fagan held off Adam Mitchell to tee up Forrester who drilled low to the bottom corner from 18-yards.

BRAY WANDERERS

McGuinness; Cooney, Webster, Mitchell, Maloney; Scully (O’Neill 82), Zambra, Graham Kelly, Cassidy; Shane Byrne (Brown 86); Akinade.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC

Clarke; O’Brien (Mc-Cormack 45), Browne, Hoare, Bermingham; Fahey (Quigley 82); Chambers, Lynch; Byrne, Kavanagh (Forrester h-t); Fagan.

REFEREE:

N Doyle (Dublin).

AIRTRICITY

Pitchside Sponsors

We would like to thank the following who have sponsored the club for the 2023 season...

Future Ticketing

Pensive Points

Ronan O’Flaherty

Jimmy Edwards

Good Evening all,

Welcome to Colin Healy and all from Cork City to Richmond Park for tonight’s game.

I must say I am delighted to see Cork back where they belong in the Premier Division as they are a huge club with great history and tradition and they also always bring a big travelling number of supporters. Cork will certainly provide a stern test as they proved in Tallaght recently.

Hopefully the weather conditions are a lot better than they were for last Friday’s game v UCD. The rain just seemed to never stop from lunchtime and there was rumours circulating in the local pubs and clubs that the game might be in doubt as there was to be a pitch inspection. Luckily enough (for us) the game got the go ahead which led to an array of umberellas up in the Patrons stand and on the Camac.

The game got underway and it was clear that Pat’s were going to be on the front foot from the start as they went looking for an early goal and penned UCD onto the edge of their own box.

Eoin Doyle went close with a couple of early chances then Jay McClelland saw his cross hit the far post. The break through finally came in the 16th minute when Chris Forrester headed home from close range after Vladislav Kreida’s brilliant delivery from the corner. UCD’s task became clear now, they had to come out and

try to get an equaliser, they had a number of corners and had a shot on goal from one of them but Dean Lyness got down to smother.

We doubled our lead in the 38th minute when Jake Mulraney scored another goal from outside the box although this one wasn’t quite as specatacular as his hit some weeks ago in Tallaght. Kian Moore in the UCD goal will feel he should done better and saved it and he should have but to be fair to him the soaking wet ball seemed to bounce and spin as he was leaning down to gather and it went in over his shoulder and into the net. 2-0 ht.

The points were sealed in the 52nd minute when Jay McClelland spotted the run of Chris Forrester and he played a lovely pass for Chris who then dinked the ball over the advancing Moore in the UCD goal to make it 3-0 to the Saints.

Jay McClelland and Jake Mulraney were tormenting the Students with their runs and link up play. Eoin Doyle and Chris Forrester both went close again for the Saints but Kian Moore thwarted them, somewhat making up for the error for the second goal.

Here’s hoping it’s not just a good Friday but a great one with end to end action and the Saints leaving with all three points.

Enjoy the Game, Up the Saints

Jimmy

Dublin's Most Productive Football Suburbs

Over 500 players have been capped at senior level for the Republic of Ireland since 1926 and I think it’s fair to say that the majority of those players were born and reared in the greater Dublin area.

In the early days of the FAI many of our top players were raised in the inner city, then as the city expanded the new estates provided plenty of footballers.

Johnny Carey hailed from Adelaide Place off Baggot Street, while Johnny Giles was raised on the other side of the Liffey in Ormond Square.

Paddy Moore was from Ballybough. He was a brilliant goal scorer for Shamrock Rovers and Aberdeen. Paddy was also the first player to score four goals in a World Cup game, that was against Belgium at Dalymount Park in February 1934. However, injury and alcoholism combined to blight both his career and life and he was only 41 when he died in 1951.

This is not a definitive list, but it looks like it could be a tight race between Ringsend, East Wall and the Borough of Dun Laoghaire to see which area has provided most senior internationals for Irish teams.

SHAY GIBBONS

Among the Irish internationals born in the Ringsend area include: Arthur Fitzsimons, who was reared in Penrose Street in the shadow of Shelbourne Park, Dermot Curtis, Jimmy Dunne, Tommy Dunne, Bob Fullam, Val Harris, David Langan Paddy Roche, Liam O’Brien, Jacko McDonagh and Graham Kavanagh.

Fullam was born in 1897 and began his football career with St Brendan’s in 1914, moved to North End in 1917 and then joined Shelbourne in controversial circumstance in 1918.

Shels were short a player for a

big game in the Leinster Senior League against Bohemians at Dalymount. Val Harris persuaded Fullam, who was in the stand, to line out. Bohs intimated that they would object as Fullam was not eligible, but the Gypsies won 3-1, so there was no objection and Fullam stayed with the Reds with whom he won an Irish Cup in 1920. Bob had a brief spell with Olympia before joining Shamrock Rovers, a partnership that was to bring fame to both club and player.

In the 1922-23 season Rovers won the first of their 20 League titles and scored 77 goals in 22 games. Despite missing a few of the early games of the season Fullam scored a record 27 goals for The Hoops. It was around this time that the phrase ‘Give it to Bob’ originated.

Across the river the East Wall area has also produced several senior internationals. The list is impressive: Paddy Bradshaw, Kit Lawlor, Mick Lawlor, Billy Kennedy, Paddy Meehan, Liam Tuohy, Noel Peyton and Richard Whittaker. Former referee and Irish kit man Charlie O’Leary is also an ‘East Wall Boy’ and he tells me that Keith Andrews, who hailed from North Strand should also

Seán Creedon

qualify as North Strand is in East Wall Parish.

Busy Babe Liam Whelan, who was reared on St. Attracta Road, a kick of a football from Dalymount Park, is probably Cabra’s best known star. Ronnie Whelan senior was also from St. Attracta Road. The Irish for Cabra is An Chabrach, meaning the poor land, but there is nothing poor about the talent produced in the area. Other former internationals from the Cabra area include: Mick McGrath, Joe Carolan, John Conway, Terry Conroy, Gerry Daly, Ashley Grimes, Billy Newman, Eamonn Fagan, Peter Eccles and Wayne Henderson.

On the southside The Borough of Dun Laoghaire has an impressive list of senior players. Joe Dodd, who wrote the book ‘Soccer in the Boro,’ said: ‘‘We had James Nolan-Whelan, who played for the All-Ireland teams, Peter Farrell, Alan Kelly, Phil Kelly, Larry Doyle, Fred Horlacher, Joe Kendrick, Paul McGrath, Benny Henderson, Alan Campbell, Alan O’Brien, Alan Judge, Andy Keogh, Paul McShane, Peter Murphy Darren O’Dea and Jayson Knight. Then we had several players who were capped at youth, under 21 and amateur level, while Anto Whelan and Seán Sheehy were both capped at under 23 level.

Seven players have been capped by The Republic while playing for The Saints: Noel Campbell, Tommy Dunne, Shay Gibbons, Jackie Hennessy, Dinny Lowry, Paddy ‘Ginger’ O’Rourke and Ronnie Whelan Senior.

Gibbons was reared in Whitehall, his mother was from County Wicklow and his father came from Kildare. Shay played for Bohemians and Whitehall before joining the Saints in 1950. ‘Ginger’ O’Rourke was reared on Partridge Terrace here in Inchicore and later lived in Coolock. He had played for

Bulfin United before joining the Saints in 1953.

Dinny Lowry grew up on the Crumlin Road and also played for Bulfin. Dinny’s niece Barbara Kelly was capped at senior level for the Irish Women’s team.

Noel Campbell was from Neagh Road in Terenure, Jackie Hennessy hailed from Finglas and Tommy Dunne, like his father Jimmy, was reared in Ringsend and later lived in Sandymount and Limekiln in Walkinstown. As mention earlier Ronnie Whelan Senior was from Cabra.

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Jay McGrath

A Footballing Tour of Vienna

Cup, although European success seems a distant dream now for Viennese football.

More renowned for history, art and culture than any sporting excellence, the Austrian capital nonetheless provides a fascinating backdrop for a long weekender.

The Austrian Bundesliga is perhaps surprisingly ranked 10th in UEFA coefficients. Most of those points have come from Red Bull Salzburg, the club bought by the local energy drink company in 2005, currently chasing their tenth consecutive league title. The chasing pack struggle to lay a glove on Salzburg, and the league also tends to leak players, and fans, to Germany and England.

Although lacking recent success, Vienna has a strong footballing patrimony. To begin our journey, we arrive at Wiener Hauptbahnhof, one of Europe’s best connected train stations, linking with faraway destinations such as Hamburg, Gdańsk, Bucharest and Rome. Walking 40 minutes south through a series of shopping streets, you’ll arrive in the district of Favoriten, home of Austria Vienna. The club of the city centre, upper classes and intellectuals pride themselves on an elegant form of football, in contrast to the fighting spirit demanded by the fans of their city rivals Rapid. On a European level, both clubs have reached the final of the Cup Winners’

To cross the footballing and social divide, first take the U1 to Karlsplatz, stopping for lunch at the Naschmarkt food market, then hop on the U4 westwards to Hüttelsdorf, home of Rapid. A stop en route to look around the UNESCO listed Schönbrunn palace and gardens is also possible. Founded by hat factory workers, Rapid are a club proud of their industrial roots. In addition to their 32 Austrian titles, the club won one German Bundesliga during the Anschluss period. The city derby with Austria often involves hooligan elements of both sides; caution is advised.

Next, we take the S45 to nearby Hernals, home of Wiener Sportklub. With a Sankt Pauliesque fan culture and a crumbling stadium, this 3rd tier club operates with modesty. The cemetery at the back of the ground, is one of many in Vienna which function like a park with splendid stonework, an unexpected gem. To raise a glass to the dead, neighbouring Ottakring has both its famous brewery offering tours, as well as a Weinwanderweg, a

Seán Brennan

The antique charm of Sportklub Stadium

hiking/drinking route through the hills on the outskirts of the city.

The aforementioned S45 continues up to Heiligenstadt, for access to the Hohe Warte Stadion, home of Austria’s oldest club, First Vienna FC. Playing in the second tier, their ground along with that of Sportklub, is a monument to the Germanic Bier und Bratwurst fan culture. Returning to the train station, stop and admire the Karl Marx Hof; a massive council housing complex and the jewel of Vienna’s proud social housing tradition; over 60% of the city’s residents live in good quality subsidised housing. All can also

enjoy an excellent public transport system for €1 per day. I’m sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere…

Departing the North-Western suburbs, we take the U4 back into town to Landstraße. Pass by the Hundertwasser house and museum, dedicated to the artist’s wonky architecture and otherworldly use of colour. Along with Gustav Klimt, Hundertwasser helped modernise Vienna’s artistic image and culture. After buying some fridge magnets as gifts, cross the canal to the Praterpark, with its amusements, green space and forest trails. 30 minutes walking through the park will bring you to the Ernst

At this point, you may wish to return to some classic or modern art galleries, take the tram along the Ringstraße for a quick tour of the city’s imperial architecture, sample its markets, cycle along the Danube, or try some underrated yet hearty Mitteleuropa cuisine and booze at any of the city’s many Gästhäuser or grand cafés. Autumn or spring are ideal, catching the football yet avoiding the temperature extremes. Just be sure to check the fixture lists first.

Happel Stadion, national stadium and host of the Euro 2008 final.

The surreal architecture of Hundertwasser Haus

A View from Afar

Ian Templeman

Tonight we welcome Cork City to Richmond Park for the first time in almost three years, and without wanting to sound overly patronising, it’s good to have the club back here in competitive action in Richmond Park, and see them back playing in the Premier Division once more.

If you are a follower of the League of Ireland in general as well as being a supporter of a club, you want to have the biggest and best supported clubs in the Premier Division, thriving and competing for honours, and Cork City certainly tick the boxes as a big club in the LOI parish. It’s been a tough time for them in the last couple of years, but they got their mojo back last season in winning the First Division title, and packed houses at Turners Cross are now a regular feature of the league landscape once again.

Having attended the 2015 and 2016 FAI Cup finals as part of the press pack, and watching the games with the panoramic view that the Aviva Stadium press box gives you, I can well remember the terrific support that turned up for both games to support City, the colour and the banners they brought, and indeed in 2016 the celebrations that greeted Sean Maguire’s last gasp winner with seconds of stoppage time remaining. For those of us in the press box that had started to write an “on the whistle” match report based around a decisive penalty shootout, a hasty rewrite was required during the post-match celebrations after the final whistle, although I doubt that particular issue high up in the press box ever entered the heads of those celebrating at the Lansdowne Road end.

But I digress, and to have Cork City back in the top flight is good for the league and indeed the whole city too, and the strong support for football in the area has obviously been

recognised in the corridors of power within the FAI, with a recent report indicating that Turners Cross is actively under consideration as the regular home venue for Republic of Ireland Under-21 internationals. The fixture against Iceland in the international weekend was the first Under-21s game to be played in Cork for 14 years, and Under-21’s coach Jim Crawford said in the build-up to the game that he “got the sense of excitement from the Cork public”.

A near sell-out crowd watching the 2-1 win certainly backed that comment up, and if any proof was needed, it just shows that Cork is a serious centre of football in this country. For sure, having a Cork City team with players in the national Under-21 squad and competing well in the Premier Division is how it should be, and any team capable of scoring four goals at Tallaght Stadium in a league fixture like City did a few weeks ago are going to be a tough nut for anyone to crack this season. They are back at the top table and are very welcome.

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Aside of our own Super Saints, one club I had always planned keeping an interested eye on this season is First Division newcomers Kerry FC. A new club based in a strong GAA area with no LOI rivals, but with massive growth potential, was always going to be an interesting project and I made a mental note to start following their progress once I found out last year that they would be entrants to the league in 2023.

I had already been impressed with their marketing, their website and social media presence before a ball was kicked in earnest once we hit January this year, and they clearly had a lot of things right in terms of infrastructure and square pegs in square holes off the field, before the season started.

They obviously got the local community on board with their project and going back a few weeks it was great to see that their opening league game at home to Cobh Ramblers turned out to be the hottest ticket in town, with reports stating that the Mounthawk Park ground could have been sold out many times over.

The club’s most recent announcement concerned an international partnership with the Boston Bolts, a Massachusetts based youth club which aimed at giving a pathway for Bolts players to play professionally abroad or Kerry players a route to playing in US leagues and at American universities. Sounds interesting and I will watch with interest to see how that all works out.

While the work off the field has obviously been carried out to a high standard, matters on the field are obviously important too, and as I write this, Kerry sit at the bottom of the First Division and have experienced a 9-1 pounding on a trip to face a Galway United team that started the season on fire. Hopefully though, everyone will be keeping the faith and understanding that it is a huge learning curve for players playing for the love of the game having to face up to the likes of

Ronan O’Flaherty

Brendan Clarke and Conor McCarthy in the opposition ranks, like they did at Eamonn Deacy Park.

With no Saints game on the Friday night of the international weekend in March, I decided to tune into the Kerry v Athlone Town game on LOITV, and have a look to see how the new boys were shaping up. A glance at the club website pre-match revealed that the game was another sell out, although as it transpired, the weather on the evening in question would have tested the mettle of many ticket holders, with monsoon-like wind and rain sweeping in over Tralee. Peering at my screen at pictures being transmitted to me in the comfort of my own home through the rain affected camera lens, my frustration at the less than perfect picture was tempered by sympathy for those who were actually watching from the stands and braving the elements at Mounthawk Park.

With the wind at their back in the first half, Kerry didn’t look like a team at the bottom of the league and were by far the better team in the opening 45 minutes, although once the second half began it was obvious that the conditions did give an advantage, and Athlone enjoyed the better possession

and territorial advantage. It must have been galling, however, for Kerry to hold out virtually to the end of the game only to concede what proved to be a late winner for Athlone.

None the less, I saw much in the performance that will have heartened the home support that braved the elements to cheer the team on. It should also be pointed out that apart from the Galway experience, they have not lost by more than two goals in any other fixture, so their ability to compete has already been confirmed and verified.

I’m not noticed or been aware of any negativity surrounding the club so far, and neither should there be in such early days, because the presence of an ambitious and enthusiastic club in an area previously untapped for LOI popularity is something to savour and celebrate. Rome wasn’t built in a day and there will no doubt be more harsh lessons to be learned by the current squad, but hopefully they will be enjoying the scenery on the journey, rather than worrying about the potholes in the road. I will continue to look out for their results and I wish them well.

‘I’m Delighted to be Saint Patrick’s Athletic Captain’

This week, Sarah Tynan got to sit down with the captain of our women's U17 team, Amber Cullen. As a new Saint, and representative of our newest era in the academy, she gave an insight into how the girls are settling in, and how she’s found being a part of the club.

How did the club go about recruiting you, and what were your thoughts about the offer?

I was playing with DLR, and as we finished up the season St Patrick’s Athletic came to me looking for a meeting. I thought I’d give them a chance to see what they’re all about, since they’re only a new team. They sat me down and chatted to me about how they’re going to plan for the next few years, and where they see me. I went off and thought about it, and I thought this club sounds good to me. That’s how it all started.

How have you been finding the captaincy role?

The captaincy is obviously a big role. Coming into a new team, and being captain for the past few matches has been a really good experience. I’m delighted that they picked me to be captain. It’s shown how much responsibility you have to have to lead a team.

How have you been settling into the season?

We’ve been settling in well after the last few matches. We started off strong, the last match we could have been better, but we learned from it and now move onto the next game.

How have the team been getting along?

We’ve definitely been coming together over the past few weeks, especially as we’re a new team. We’ve started communicating a lot more, and learning about each other individually as well. The atmosphere has been good, we’ve learned to calm down in the dressing room and focus on the match and nothing else as we go into the games.

Do you plan to stick with the Saints as we further develop women’s football?

If they’ll have me I’ll be happy to stick around!

What are your thoughts on how the season is going so far, after the three games?

We started off the season pretty strong, so I’d say we’ll have a good season this year, for being a new team. It’s looking really promising.

In a previous interview, Darragh O’Reilly said you were looking to be competitive, what are your thoughts on how that’s been going?

I’d say this season he wants us to get experience and then next season, we can follow up and continue getting more competitive. Obviously, it would be wonderful if we won anything this year, but I’d say he’s trying to settle us into the season as a new team.

Can you give us a few words about the importance of women’s football coming into the club?

It shows the equality in the club, after having only the men's teams for the past years, bringing the women’s team into the National League shows a lot of progress, and helps make women’s football even bigger.

You recently won Player of the Month, how does that feel?

It was a really good experience, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I felt like anyone on the team could have gotten it this month, we’ve been working so hard. I really appreciate the club picking me as the first women’s Player of the Month.

A big thank you to Amber for talking to The Saint! Things are looking bright for the girls, and they hope for a good result as they face ahead to their next game against Dundalk on Saturday, the 15th of April. Home games are played in Cherry Orchard F.C, support is always welcome!

Amber Cullen with Eve Moloney

CARDIAC ARREST KNOW THE SCORE

Unconscious and

Unresponsive and

Absent or abnormal breathing

Would you like to join a Dublin City Council Community Cardiac Programme in Inchicore Community Sports Centre?

Ronan O’Flaherty Hi, Patron Saints...

It is great to be back watching live football after a long off season and it is also great to see such big crowds in Richmond roaring the team on.

The Patron Saints recently had a very successful AGM and would like to announce that the new committee is comprised of James Byrne, Johnny Keegan, Dermot Meagher, Paul Maguire, Paul Murphy, Jennifer Murray, Danny Quinn, Liam Temple and Ian Walsh.

We would like to thank the following who stepped down from the committee this year Andy Ayres, Philip Bergin, Ulick O'Sullivan, Joan Stapleton and Ger Sweeney.

2022 was a good year for the Patron Saints when we increased our membership by over 30% to over 100 members and this year we want to get nearer to the 150 mark so we can contribute more to Saint Patricks Athletic both on and off the pitch.

During the year we organised various events including Player of the Year awards night, Santa in Richmond, Euro Raffle draw, Patron Saints in the Directors box and a Q&A in The Saint pub with Tim, John, Joe Redmond and Adam O'Reilly.

Also during the year we funded work on the gents toilet on the Camac terrace to the tune of €10,000 and also contributed €1500 to the publication of "Saints Rising" by Dermot Looney which is an excellent historical account of the founding of our great club.

The Patron Saints will again be sponsoring a player this year and we raffled at the AGM last years players jersey (Adam Murphy) which was won by David O'Hara. Also at the AGM we raffled 2 "Saints Rising" books which were

signed by Dermot Looney and Brian Kerr. They were won by Juliana Lawless and Joan Stapleton. We would also like to announce that the 100th member raffle was won by Orla Nolan (Adam O'Reilly's jersey).

The club recently put in a fund request to improve the home dressing rooms, provide after match recovery equipment, provision of safety lighting and procure training and video equipment for the youth academy. We would ask all members to check their emails and vote as they see fit on all fund requests (at the recent AGM these fund request met with general approval).

Due to the huge increase in crowds and insurance restrictions on the numbers allowed into the club shop the Patron Saints will have a desk inside McDowells lounge from 1820 till 1920 on match nights on a trial basis. The committee will be available for members to collect their 2023 membership badge and fixture card or pay subscriptions or buy a Golden Goal. We will also be giving out Patron Saints information sheets to prospective members.

We have a number of new positive ideas that were raised at the AGM to promote and raise the profile of the Patron Saints, so that we can become bigger and stronger and offer more support to the Club so look out for these during the coming season.

If you would like to join the Patron Saints please call in to McDowells before the match to meet us or look on facebook spafcpatronsaints or twitter @PatronSaints or email us at stpatssc@gmail.com.

Come on the Saints! Patron Saints Committee

Apps, Goals & Table 2023

Number in brackets represents appearances of which were substituted ON.

LEAGUE TABLE