Issuu

2021 Season • Premier Division • Vol. 33 • No. 02 Fri 9 April • Richmond Park, Inchicore, D8 • KO:5.45PM

VERSUS

Billy King

Editorial

Ronan O’Flaherty

Ruairi Kavanagh

@stpatsprogramme

Welcome back to your device for the latest edition of the St Patrick's Athletic matchday magazine, The Saint. While we are confined at home, it is an exciting time to be a supporter, as we have a serious team taking shape, judging by early performances. Taking seven points from nine in the first three games is something we would all have taken, considering the tricky starting schedule.

biggest ever issue, and while we can't guarantee 64 pages each edition, we can promise plenty of great material for you to read and digest as the Saints season begins to take shape. As I mentioned last issue, we would really love to have the club's female following better represented in The Saint, so we would love any writers who could help us fill this gap to get in touch.

Tonight's opponents have a lot of history of 'grounding' us though. Remember the great 1-1 draw in July last year in Dundalk, only to be brought crashing back to earth by a defeat to Derry City at home. Although they've had a poor start, you know it's going to be another tight game. There really are, all clichés aside, no easy games in this league.

You can drop me an email at stpatsprogramme@gmail.com or via Twitter @stpatsprogramme. I would love to hear from you! And indeed anyone else who has ideas or suggestions for your matchday programme. Enjoy the game! Ruairi Kavanagh Editor The Saint

We have had a great reaction to our opening issue of the season, and thanks very much for all the messages. It was our

Contents 8

Oh My Word!

10 in a Row

Supersaints

SWAI Awards

Opposition Watch

Club History

Hidden Gems

Local Heroes

Programme Production Editor Ruairi Kavanagh

Design Joe O’Rourke

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No.2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Photo Sportsfile & Inpho 3

Fáilte Tá áthas orainn fáilte a chur roimh mbainistíocht, imreoirí agus lucht tacaíochta Chlub Pheile Cathair Doire go Phairc Richmond anocht.

Welcome We are pleased to welcome the management, players and supporters of Derry City Football Club to Richmond Park tonight.

Tonight’s Squads

President’s Welcome

St Patrick’s Athletic

Derry City

Tom O’Mahony

Manager:

Head Coach: Declan Devine

Alan Mathews

Head Coach: Stephen O’Donnell 1 Vítězslav Jaroš

GK o

2 John Mountney

3 Ian Bermingham

4 Sam Bone

5 Lee Desmond

6 Jamie Lennon

7 Robbie Benson 8 Chris Forrester

GK o

3 Ciaran Coll

4 Ciaron Harkin

6 Eoin Toal

7 William Fitzgerald

8 Joe Thomson

9 David Parkhouse

10 William Patching

11 James Akintunde

9 Nahum Marvin-Lambert F 10 Ronan Coughlan

15 Ronan Boyce

11 Jay McClellend

16 Mark McChrystal

12 Matty Smith

17 Joe Hodge

29 Paddy Barrett

19 Marc Walsh

15 Billy King

20 Darren Cole

16 Alfie Lewis

21 Cameron McJannet D

17 Darragh Burns

22 Mark McFadden

18 Ben McCormack

23 Danny Lupano

20 Shane Griffin

24 Danny Lafferty

21 Barry Murphy

GK o

26 Orrin McLaughlin

25 Josh Keeley

GK o

28 Odhran Kennedy

28 Cian Kelly

29 Jack Malone

31 Kian Corbally

30 Jack Lemoignan

GK o

Daniel Norris

31 Patrick Ferry

Jamie Whelan

32 Caolon McLaughlin F

33 Aaron Harkin

35 Micheal Glynn

36 Brendan Barr

stpatsfc /stpatsfc

Match Officials

/stpatsfctv

Referee Ben Connolly

stpatsfc.com

Mark McChrystal and Paul Fisher

1 Nathan Gartside

/stpatsfc

info@stpatsfc.com

Coaches:

Half-Time

Assistant 1 Darragh Keegan

Full-Time

Assistant 2 Brian Fenlon

4th Official Adriano Reale

MOTM 2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

@jimmyedwards41

Good Evening As if on autopilot, my fingers always type “good evening and welcome to Richmond Park” as the introduction to these programme notes. The reality of course is that you’re not in Richmond Park and you may well be reading this at any time of the day or night. Nonetheless, you’re with us in spirit for this evening’s game and your support continues to be as important as ever. I hope you feel that the team has rewarded your support in the opening games of the season. When the fixture compiler decided that for our first three matches we’d travel to last year’s champions and runners-up either side of a visit from the First Division champions, even the most optimistic of you probably didn’t expect that run to conclude with St Pats sitting proudly on top of the table - albeit as joint leaders with Sligo and Harps. However, the team has delivered solid and efficient performances leading in turn to excellent results. The league table has a fresh look about it at this early stage. Quite a few teams are certainly not placed in or around where the pundits expected them to be. In my opinion, the most telling statistic is that, of the 14 games played to date, only 1 has had more than a goal between the teams. All the signs are that this is going to be an extremely competitive season, where no result can be taken for granted and points are going to have to be earned through

commitment and hard work. I’m in no doubt that we have the players and management team to ensure that we won’t be lacking in either of those qualities. I used the words solid and efficient earlier to describe us because that’s what we’ve seen so far. It reflects the work that Stephen and Alan have done in building, integrating and organising a squad that now includes only a handful of players from when the new management team arrived less than two years ago. But I’m sure that Stephen and Alan would be the first to agree that there’s still a lot more to come from this squad. We have some really talented players and, as they get more used to each others’ games, there’s potential for some really exciting performances to go with, hopefully, a continuation of the good results. This evening’s opponents Derry City have given us some very memorable encounters over the years, particularly our two Lansdowne Road meetings, one of which was possibly the greatest FAI Cup Final of the modern era while the other is just about every Pats fan’s most treasured memory of recent times. We welcome their players, staff and officials and look forward to an enjoyable game. Tom O'Mahony President St Patrick's Athletic FC

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

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 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 LOISHIELD 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

OUR GAME IS ON THE BALL

The Dugout

Ronan O’Flaherty

Alan Mathews & Stephen O’Donnell

Seven points accumulated from our first three games is a pleasing return. Every team wants to get off to a good start and, having done that, we hope it serves as a springboard for the rest of the season. Our immediate focus is on maintaining that run

his goal very well, and it was nice to get the

of form in this evening’s match against Derry

three points as Pat's had endured a number of

City. Derry haven’t started as they would have

disappointing nights at Dalymount in recent

liked, but that doesn’t change the fact that they

times.

have a strong team with plenty of players capable of causing problems. Under Declan Devine, they are always well organised and you know that you’re in for a tough challenge.

There is a sense that the league might be more open than usual this season. The margins are likely to be fine and every point will continue to be hard-earned. You do all you can at training

Thankfully, following the 1-1 draw on the

during the week to give the team the best

opening night, our two most recent games have

opportunity of finishing on the right side of the

gone to plan. Against Drogheda United 13 days

result at the weekend.

ago, the winning goal came late, but on the balance of play it was probably deserved. We were pleased to see the players showing such high levels of intensity in their play, right up to the final whistle. It was because of that willingness and desire to keep on going that the lads conjured a late winning goal. With a good, solid week of training behind us following the Drogheda game, we went into last weekend’s match against Bohemians with plenty of belief. Bohs have been hard to beat in recent seasons, especially at Dalymount. However, we

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We are pleased to report that training has been excellent, not just in recent days, but since the group came together for pre-season. There is an infectious willingness to work hard right through the squad and, as well as that, we have genuine football talent. The players go into this evening’s game well prepared and in a positive mindset. They also know that they have the backing of thousands of Saints fans watching from home. We hope you enjoy the game.

believe last Saturday's 1-0 win was well merited. It was a professional performance in that the team played some good football and, when not

Alan Mathews and Stephen O'Donnell

in possession, they retained a shape and applied good levels of pressure. Ronan Coughlan took

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Oh My Word!

Ronan O’Flaherty

@ronanoflaherty

I sometimes think about Derry City Football Club. There is much to ponder. To start, it’s not your average football club. Persecuted in a previous life, they were forced into the wilderness before re-emerging on a different stage, where they felt more at home. People often mention the crowds that Derry City attracted to matches from the mid-eighties to earlynineties. These aren't stories that have been beefed up through the ageing process of nostalgia. They really did bring huge crowds, both home and away. Sellout attendances at the Brandywell were not uncommon and any Pat's fan present on April 1, 1990, will have marvelled at the away turnout for a Sunday afternoon league match – albeit a very important one – at Harold's Cross Greyhound Stadium. Newspaper reports estimated that, in a crowd of between 7,000 and 8,000, Derry City fans filled half the ground. These supporters had an extra incentive to attend games. For many of them, it was about more than football. In the five years proceeding their admission to the League of Ireland, the terraces at most Derry City homes games resembled a celebration-of-sorts. To understand why they were partying, it is important to retrace their journey. Derry City had joined the Irish League in 1929, achieving sporadic

success over the following decades, with three Irish Cups and one league title. However, it was that league triumph of 1965 that paved the way for others to see that this club was being treated differently. Drawn against Lyn of Norway in the preliminary round of the following season’s European Cup, Derry City recorded a famous 8-6 aggregate victory. In doing so, they became the first Irish League club to negotiate a round of European competition. Being a success story did the club no favours. In the first-round proper they were paired with Anderlecht. The Northern Irish FA put a blockade on the home leg taking place at the Brandywell, citing farcical concerns about the condition of the pitch. With the football authorities unwilling to change that stance, Derry City withdrew from the competition and the home leg was deemed a walkover. By 1972, they would have little choice but to leave the Irish League. A year earlier, in 1971, the Royal Ulster Constabulary ruled that the area surrounding Derry City's home ground was unsafe for rival supporters. A ban was placed on games at the Brandywell. In order for Derry City to somehow keep the show on the road, they had to play

Jim McLaughlin’s Derry City line up before the 1989 FAI Cup Final

elsewhere. The Showgrounds in Coleraine would be their new home away from home. Located 48km from the Brandywell, supporters largely stayed away. Distance wasn’t the only issue. The location of the ground, in a loyalist part of Derry, served as a further deterrent. St Pat’s fans can relate to the uupheaval caused by temporarily moving out. From 1989 to 1993, the team played home games at Harold’s Cross Greyhound Stadium. Despite bridging a 34-year gap in 1990 by winning the Premier Division title, the impact of the move was that St Patrick’s Athletic came perilously close to extinction in 1992. Harold’s Cross wasn’t 48km from Richmond Park – it was a walkable 4km – nor was it an environment hostile to the mere presence of St Pat’s fans. After a year of playing home games in front of small attendances, the club found itself on life support. The only thing that could prevent it from flatlining was a return to the Brandywell. The matter went to a vote, where rival clubs marginally decided that Derry City would not be allowed to play home games at the Brandywell. Out of options, Derry City withdrew from the Irish League in October 1972. They joined the local Saturday morning league,

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

essentially to keep the club and all it stands for in existence. Over the next 13 years, several attempts were made to rejoin the Irish League, but they were all knocked back. There was a sense that they would never be readmitted so, in 1985, Derry City entered the League of Ireland. Despite starting out in the second tier, the crowds returned almost immediately. The team didn’t achieve promotion at the first attempt, but did at the second. They then took as long to win the Premier Division as they did the First Division. Derry’s 1989 title triumph was extra impressive because it was supplemented by the League Cup and the FAI Cup. The footage of Jim McLaughlin’s treble winners being cheered on by

supporters during an open-top bus tour needs to be seen to be believed. In this context, a 20minute video called “Derry City FC 1989”, which is available on YouTube, comes recommended. Viewers receive a true, if at times see-sawing, insight into the zealots who inhabit the terraces. We see the supporters packed into the Brandywell for a game against Drogheda United, and it’s a party from the first whistle – this was the game after which they would be presented with the Premier Division trophy. Viewed now, 32 years removed, it is a curious thing to witness the outpouring of joy from the supporters during that game and the open-top bus tour. This was more than a celebration of an outstanding season, it was a

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

celebration of simply having a club to support. The success of Derry City’s move to the League of Ireland is illustrated by its continued endurance. Thirtysix years now, and counting. There have been times when they messed with our dreams. For Pat’s fans, the 2006 and 2012 FAI Cup finals were painful experiences. Thankfully, the 2014 instalment brought healing. There are plenty of good reasons to find yourself thinking about Derry City. They’ve come through a lot and are still here. That, in itself, should resonate with the League of Ireland community. Ronan O'Flaherty

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

Dodge’s Data!

Ronan O’Flaherty

John Owens

@seidodge

League Record v Derry City HOME GAMES

AWAY GAMES

TOTAL GAMES

Venue

Competition

18/09/20

Brandywell

League

102

03/08/20

Richmond Park

League

22/10/19

Brandywell

League

3-1

Richmond Park

League

1-0

Brandywell

League

Richmond Park

League

Richmond Park

League

DRAW

LOSE

0-0

WIN

Date

17 22

Last 10 games v Derry City

0-2

C Forrester, J Doona 2 GOALS

GOALS

119

103

21/05/19 K Toner

Club Records in League Games with Derry City

10/05/19

26/10/18

07/04/09

28/12/87

16/10/94

07/10/99

27/06/08

05/06/15

10/12/95

L Desmond

5-0

0-3

3-0

1-5

15/04/19

1-1 1-3

G Shaw

APRIL

26/10/18

ON THIS DAY

C Clifford, J Doona 2, K Toner, J Keegan

24/08/18

Brandywell

League

0-1

0-2

27/07/18

Brandywell

League

1-2

Drogheda United

0-1

Brennan

LOI

Cork City

0-2

18/05/18

Richmond Park

League

LOI

Sligo Rovers

4-0

2018

Richmond Park

LC 2R

Dundalk

2-2 *

Fagan, Kelly, Leahy (2)

2012

Richmond Park

LC 2R

UCD

2-1

Ennis

2011

Showgrounds

LOI

Sligo Rovers

2010

Richmond Park

LOI

2004

Richmond Park

1999

Richmond Park

5-0

*Dundalk won 8-7 on pens.

Molloy (2), Reilly, McGuinness

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

5-2

J Keegan, C Byrne (p), K Toner, T Byrne, D Markey 2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Squad Sponsorship

Ronan O’Flaherty

Vítězslav Jaroš

John Mountney

Ian Bermingham

Robbie Benson

Chris Forrester

Nahum Marvin-Lambert

Goalkeeper

Defender

Midfield

Forward

HOME SPONSOR

KAVANAGHS PUB

BISTO FLOOD APPRECIATION SOCIETY

BILL DUGGAN

LUKE MULLINS

DECED

KEVIN ROCHE

AWAY SPONSOR

SWEENEYS

JOHN PAUL MOORE

CLÍODHNA BRAY

WILLIAM MORGAN

DC FITNESS PHYSIO

O'CALLAGHAN FAMILY

Sam Bone

Lee Desmond

Jamie Lennon

Ronan Coughlan

Jay McClellend

Matty Smith

Defender

Midfield

Forward

HOME SPONSOR

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS GROUP

WILL MORGAN

TOMMY KEYES

THE CLOCK

JOHN HUDSON

FYNCH

AWAY SPONSOR

THE LADS OFF THE CAMAC

CIAN MENTON

KILLIAN DONNELLY

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

AWAY SPONSOR

PATRICK COSTELLO TD

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Squad Sponsorship

Ronan O’Flaherty

Billy King

Alfie Lewis

Darragh Burns

Josh Keeley

Cian Kelly

Paddy Barrett

Forward

Midfield

Forward

Goalkeeper

Defender

HOME SPONSOR

SMcN CONSULTING

PATRON SAINTS

THOMPSON SOLICITORS

GRACE O'REILLY

LAUREN O'REILLY

PROLINK STAFFING

AWAY SPONSOR

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MARK B SHOPFITTING LTD.

PRECISION IRELAND

AWAY SPONSOR

PROLINK STAFFING

Ben McCormack

Shane Griffin

Barry Murphy

Kian Corbally

Daniel Norris

Jamie Whelan

Midfield

Defender

Goalkeeper

Midfield

HOME SPONSOR

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DARAGH O'HALLORAN

DALTON FAMILY

McCRUDDEN FITNESS

CONOR O'TOOLE

BRIAN BRAMHALL

AWAY SPONSOR

SCOTT KELLY

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

AWAY SPONSOR

DARRAGH O'TOOLE

ZOE O'REILLY

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

FAI Harp Lager National League Premier Division Richmond Park, Inchicore, Dublin 8.

APRIL

ST PATRICK'S ATH 4 SLIGO ROVERS 0

1999 FIRED-UP St Patrick's Athletic stormed back to the top of the Harp Lager Premier Division last night with a ruthless demolition of struggling Sligo Rovers at Richmond Park.

Irish Independent Saturday 10 April 1999

MOLLOY DOUBLE SENDS

SAINTS TO THE TOP SECOND GOAL Deep into first-half injury time Pat’s added the second goal their pressure deserved when Morgan's pin-point cross from the right touchline was superbly headed into the bottom corner by Reilly. In between those two goals the Sligo goal had been subjected to virtual bombardment with Boswell saving twice from Hawkins and once from McGuinness while Reilly and Clarke both shaved the posts with efforts.

Trevor Molloy scored twice to bring his total for the season to 19 while Martin Reilly and Stephen McGuinness added the others in a comprehensive 4-0 win.

Last Monday at Tolka Park Shelbourne made Pat's pay the price for taking their foot off the accelerator so understandably there was no let up after the break. Boswell made three great saves from Hawkins, Clarke and Russell in the space of four minutes before Conor O'Grady brought out the best in Trevor Wood at the opposite end.

Not even the loss of Willie Burke, who pulled a hamstring in the warm-up, could upset Pat's who merely drafted in Canadian international Jeff Clarke for his first start since the European Cup second leg against Celtic last July.

That was a rare effort as normal service resumed almost mmediately and Pat's added a third in the 63rd minute when a glorious ball from Hawkins sent Molloy away and he held off the challenge of McGIynn before rifling the ball into the roof of the net. Boswell kept out efforts from Reilly, Russell and Clarke before he had to pick the ball out of his net when McGuinness raced into the box unchallenged to head home Russell's corner in the 77th minute.

U-2I international Thomas Morgan regained his place in midfield as Liam Buckley reverted to his normal 3-5-2 formation, with Leon Braithwaite losing out. UCD have twice come to Richmond Park this season and frustrated Pat's by playing a 4-5-1 formation so Nicky Reid decided to take a leaf out of the College book by adopting similar tactics. He also brought in two locals, Lee Marshall and Philip Marshall, in place of injured duo Ian Lynch and Donagh Oates, with Steve Birks moving into the five-man midfield as Sligo tried to shore up the leaks so badly exposed by Cork. It didn't work. Pat's, with the wind at their backs, simply by-passed midfield with long balls for the likes of Reilly and Molloy to chase up the middle while Croly and Clarke pursued them down the flanks. The home side completely dominated the first half and brutally exposed Sligo's frailties by creating a

Tickets for next week's clash with Cork City go on sale on Monday morning and there'll be queues all the way down Emmet Road after this clinical performance. THE BETTER SIDE... Sligo Rovers' Marcus Hallows gets the better of Stephen McGuinness of St Pat's last night multitude of chances that had yielded two goals by half-time. The first came after 18 minutes when a clearance out of the Sligo defence found Hallows on the half-way but his poor pass to Hoeks allowed Croly to dispossess the Dutchman. Croly slipped the ball inside to McGuinness whose first-time pass allowed Molloy to spring the offside trap and steer the ball past the advancing Boswell.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

St Pat's win puts the pressure back on Cork City who play Finn Harps this afternoon at Turner's Cross and must win to enter next Friday's top of the table clash at Richmond Park on level terms with the defending champions. ST. PAT'S ATH: Wood, McGuinness, Lynch, Hawkins, Croly, Morgan, Osam (Campbell 74), Russell, Clarke, Molloy, Reilly (Braithwaite 86). SLIGO ROVERS: Boswell, Marshall, Hutchínson, O'Grady, Charles, Birks, Kennedy, McGlynn, Hallows, Hoeks (Shannon 62), Gallagher REFEREE: R. O'Hanlon (Waterford).

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

OUR GAME KNOWS YOUR NAME

Can you find the St Pats players in the Wordsearch grid below? Players to look for: MOUNTNEY DESMOND BURNS FORRESTER BERMINGHAM McCLELLAND SMITH JAROS COUGHLAN LENNON

Can you help Lee Desmond get his football?

NEO X ELITE

THE OFFICIAL MATCH BALL OF THE 2020 SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE, FEATURING BESPOKE BALLS MADE FOR EACH CLUB.

UMBRO.IE

Answer on page 33 2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Super Saints Greg Clifford

Ronan O’Flaherty

Johnny Keegan

@johnnykeegan

Of all the industries affected by Covid-19 restrictions and rolling lockdowns, the music, arts and entertainment sectors have arguably been hit the hardest. Through the medium of Zoom, we sat down with Pat’s fan and musician, Greg Clifford, who has used this past year to live in the moment, transcend away from the mundane, and create, what he considers to be, his most impressive body of work to date.

How did lockdown affect your creative process? “I’ve got more focused over the last year. Lockdown gave me a chance to re-evaluate, even to think about how I want to spend the rest of my life. Lockdown forced me to live in the present because you couldn’t really think too much about the future. There’s something good in that too, because when you have too many possibilities you can become overwhelmed; we always want to escape the cage but we’ve had to learn to live within it.” Do you normally like to set yourself parameters while writing? “You inevitably have to. If you don’t, things can get too eclectic. Every project will have a different toolkit that you utilise, though. My previous album, Quodlibet, was 95 percent me. This time around I wanted to get different instruments and textures, even just working with different people can bring something to the track that I may not have unlocked yet. I like working with others, but I also like to exert control. I’m not sure what kind of complex I might have, but I like to have some sort of order and control over what it is I’m doing. That’s the rational side of me anyway.” What’s the irrational side then?

‘Long Lost Friend’ is the lead single for an album to be released in the autumn. Tell us about the track. “The song symbolises defiance and embracing sacrifice, so it mirrors my own journey through music and through life, where sacrifice is inevitable, and change is tinged with sadness and nostalgia, but in order to survive you need to move forward. A source of inspiration for it was the poem ‘Roll the Dice’ by Charles Bukowski – the opening line to it is “If you’re going to try, go all the way, otherwise, don’t even start”. That’s kind of part of the aesthetic that I’m always at.”

“Doing this in the first place,” Greg jokes. “Emotions are irrational anyway. What place within us do they come from? What is it that makes us choose one thing over another? Why do we respond in certain ways? When you’re writing music, you’re responding to those emotions. You’re also throwing yourself into a sort of expedition into hope, because you know that you’re probably not going to make a return, and generally you probably won’t get the acknowledgement that you’re hoping for but you still go into the project thinking… ‘Hell is hopelessness,’ as Dostoevsky said. "Lockdown has forced me to re-evaluate what it is that I want to do, that’s to create, and through creating, that’s my escape route. And then with my

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

own personal, negative experiences last year, I could channel that into music, into a song, and turn something negative into something positive and progressive.” It’s been a productive year for Greg. The album is finished, and will be released alongside a making-of-the-album documentary and 90-page book. Ambitious. What can people expect? “The book has ten chapters, a chapter for each song. It’s very revealing. It goes into the inspiration behind the tracks, concepts and beliefs that I have, life experiences and some studio anecdotes and music theory. It’s an amalgamation of all my interests: music, literature, documentary making, music theory and teaching.” With the album finished and scheduled for an Autumn release, how does Greg avoid the temptation of tinkering with tracks in the meantime? “There inevitably has to be an end, everything eventually will be terminated in the world, so I need to terminate my involvement with a track too, because if you don’t then you’ll never move on. But that doesn’t mean that the song can’t evolve in the live realm. The album version is really just a snapshot in the song’s life, it’s the seminal moment for the song for sure, but that’s not to say that it can’t develop down the line.”

Any advice for younger people starting out in the music game?

You’ve got two more sentences, Greg.

“Learn how to live with uncertainty. There’s a distinct lack of security, particularly financially, so be ready to deal with that. Read, watch films, live your life, don’t be too conservative, and hopefully you’ll find your tribe. Don’t try to follow musical trends, because by the time you’ve written and recorded the stuff, that trend will have moved on. It’s like what Johann Cruyff said. I may be paraphrasing a bit here… How long have I got?

“Ok. It’s like what Johann Cruyff said: ‘If you play conservative football and don’t win any silverware, then the whole thing has been a waste of time, you may as well play glorious football and not win anything.’ So, it’s the same with art and music, really.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

That’s good enough for us, Greg.

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

Notice This!

Ronan O’Flaherty

Karl Stafford

@karl_pats

Saints Weekly Newsletter We are delighted to announce the launch of our new weekly club newsletter. The weekly newsletter will keep supporters up to date with all the latest news, fixtures, community activity, club merchandise and lots more throughout the season. Newsletter subscribers will also have access to exclusive shop discounts and special offers from the Super Saints Store. Sign up for the newsletter at www.stpatsfc.com/news

WhatsApp It's now easier than ever to contact us. We are on WhatsApp Business to help with shop, ticket, and general queries from supporters. You can drop the club a message on WhatsApp, our number is 085 126 4615. This will

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Happy Birthday

The Golden Goal Game will run exclusively on the Super Saints Store. Tickets cost €5 each.

Best wishes to the following Supersaints who celebrate lockdown Birthdays throughout the month of April.

You can choose your lucky number in the dropdown section and every number is available to purchase twice meaning two prizes are up for grabs. Prize for picking the correct time of the first goal scored in the game is €100 in cash or a €125 Voucher for the Super Saints Store. More info on SuperSaintsStore.com

be operational during office hours Monday to Friday. Please note we are not set up to receive calls, but you can still call the office on 01 454 6332.

Golden Goal Winners!

Brendan Clarke Snr Phil Clarke Paul Oman Avril O'Connell Max Foy Brendan Ryan Joseph Kavanagh Shane McCabe Graham Jay Paul Byrne Sarah Tynan Laura Carney Sean McDonald Ruadhán Thompson James Keating Tony Flannery Paul Tyrrell Padraig Carney Paul Maguire Joe O’Rourke Gary Waters

Match Day and Match Ball Sponsorship

Drogheda Match Golden Goal was scored on the 59th minute by Ronan Coughlan and the winner is Deborah Boyd.

The club are looking for expressions of interest for Match Day and Match Ball Sponsors. Please contact karl.stafford@stpatsfc.com for more information.

Boh’s Match Golden Goal was scored on the 62nd minute by Ronan Coughlan and the winner is Joe Walsh.

eLeague of Ireland

Reeling in the St Patrick’s Athletic Years

Eoin Norton the Saints fan and ePlayer, kicked off the newly formed eLeague of Ireland Season with a game against Waterford on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, he came out the wrong side of two tight high scoring game, 5-4 and 5-3. Eoin is in action against UCD next Tuesday before going on to play Shamrock Rovers and Longford Town.

C’mon the eSaints!

We are seeking expressions of interest from individuals willing to take part in a virtual programme (via Zoom) which will revisit some key events of our illustrious history. The programme will take place on Friday afternoons at 4pm and run for a duration of six weeks. While a start date is yet to be confirmed, a provisional date of late April has been earmarked if enough interest in secured. Please email david.morrissey@stpatsfc.com to express interest or for more information.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Opposition Watch

Ronan O’Flaherty

Paul Maguire

@PaulGoS

Our opponents tonight Derry City have been inextricably linked to most of the Saints notable moments over the last 15 years.

equalizer, the Patching – Toal

opportunities, the latter hitting

duo yielded a simple tap-in for

the bar.

Cameron McJannet, the last action of the first half. Waterford

While two games into a season

regained the lead with a penalty

is normally nowhere near

which was conceded by

enough time to judge where a

goalkeeper Gartside after 51

team is at, a little further

minutes and despite playing

research will show that

against 10 men for the last ten

including pre-season, Derry

Think cup finals in 2006, 2012,

avoiding the relegation play-off

the unforgettable high of 2014

spot with a one-all draw away to

and arguably the low point of the

already relegated Cork City.

last decade where Pats avoided

Since then the likes of Ally

relegation by sneaking a 1-1

Gilchrist, Gerardo Bruna, Peter

After 4 draws in pre-season

draw with the Candystripes at

Cherrie and Conor McCormack

against Bray, Finn Harps, Bohs

have gone 9 games without a

McGinn Park, Buncrana at the

have all moved on leaving

and Shamrock Rovers II, Derry are

win - a run stretching back to

manager Declan Devine with a

still waiting on their first win of

2020, their last coming via a 2-

mostly young squad to choose

the 2021. They were behind after

0 victory over Shelbourne

season with eyes on the prize of

from however, the likes of Ciarán

only five minutes of their opening

(who, lest we forget, were

European football however only

Coll and Mark McChrystal bring

game away to newly-promoted

relegated last year).

our visitors have achieved that

experience to the group while

Longford Town. In truth, they

goal since 2019 with a 4th place

the signing of Danny Lafferty

were lucky to be still only one

finish.

from Shamrock Rovers may prove

down at half time. Some dodgy

to be a shrewd move. Other

goalkeeping gave Longford a

Last years shortened season saw

significant signings include a

second after Gartside parried a

Derry finish 1 point behind the

return for Derry’s top scorer in

free kick back into the danger

Saints in 7th place, narrowly

2019 David Parkhouse and,

area but what will really worry

perhaps most intriguingly of all,

Declan Devine will be the dearth

Joe Hodge on loan from Man

of clear-cut chances his side

City. There are high hopes for the

created, apart from a Parkhouse

18-year-old who has represented

shot just before half-time pretty

Ireland at u-17 and u-19 level.

much any chances of note came from set-pieces with both

minutes they could not force an

tonight! There could be opportu-

Being Manchester born, he also

Parkhouse and Eoin Toal missing

nities for Pats to create chances

qualifies for England.

equalizer and claim their first

Unfortunately, Hodge suffered a

headers from corners.

point of the season. In fairness

down the right wing as Lafferty

Derry did manage to create

tends to get caught upfield but

Last Fridays game against

more chances in this game than

as always against Derry, winning

Waterford, a team some pundits

they did in Longford but there

the physical battle will be key to

tipped for a basement battle this

comes a time when these need

the Saints earning the right to

year, should have been the

to be converted. Both Ciarán

play their passing football. Both

chance to get Derrys season up

Harkin and Joe Thompson had

these teams will be looking to

and running however they again

shots saved while McJannet, Will

be in the hunt for European

fell behind, this time after half an

Fitzgerald and Danny Lupano in

places come the end of the

hour. They got a deserved

injury time all missed headed

season and Declan Devine will

end of the 2017 season. Both Derry and ourselves begin each

back injury in training so will not be featuring in tonight’s game, let’s hope he is back fit in the nottoo-distant future. Speaking of international experience, goalkeeper Nathan Gartside was Declan Devine

recently called into the Northern Ireland senior squad for their World Cup qualifying games

against Italy and Bulgaria. Form

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Nathan Gartside

If the Saints want to come

Cameron McJannet

away from tonight’s game with

without a win could be terminal

all 3 points much will depend

in what will be a close battle for

on keeping Parkhouse quiet for

those top four league places. It

the evening while, as he

promises to be fascinating game

showed last week, Eoin Toal and

where a Saints win would be

Will Patching will be dangerous

confirmation that they will be

from set-pieces. Dundalk loanee

challengers this season while a

Patching will be hoping his

victory for the visitors will serve

partnership with Parkhouse will

to remind everyone not to

flourish soon, just hopefully not

discount them just yet…

know that a run of 3 games

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

PS Lets hope the current situation has eased somewhat by October and we can make the trip to the Ryan McBride Brandywell, pints before and after the match in the Bluebell and the Iona. Away trips are sorely missed….

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

Pitchside Sponsors

Who’s Who at Ronan The O’Flaherty Saint?

We would like to thank the following who have

Like so many other things on match night, it takes considerable effort

sponsored the club for the 2021 season...

to compile the issue of The Saint you’re viewing. So who’s who? RUAIRI KAVANAGH: EDITOR

KIERAN COUGHLAN

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.

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

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!

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

STEPHEN BENNETT Journalist with the Herald and a lifelong Saints fan. Inchicore born and bred, a lover of soccer history both home and abroad. He's not great at getting trains back from away matches, however. DERMOT LOONEY Dermot is from Greenhills and has followed Pat's since he was a teenager in the 1990's. He works as a primary teacher in Tallaght and served as a County Councillor for ten years until 2019. Dermot is working on the @HistoryStPats project, researching and collecting information on the history of St Patrick’s Athletic in this, our 90th year. 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-‘. PAUL MAGUIRE Inchicore born & bred, Paul has been following the Saints since the late 80s. Favourite ever Pats player is Eddie Gormley. Used to host The All Saints Show and Pats match commentary until the FAI closed it down so now writes about the opposition rather than talking about them. Has around 50 Pats jerseys but can only fit into 10 of them. Plays guitar and sings, likes trains. 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.

Red & White Wonderland Mick Banks

I'm living in Lusk for the last 20 years, but I was born and grew up in Drimnagh. I started following Pats in 1989, and went to Harolds Cross most Sundays. I missed a few years of attending games while I was away at college, but since my return to Dublin in 1997, I have been a regular on the Camac. The last year has really shown us how much those cold Friday nights together in Richmond Park mean to all of us, and hopefully soon we will be able to start enjoying them again.

First Game Pats v Bohs

Favourite Goal Mark Quigley

Harolds Cross, 1989. My Dad brought me to my first game, and despite the freezing cold and the scalding tasteless Bovril. I was hooked!

Favourite Game Pats 2 v Cork 1

Home Kit

1999/2000

Away Kit

Mark Quigley against Elfsborg in 2013 when we won 2-1. The noise and atmosphere in the ground that night was electric. And that arm pump as he ran up to the open goal - magic!

Favourite Player

Charles Livingstone Mbabazi

26 July 2013

When "Charlie" arrived at the end of 2000, he was an unknown quantity, but when he

When Killer scored that penalty in injury time, I think the whole crowd could feel that we were destined to win the league that year.

(unfortunately) departed 3 years later, we all knew what we'd lost - a wonderfully skillful footballer, a magician with the ball. However, a heart condition robbed us of a truly wonderous talent, but we'll always have that goal against Rijeka. 1998

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Dream Team

Formation: 4-4-1-1

Mick Banks BRENDAN CLARKE Clarkie is a great organiser at the back, and his distribution is second to none. Inspires confidence in the defence, and is always solid under crosses. GER O’BRIEN Ger was a great servant for the club, and was deservedly made captain. He really showed how to play to wingback position, with tireless energy driving the team on. COLIN HAWKINS The Hawk was tough tackling, but always kept a cool head in defence. Had a solid goalscoring records as well. DARRAGH MAGUIRE Darragh was another uncompromising defender, who played over 200 times for us. Solid as a rock. IAN BERMINGHAM Bermo is as dependable as the day is long. His runs down the wing are an essential part of the team. His goals are rare, but always something special!

KEITH FAHEY One of the best passers of a ball, able to hit a sixpence when he wanted. Was always able to find a yard of space, and get out of tight corners with his movement.

Brendan Clarke Goalkeeper

PAUL OSAM Always looked like everything was so easy, controlling the midfield, and shielding the back 4. The word Languid was invented for him! EDDIE GORMLEY Hagi was a player who did things you only dreamed about with a football, and is the heartbeat of this team, making everything tick with his pinpoint passing, but never afraid to stick the boot in as well.

Ger O’BRIEN Right Full Back

colin hawkins Centre Half

darragh maguire

Ian Bermingham

Centre Half

Left Full Back

CHARLES LIVINGSTONE MBABAZI With his pace, dribbling and trickery, Babaz was always such a nuisance to the opposition when he went at them. CHRIS FORRESTER Vision, skill, timing....and the goal against Rovers! What's not to love about Chris? CHRISTY FAGAN Since he came to the club, he showed us what a goalscorer looks like, and works tirelessly for the team, harrying the opposition defenders.

paul osam Keith Fahey

defensive midfield

Midfield

eddie gorm

ley

“charlie”

Midfield

RIGHT Midfield

Favourite Manager Brian Kerr It has to be The Greener not only what he did as a manager for us on the pitch, but all the stuff he did off it is what makes him a legend. 30

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Chris Forrester attacking midfield

Christy Faga n Centre Forw

ard

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Bohs 0 Pats 1

Coughlan 62 mins

Dalymount Park • 03 April 2021 • Premier Division Ronan O’Flaherty

Starting XI 1 Jaroš 2 Mountney 3 Bermingham 4 Bone 5 Desmond 6 Lennon 7 Benson 8 Forrester 10 Coughlan 12 Smith 17 Burns Subs 29 Barrett 15 King 11 McClelland

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

78 87 72

72 78 87

Pitchside Sponsors

Pensive PointsRonan O’Flaherty Jimmy Edwards

We would like to thank the following who have sponsored the club for the 2021 season...

@jimmyedwards41

Good Evening All, Welcome to Declan Devine and all from Derry City. The performances away to Rovers, home to

though he could shine in any position, Jaros has

Drogheda and away to Bohs were very

a really calm and reassuring presence in goal,

encouraging for the rest of the season.We were

Darragh Burns is full of energy and determi-

probably lucky to take a late lead with an OG in

nation and always impresses and Chris Forrester

Tallaght but unlucky in conceding a minute later,

has looked back to his best and has been

but a draw overall was a fair result. I thought we

excellent in the first three games.

were excellent against Drogheda and it would have felt like two points dropped if we didn't

Derry City are always a tough opponent home

score the late Billy King goal to get the win that

or away.The signings of David Parkhouse and

our overall play on the night deserved. It was

Danny Lafferty were great captures by the club

great to see Ronan Coughlan scoring a typical

because both of those players would have had

strikers goal by being in the right place at the

no shortage of clubs looking to sign them.

right time. Then last weekend away to Bohs was

Manager Declan Devine is a passionate Derry

another fantastic performance and another goal

man and i have no doubts he will have the club

for Ronan, which is great to see. We are starting

motoring again very soon (but hopefully not

to see just how good some of the new players

tonight)

really are. Matty Smith is a really exciting player going forward, Ronan Coughlan's hold up play

Enjoy the game.

and nose for goals is reminding me a bit of Christy Fagan, I think Sam Bone is a really good long range passer, John Mountney looks as

Up the Saints! Jimmy

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

Wordsearch Solution

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Find the Ball Solution

Hidden Gems

Ronan O’Flaherty

Damien Byrne

@DamienByrne92

There is nothing more exciting than the prospect of an unknown import signing for your club. A fair criticism of the league in recent times is the short term, bouncing around of seasoned pros. Although that seems to be shifting towards a more secure structure for players, the unknown signing always brings the most intrigue and excitement. As St Pat’s fans, we have had our fair amount of overseas excitement, one of the better players being Ryan Guy who we spoke to last week. I’ve decided to take a look at just a couple of the most eye-catching players to grace Richmond Park in my memory from abroad. You never know, we may even try to track them down for a chat this season too!

Charles Mbabzi Livingstone “Charlie” was a magician, simple as. The Ugandan international arrived in Dublin just before the millennium via ex-Wimbledon striker John Fashanu and his technical ability coupled with his obvious joy whilst on a football pitch captured the hearts of the Saints faithful. The Saints picked up a League Cup during Mbabzi’s time at the club and were cruelly denied a league title due to the registration issues with both Charlie and Paul Marney. The winger was also denied the opportunity to play in an FAI Cup Final v Longford in 2003 due to a heart condition which ultimately ended his professional career in Ireland prematurely. He did however manage to get back on a football pitch three years later in Vietnam, where he spent four years playing before eventually giving up the game for good in 2013. Management would follow however, spells with Bright Stars FC and the Somalian national team were brief and in recent years Mbabzi has manage several teams in Uganda. He left Kyetume FC in early March of this year.

Charlie

Richmond win against Elfsborg in 2008 to set up a Hertha Berlin glamour tie. Krylya Sovetov would fall in 2009 also, with Steaua Bucharest the reward that year. Partridge returned to the UK in 2010 and had spells with both Cambridge United and Thurrock before retiring. Joseph N’do

Trevor Wood

Dave Partridge

It’s fair to say we didn’t see the best of N’do in his two stints in a Pat’s shirt, for various reasons.

Trevor Wood

Dave Partridge

Wood was originally born in Jersey and made one senior appearance for Northern Ireland.

A full Welsh international Partridge spent two years with the Saints from 2008 to 2010.

St Pat’s however was his first stop in Ireland when he arrived from Swiss football. N’do featured in Irelands group at the 2002 World Cup with his native Cameroon.

Having played over 100 times in England for clubs such as Port Vale, Walsall and Hereford United, the goalkeeper arrived at St Pats in 1997. From that point on, Wood was a mainstay in the Saints goal for the next three years.

The centre back was 30 when he arrived and brought experience and steel to a Saints defence who impressed in the 2008 season but not the 2009 Jeff Kenna season.

The midfielder amassed 21 caps for his country and had a trophy-laden career in Ireland, stacking up four league titles, three FAI Cups, two league cups and a Setanta Cup.

Partridge had previously impressed in Scotland with Dundee United and Motherwell, along with spells south of the border with Bristol City & MK Dons.

N’do also won two African Cup of Nations title with Cameroon prior to his arrival at St Pat’s and picked up a PFAI player of the year accolade in 2016.

Having won two league titles with the club, one of the standout moments in Wood’s time at the Saints was keeping a clean sheet in Celtic Park in 1998. The Saints would lose 2-0 in the return leg however the first leg draw is considered one of the clubs best European results. Wood retired after his Saints stint.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

The era of 2008/2009 was a particularly impressive time for the Saints in Europe, and Partridge was instrumental in that. He featured in a famous

A brief caretaker stint with Sligo has been followed with involvement with the Mayo League, bringing the Cameroonian’s stay in Ireland to

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

over 16 years and counting as of 2020. Others worthy of a mention from overseas for me would be the likes of Dave Rogers, Jamie Harris and Ian Gilzean, however all the above had some League of Ireland experience before joining the Saints. Tony Bird is also worthy of a mention and we spoke to the Welshman two years ago in The Saint. I plan to talk to as many explayers as I can over the course of the season, if you have any players from the past you would like us to track down for a chat, overseas or otherwise, give us a shout on Twitter with your suggestions and we’ll see what we can do!

Joseph N’do

Patron Saints This scheme is a special and unique initiative aimed at ALL St Patrick’s Athletic fans... The main aim is to aid the long-term development of this great football club. We firmly believe for any LOI Club to be successful, it needs the fans to play a huge part. As it’s your club, we are urging all fans, where possible, to join the scheme today. For the past few years the Patron Saints have run: • The St Patrick’s Athletic Awards Night • Santa Claus visit to Richmond • The Hano Cup These were all fundraised through Golden Goals, raffles and innovative events such as snail racing.

Projects the Patron Saints have contribute to: • Emmet Road Mural • U19s Team Kit • Heart Monitoring Equipment • Media Room Renovation • West Stand Repairs • Club Shop • Grounds Keeping Equipment • Strength and Conditioning Equipment.

Benefits of joining the Patron Saints: • Badge & Membership Card • Priority access to Match tickets • Voting rights on what projects Patron Saints funds will go on • Twice yearly meeting with club officials

• Discounts on most Patron run events • Free annual raffle for player signed jersey sponsored by the Patron Saints • Free annual raffle for a set of signed programmes of the season

TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP GOLD MEMBERSHIP

€10 per week | €40 per month | €480 per year

SILVER MEMBERSHIP

€5 per week | €20 per month | €240 per year

BRONZE MEMBERSHIP

€5 per week | €60 per year

For more information or to sign up: email stpatssc@gmail.com, go to facebook.com/spafcpatronsaints or pop by the Patron Saints desk in the club shop on match nights. 2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

39 39

10 in a Row Seán Brennan

@SBahnManc

With Juventus still in the hunt for a 10th successive Serie A title, we take a look at previous great achievers across the continent. That Juve could potentially achieve a decade of dominance is not massively surprising. They are the biggest club in the country and have seen their main rivals struggle through a period of mediocrity. Meanwhile in Bulgaria, heavily financed Ludogorets sit top of the league, closing in on their 10th championship in succession. Following some research, it seems 10 leagues in a row can be achieved by cash, questionable politics, weak opponents, or sometimes excellent management and long term vision. A combination of at least the first three was to be found in the Moldovan Premier Division. Sheriff Tiraspol swept up the titles from 2001 to 2010, without ever breaking into the Champions League group stages. Owned by the Sheriff Conglomerate, who operate everything from bread factories to mobile phone networks in the breakaway province of Transdnistria, they enjoy strong financial backing and political influence in Europe’s poorest country. Dinamo Zagreb are another club with a possible asterix on their records. The 1967 UEFA Cup winners dominated Croatia from 2006 until 2016, and following an interruption from NK Rijeka, have won the previous 3 titles again.

40 40

While it’s not surprising that a club which sells players such as Luca Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, and Mario Mandžukić would be able to assume themselves at the top of the division, financial irregularities linked to former executive director Zdravko Mamić hang over their success. Having profited from the privatisation of a state firm, Mamić entered football leadership and found a home at Dinamo. Fond of making enemies, he has had heated confrontations with both journalists and the club’s Bad Blue Boys ultras, as well as having gone through 15 different managers in his 13 year reign. Since his departure he has survived an assassination attempt, been sentenced to 6 years prison for transfer fraud and is currently at large and under an international arrest warrant. Dynamo Berlin are another example of questionable methods. Dominating the 1980s in East Germany, the club historically benefitted from players being redelegated to them from provincial clubs. Of further assistance was that the Deutsche Demokratische Republik used the club for the aim of promoting socialist success on a European scale. With Stasi head Erich Mielke as honorary president, accusations of referee bias were also ripe. Nonetheless, their youth academy produced many top players, and much like accusations often thrown at Juventus of

Luca Modrić

favourable structures, one needs to have a decent team to win so many leagues. Dynamo’s dominance was ended in 1989 by their Dresden namesakes, then the wall fell and Dynamo full even further, down to the regional 4th division. Not every all-conquering club has controversy surrounding them. Skonto Riga benefitted from having the visionary Alexanders Starkovs as manager for most of their 13 league victories. He also led Latvia to their only appearance at a major tournament in Euro 2004, where a squad including 7 Skonto players gave respectable performances, including a 0-0 draw with Germany. His departure to Spartak Moscow in 2006 coincided with a decline in Skonto’s fortunes, the club eventually going bankrupt in 2016.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Staying in the former Soviet sphere, Borisov Automobile & Tractor Electronics, better known as BATE won 13 league titles up to 2018. A long term vision, sustainable development and strong leadership have been their key to success. Manager Viktor Goncharenko helped fulfil the dreams of his football mad father, an engineer who suffered an untimely death following the Chernobyl disaster. Goncharenko oversaw 6 league titles and guided BATE into the promised land of the Champions League, where they would become semi-regular participants, most notably defeating Bayern Munich in 2013. Off the field, president Anatoli Kapski pursued a policy of local youth development and rejuvenation, remarking once: “We will not bring stars here that would look down on our young team”. Although Karpski died of long term health issues in 2018 at the age of 52, the club remains true to his ideals and continue to represent Belarusian football at the higher levels of European competition. Much discussed in noughties Irish football was the ‘Rosenberg Effect’, where if a team (at that time

BATE Borisov v Dundalk - July 2016

considered to be Shelbourne) could qualify for the Champions League, their success would become selfperpetuating with repeat qualifications. Such was the exact model of the Trondheim club’s glory years, qualifying for the Champions League in 11 of their 13 successive attempts. AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid were all defeated during this period, and they followed an attractive total football system under manager Nils Arne Eggen. Other 10 in a row clubs include Lincoln Red Imps, who don’t have much competition in Gibraltar, as well as Dinamo Tbilisi and Pynuik Yerevan in Georgia and Armenia respectfully. MTK Budapest directly after World War 1 also achieved this feat. Special congratulations go to women’s club SFK Sarajevo, who have won the last 18 championships in Bosnia.

Shelbourne v Rosenborg - July 2000

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

A notable trend is that lower level leagues are where such dominance can emerge, which is surely a warning for us in the League of Ireland. An oligarch investment in Wexford Youths, the state security forces becoming a patron of Longford Town, or even Cobh Ramblers developing solid foundations and a long term strategy could be enough to replicate the successes of past European dynamos.

41 41

Quiz Time Kieran Coughlan

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

THE SAINTS

MARCHING ON

42 42

WWW.MIG.IE

Which two players scored a hat-trick in the Premier Division last year?

Name the six players that made their competitive debuts for St Pat's against Rovers in the opening game of the season?

Who scored the winning goal in the Champions League final last season?

Name the four Germans that have played for three or more Premier League clubs?

Which three Dublin clubs did St Pat's defeat to reach the final of the 1980 FAI Cup?

Who scored four goals in a Premier League game last season?

Who is the last player from Northern Ireland to score at a World Cup tournament?

In which city did Northern Ireland defeat the hosts Spain at the 1982 World Cup?

Who is the only goalkeeper to win six English league titles for a single club?

Which current Premier League ground is also known asthe Falmer Stadium?

Answers Q.1 Graham Burke, Daniel Grant. Q.2 Vitezslav Jaros, Ronan Coughlan, Matty Smith, Sam Bone, Paddy Barrett, John Mountney. Q.3 Kingsley Coman. Q.4 Thomas Hitzlsperger, Dietmar Hamann, Christian Ziege, Robert Huth. Q.5 Home Farm, Transport, Bohemians. Q.6 Michail Antonio. Q.7 Colin Clarke. Q.8 Valencia. Q.9 Bruce Grobbelaar. Q.10 AMEX stadium Brighton.

McCarthy Insurance Group

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

43 43

Soccer Writers’ Awards

Ronan O’Flaherty

Sean Creedon

Soccer Writers first banquet held 60 years ago I’m sure you all know that life can be difficult for players, managers and supporters of League of Ireland clubs as every week we have to compete with the massive pull of English football, especially the Premiership. But life goes on in our domestic league and while attendances may be nothing like they were in the fifties, sixties and early seventies, every club has their own loyal core of supporters. The League of Ireland commenced in September 1921 and in the early days it got great coverage in the Irish newspapers, but it would be 40 years before a Soccer Writers’ Association would be formed. The inaugural meeting of the Soccer Writers’ Association (SWAI) was held in a pub, the Confession Box in Marlborough Street, Dublin in early 1960. At that time the pub, which is located near the Pro-Cathedral, was owned by former Bohemians star Mick O’Flanagan. A plaque upstairs in the pub marks that momentous event in 1960.

At an EGM earlier this year the writers officially changed the name of their association to ‘Soccer Writers Ireland.’ At first membership was restricted to the ‘number one’ writers on the national newspapers, now there are over 70 members. The only surviving founder member is George King, who was sports editor of the Sunday Independent back then. The first-ever banquet was held in the Maples Hotel, Glasnevin on May 8, 1961 where Dan McCaffrey was the first winner of the Personality of the Year award. The huge trophy that you see in photographs every year was not presented until 1964 and McCaffrey, who had scored 28 goals for Drumcondra in the 196061 season, had to make do with a watch. During that season the Tyrone-born forward had scored five goals in games against Bohemians and Sligo Rovers and was known as

Dan McCaffrey (Drumcondra) receives the first ever SWAI Personality of the Year prize - a watch - from Association President Bill Murphy at the inaugural banquet in The Maples Hotel, Glasnevin. May, 1961.

‘Dangerous Dan.’ The PFAI has their own awards dedicated to the players, but the winner of the Soccer Writers’ Personality of the Year can be a player, manager or administrator. Normally the winner comes from the top scorer in the premier division or the manager of the team that wins the premier division. To date former FAI Secretary Joe Wickham is the only person outside of a manager or player to be presented with the award; Mr Wickham was the winner in 1964. Players and managers from St Patrick’s Athletic have won five times: Damien Byrne (1990), Brian Kerr (1996), Pat Dolan (1998), Paul Osam (1999) and Liam Buckley (2013). Alan Mathews was a winner with Longford Town in 2003 and Buckley also won the award when he was manager of Sporting Fingal in 2009. Other winners with two different clubs include Paul Doolin (UCD and Drogheda), Pat Byrne (Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne) and Jim McLaughlin, who was a winner with three different clubs: Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Derry City. Pat Fenlon won the award twice with Shelbourne and Stephen Kenny was a winner three times with Dundalk. Six former Republic of Ireland managers have won: Liam Tuohy, Mick Meagan, Seán Thomas, Johnny Giles, Eoin Hand and Brian Kerr. Former Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill was also a winner and the current managers of the two international teams on this island, Stephen Kenny and Ian Baraclough, are also past winners.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

The list also includes Al Finucane, the player who holds the record for most league appearances (634) and Brendan Bradley, the all-time record goal scorer with 235 goals. In the 1971-72 season the Soccer Writers’ broke new ground when the player of the month awards were introduced and Mick Leech, then with Shamrock Rovers, was the first monthly winner in September 1971. The other monthly winners that season were: October, Vinny Maguire (Waterford), November, Jackie Morley (Waterford), December, Terry Harkin (Finn Harps), January, Miah Dennehy (Cork Hibernians), February, Alfie Hale (Waterford), March, Turlough O’Connor (Bohemians) and Miah Dennehy again in April. The first St Pat’s player to win a

monthly award was Seán Byrne in September 1976. The Inchicore native emigrated to New Zealand with whom he won five caps. He later moved to Australia where he was player-manager of Morwall, near Sydney. In 2000 Sean was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and sadly died three years later aged 48. In recent years the number of awards have increased and there is now a Goalkeeper of the Year award and a Special Merit award. The Soccer Writers also recognise the Website of the Year winner and the best Public Relations Officer in the league. The latter awards are normally presented at the Christmas drinks party, which in recent years has returned to the Confession Box in Marlborough Street. The banquet has been held in Cork and Dundalk

in recent years and there are plans to move the annual awards dinner to new locations in future years. Last year Covid-19 meant that the annual award could not be held. So the awards were presented via a virtual event where current Soccer Writers’ president Tony O’Donoghue presented the famous award to Jack Byrne of Shamrock Rovers. Rovers also took the Goalkeeper of the Year award, which was won by Alan Mannus. The impressive trophy was designed by Eddie de Raymonth and was part of a new sponsorship deal with John Player in 1974. In subsequent years the various sponsors of the League of Ireland also sponsored the banquet.

Full list of winners of Soccer Writers’ Personality of the Year award: 2020: Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rvrs) 2019: Vinny Perth (Dundalk) 2018: Stephen Kenny (Dundalk) 2017: John Caulfield (Cork City) 2016: Stephen Kenny (Dundalk) 2015: Richie Towell (Dundalk) 2014: Stephen Kenny (Dundalk) 2013: Liam Buckley (St Patrick’s Ath) 2012: Ian Baraclough (Sligo Rovers) 2011: Michael O’Neill (Shamrock Rvrs) 2010: Paul Cook (Sligo Rovers) 2009: Liam Buckley (Sporting Fingal) 2008: Owen Heary (Bohemians) 2007: Paul Doolin (Drogheda Utd) 2006: Pat Fenlon (Shelbourne) 2005: Damien Richardson (Cork City) 2004: Pat Fenlon (Shelbourne) 2003: Alan Mathews (Longford Town) 02/03: Glen Crowe (Bohemians) 2002: Paul Doolin (UCD) 2001: Glen Crowe (Bohemians)

2000: Dermot Keely (Shelbourne) 1999: Paul Osam (St Patrick’s Ath) 1998: Pat Dolan (St Patrick’s Ath) 1997: Peter Hutton (Derry City) 1996: Brian Kerr (St Patrick’s Ath) 1995: Liam Coyle (Derry City) 1994: Stephen Geoghegan (Sham Rvrs) 1993: Pat Morley (Cork City 1992: Pat Byrne (Shelbourne) 1991: Peter Hanrahan (Dundalk) 1990: Damien Byrne (St Patrick’s Ath) 1989: Jim McLaughlin (Derry City) 1988: Terry Eviston (Dundalk) 1987: Mick Byrne (Shamrock Rvrs) 1986: Liam O’Brien (Shamrock Rvrs) 1985: Pat Byrne (Shamrock Rvrs) 1984: Jim McLaughlin (Shamrock Rvrs) 1983: Noel Larkin (Athlone Town) 1982: Tommy McConville (Dundalk) 1981: Turlough O’Connor (Athlone Town) 1980: Eoin Hand (Limerick United)

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

1979: Jim McLaughlin (Dundalk) 1978: Johnny Giles (Shamrock Rvrs) 1977: Mick Smyth (Bohemians) 1976: Brendan Bradley (Finn Harps) 1975: Johnny Fullam (Bohemians) 1974: Paul O’Donovan (Cork Celtic) 1973: Alfie Hale (Waterford) 1972: Dave Bacuzzi (Cork Hibernians) 1971: Mick Meagan (Drogheda) 1970: Peter Thomas (Waterford) 1969: Mick Leech (Shamrock Rvrs) 1968: Johnny Fullam (Shamrock Rvrs) 1967: Al Finucane (Limerick) 1966: Liam Tuohy (Shamrock Rvrs) 1965: Seán Thomas (Bohemians) 1964: Joe Wickham (FAI Secretary) 1963: Willie Browne (Bohemians) 1962: Tommy Hamilton (Shamrock Rvrs) 1961: Dan McCaffrey (Drumcondra)

Club History @dlooney

Dermot Looney

1940-41: The Year We Won The Cup – for the first time... Just ten years in competitive

newspaper ink with more

are no records in the papers

football, 1940/41 was when

traditional summer sports

of any scoreline.

St Patrick’s Athletic side

such as Gaelic games. However, it is in Cup football

sprang to national prominence for the first

By season’s end Pat’s,

where the Saints truly made

time.

Grangegorman and Home

their mark in 1940/41. They

Farm had finished in a three-

reached the semi-final of the

Playing again in Division II of

way tie on top of the league

Leinster Junior Cup but were

the Leinster League, the Saints

on 41 points. Not reverting to

defeated 3-0 by CYMS in a

took on familiar foes included

goal difference or goal

replay. The Athletic were

defending champions

average, the League

knocked out of the Johnson

Hammond Lane, Midland

Management Committee

Cup, the League Cup for the

Athletic, Queen’s Park, Ierne,

decided on a convoluted test

Leinster League Division II, in

Grangegorman, Clontarf,

match (playoff) system where

the second round. But they

Home Farm, St James’ Gate C,

the winners of Pat’s v

found success in the blue

Bohs C, GSR, Imperial

Grangegorman would play

riband of Irish junior football,

Tobacco Co, and Richmond

Home Farm for the title.

the FAI Junior Cup.

co-tenants St Paul’s.

“Soccer at this time of year

The league season was a

seems strange,” the Herald

On November 9th, as the front

noted.

pages announced the appointment of John Charles

positive one for the Saints but with daily newspapers

Pat’s lost 3-2 to

McQuaid as Archbishop of

reduced to as few as four

Grangegorman on July 1st at

Dublin – a man who was to

pages due to the wartime

Milltown, with Grangegorman

have his run-ins with the

restrictions, it is difficult to

beating Home Farm 4-3 the

football fraternity in the years

track all their games. Indeed,

following Sunday to claim the

ahead – Patrick’s took to the

the season proper ran to the

title. A report in the Irish Press

field against Symco in Round

end of June (much later than

on July 7th noted that Pat’s

One. Their route to the final

the usual May finish), leaving

were then due to play Home

was as follows.

the Leinster League

Farm in the match for the

competing for precious

runners-up medals but there

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Round One: St Patrick’s Athletic 4 Symco 1 (Walsh 2, Lanigan, Brogan)

Round Five: Bradmola St Patrick’s Athletic 2 (Dempsey, Brogan)

Round Two: Postal Services 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 3 (Lanigan 2, Weldon)

The two goalscorers and Lanigan were credited with outstanding performances by the Herald’s J.C.

Round Three: GSR 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 3 (Lanigan 2, Dempsey)

Quarter Final: St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Belvue 3 (Brogan, Keogh, Dempsey)

The two sides played out a “dour Inchicore derby,” according to J.C. in the Herald, who stated that Keogh, Delamere, Mulally and Morgan “attracted for Athletic.”

Delamere, Dempsey, Markey and Walsh were most prominent for Patrick’s, according to J.C. in the Herald.

Round Four: St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Home Farm 1 (Brogan, Dempsey) “The winning goal came from a free-kick just twenty yards out, being powerfully driven home by Dempsey, who, at centrehalf, was the outstanding player on the field,” noted J.C. in the Herald.

Semi Final: Rockville 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 3 (O’Rourke, Lanigan, Dempsey pen) “Excellent defensive play and some splendid shooting were fine features of an always interesting struggle,” wrote J.C. in the following Tuesday’s Herald, who noted that Rockville were unlucky not to secure a draw.

Quarter Final Replay: Belvue 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 2

On November 9th, as the

(Lanigan 2)

front pages announced the appointment of John

Lanigan’s first was a powerful drive in the 51st minute, with “another unsavable shot” six minutes later putting the Saints two up. Cummins, Keogh, Lanigan and Walsh were outstanding for Pat’s, according to J.C.

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Charles McQuaid as Archbishop of Dublin – a man who was to have his run-ins with the football fraternity in the years ahead – Patrick’s took to the field against Symco in Round One.

Club History @dlooney

Dermot Looney

1940-41: The Year We Won The Cup – for the first time... Pat’s faced Galway Bohemians in the 18th FAI

“While the Galway lads pirouetted and pivoted

Junior Cup final on Easter Monday, April 14th at

and pranced and tried to play football on a

3.30pm in Dalymount Park. It was the first time a

treacherous pitch, St Patrick’s cut and slashed to

Galway side had reached the final but it was to

deal out heavy punishment and made the ball

be the Dublin side who lifted the trophy with a 2-

do all the work for them.”

0 win. J.S. was impressed by several Pat’s players, Pat’s first came from Dempsey after Markey’s

noting the “urge of Dessie Dempsey, the

cross was punched out by the Galway Bohs

eagerness of W Doyle and the tenacity of M

keeper. The second was a “great low drive,”

Morgan - even if the pivot did sometimes seek

according to the report in the Irish Press, twenty

sanctuary in the kick to touch.” “The Athletic

minutes from time, scored by Brogan.

forwards,” he noted, “profited from a really good half-back service.”

It was a disappointing game, according to J.C. in the Herald, although St Patrick’s deserved their

“Mulally and Delamere seldom left their goal

victory, “putting greater dash into their work.”

unprotected” while “the best forward on the

Mullally, Delamere, Dempsey and Smee

field was H Markey whose suave control, darting

impressed J.C. The Irish Press noted that T Lee,

raids and deadly marksmanship always dragged

the Galway Bohs left-half, was the most polished

him under the spotlight.” Credit was also given

player on show, but credited Smee and Markey

to his partner, E Smee, and the right-winger

as a brilliant left-wing pairing for Pat’s, as well as

Lanigan, who proved themselves “energetic,

defenders Mullally and Dempsey.

powerful and profitable.” Markey and Smee had “astute feint, silky touch and elegance” while

J.S. in the Connacht Tribune gave a more

O’Rourke and Brogan were “rhythmic and

detailed match report. He didn’t mince his words

positively dainty.”

Season Statistics

Wrong Type of Game and Lost” was the

Lanigan had finished the season as top scorer

headline, while the match report noted that Bohs

with at least 34 goals to his name, made all the

League position: 2nd or 3rd (having finished joint 1st on points) Played 26 Won 19 Drew 1 Lost 6 Goals For 94 Goals Against 43

“must have been about ninety per cent below

more remarkable given that it seems that he

par on this display. Their lack of enterprise, with

began his Pat’s career as a goalkeeper.

on the Galway Bohs performance. “Played

Cup record:

FAI Junior Cup Winners, Leinster Junior Cup SF, Johnson Cup 2R

everything to gain, was pathetic.”

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Captain for the night, Keith Fahey, shoots to score the opening goal of the game for St Pats v Derry City at Richmond Park last night.

Stephen Bennett@stebenn15

Eircom League Premier Division RTE - Tuesday, 11 November, 2008

ST PATRICK'S ATH 2 DERRY CITY 1 St Patrick's Athletic secured second place in the Premier Division table with a hard fought 2-1 win over Derry City at Richmond Park. Taking a free kick one minute, and

and into the bottom left corner of

consolation for Derry in the third

was little for the dismal, end of

then darting to the corner ahead of

Ger Doherty's net.

minute of injury time which proved

season, crowd to get excited about

his team-mates to take a corner;

early on.

and sliding in to keep a ball in play

Doherty then prevented Pat's from

the last kick of the game.

when the average player would

going two up as the clock hit 45

Derry must settle for third in the

Derry's Billy Dennehy picked up a

have seen it as a lost cause. How

minutes when he pushed Guy's

table and an appearance in this

yellow card on four minutes for a

they will miss him when he is gone.

shot over the bar.

month's FAI Cup final against

later Lynch had recovered to blast

Pat's did have the slight upper

The rain eased off for the second

Fenlon,

a shot high over the crossbar while

hand and one of their best moves

half and Pat's continued to have

spectator.

Barry Molloy should have done

of the match came on 34 minutes

the best of the play in the second

better for Derry with his effort on

when Jason Gavin's clearance from

period. Apart from a Molloy chance

15. The drizzle turned into a

the back was headed on by Mark

there was little for the visiting fans

horrendous downpour around the

Quigley for Ryan Guy to chase. The

to cheer. One highlight was a

twenty minute mark, leading to the

Derry defence saw the potential in

blistering Kevin Derry shot on 64

surface becoming very slippy and

the attack and Guy was soon

minutes but Barry Ryan was well

the play sloppy.

outnumbered.

placed in the Pat's goal to make the

tackle on Damien Lynch. A minute

The St Pats players show their solidarity after a difficult week for the club at last night’s match versus Derry City at Richmond Park.

Keith Fahey, playing in possible his last home game for Pat's before his expected move to England, opened

of the win with a penalty on 84. Mark Farren netted a consolation in injury time.

the scoring on the stroke of half time and Mark Quigley made sure

In a slight west-east drizzle, there

Bohemians, whose manager Pat

save. The one bright mark on the pitch

Pat's continued the pressure and

was the performance of Pat's

deservedly took the lead on 39

Quigley made sure of the win on 84

captain for the night, Fahey. Soon

minutes when Fahey played a one-

minutes from the penalty spot

to depart for whichever English

two with Alan Kirby from a short

after Fahey's flick had glanced off

club's bid is accepted, Fahey had a

corner and then curled a rasping

the arm of Mark McChrystal before

great night.

shot through the Derry defence

Farren

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

netted

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

range

was

interested

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC Ryan, Partridge, Lynch, O’Cearuill, Rogers, Gavin, Kirby, Fahey, O'Brien (Bialek 84), Guy, Quigley. DERRY CITY Doherty, McCallion, Hutton (Morrow 76), McChrystal, Higgins, McHugh, Dennehy (McGinn h/t), Deery, Molloy (Farren 65), Delaney, Stewart. REFEREE R. Winter.

Local Heroes Theo Foley Stephen Bennett

@stebenn15

Foley, then 23 and an accomplished right-full, became an integral part of the most famous chapter in Northampton's history with the Cobblers enjoying two more promotions and eventually rising to the top flight of English football by 1965.

In a new series, The Saint celebrates the local heroes who have made an indelible mark on the national and international sporting scene down through the decades. These men and women - all born in the environs of Richmond Park - have excelled in their chosen sport and are remembered fondly both here in Ireland and further afield. Our first Local Hero is the late Theo Foley - the Ireland international footballer who was born in Inchicore and went on to have a stellar coaching career, most famously at Arsenal, after his playing days in England had finished... When news of Theo Foley's passing in June 2020 came to light, the flood of tributes that followed were as varied, geographically, as they were plentiful. Theo, it is fair to say, was well liked among his peers and supporters alike, and he always kept Inchicore close to his heart. Born on April 2, 1937, Theo lived on Inchicore Road with Richmond Park visible from his house. In his 2018 autobiography, 'Theo Give Us A Ball' written in conjunction with his son Paul - Theo described having 'Richer' within eyeshot as: "This was like Wembley. Growing up with a football stadium as a backdrop, football seeped into my blood and stayed there."

Foley during his playing days at Northampton

His earliest dalliance with the 'Beautiful Game' came when he joined a local schoolboy club Richmond Rangers. My own Dad was a teammate of his and always spoke glowingly of him and the epic games they encountered. Theo's obvious talents brought him to the attention of Home Farm, the famous Dublin nursery from where so many of Ireland's top footballers have flown the nest for England. Shining as a schoolboy in the blue and white hoops, it wasn't long before England club scouts came calling for the naturally-gifted defender.

To supplement his income, Theo who became Northampton captain, ran a pie and chips shop in the town. Despite making 220 appearances for the Town during this time, sadly, a long-standing knee injury scuppered his top flight career and also hampered his international ambitions. Theo won nine Republic of Ireland caps between 1964 and 1967 with his most notable appearance in the green shirt coming in the ill-fated 1965 World Cup qualifying play-off against Spain in Paris where he marked the famous Luis Suarez out of the game and claimed his jersey afterwards. In his obituary to Theo last year, David Kelly (an ardent St Pat's supporter and regular contributor to The Saint), writing in the Irish Independent,

The difficult yet obvious decision had to be made and it was to Exeter City - then in the old English Division 3 (South) - where he made his move as an 18-year-old back in 1955. After five seasons and 155 appearances (including one goal) at the 'other' St James' Park, Theo moved to Northampton Town, a team that had just won promotion from Division 4, but also a team that was on the rise. One of his 9 Ireland caps against Belgium

Theo Foley is pictured during his time as manager of Charlton Athletic

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Local Heroes Theo Foley Stephen Bennett

@stebenn15

Theo's tour of the stadium brought us onto the pitch and I had not witnessed a more perfect surface in all my young life. Scoring an imaginary goal at the Clock End was a career highlight for me.

manager of the south London club in March 1970 after the sacking of Italian coach Eddie Firmani. With Charlton a firm fixture in the second tier of English football, the club's descent into the third Division under Foley in 1972 didn't help his cause and the occupational hazard of the sack fell at his door in April 1974. He wasn't short of new offers, however, and he soon joined another London club Millwall as assistant boss before becoming Terry Venables' Number 2 at QPR.

Theo checks the pies at Northampton Chicken shop

had a number of interesting anecdotes that threw some light on Theo Foley, the professional footballer and proud Inchicorean.

Hennessy at Inchicore's Oblates Church to thank the man who first spotted his talents and recommended him for a trial with Burnley.

One was that on the afternoon of his marriage to Sheila in 1960, he played for Exeter in a win over Crystal Palace and his honeymoon in the Lake District also included two league games!

After a stint at Charlton Athletic in the 1967-68 season where he made only six appearances, Theo sought a move into coaching - a field where he arguably became just as famous.

Another was that Theo, on his annual return home to Dublin, would meet up with Bill

First becoming assistant manager at Charlton, Theo took over as first team

Ironically, it was Venables who made more St Patrick's Athletic appearances than Foley after the Londoner's stint at the end of his playing days in 1976! It was Theo's association with George Graham that would bring him the most fame in his coaching career. After rejoining Millwall to work with Graham in the 1982, Graham brought his righthand man with him to Arsenal in 1986 where the pairing famously steered the Gunners

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Foley left Arsenal in 1990 to try his luck on the managerial frontline again - an approach from his old club Northampton too good to turn down. In the dugout with George Graham

to the First Division title in 1989 on the final day of the season against Liverpool in Anfield. Liverpool, who just needed a draw to win the title, were stunned by Mickey Thomas' late winner and the celebrations afterwards featured plenty of images of Theo enjoying the unlikeliest of league wins.

Further stints at Fulham, Southend (under Ronnie Whelan) and another link-up with Graham at Tottenham Hotspur followed. Altogether it was a stellar footballing and coaching career for the Inchicore man who sadly passed away on June 26, 2020 at the age of 83.

It was during his time at Arsenal that my Dad finally delivered on a promise - to bring me and my brother over to see his old friend 'Theo.' As we holidayed most summers in my aunt's house in Tottenham, back in 1987 he took us by Tube to Highbury where we made our way to the famous ground which was closed due to the fact that it was in the off-season. With only a small office open, my Dad enquired as to if Theo might, by any chance, be there. A quick phone call and a half an hour later, a car pulled up outside the Marble Halls, and out he came to greet us. 2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Theo celebrates Arsenal's 1989 Division 1 title win at Anfield with goal hero Mickey Thomas

Club Shop

Ronan O’Flaherty

https://supersaintsstore.com/

Home Jersey Small Youths to 4XL

Staff Match Day Jacket Small Youths to 3XL

50 65

@karl_pats

Home Walk Out Jacket Small Youths to 4XL

Home Warm Up Jersey Small Youths to 4XL

50 65

Away Jersey Small Youths to 4XL

Red Training Jersey

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Small Youths to 3XL

50 65

White Training Jersey Small to 3XL

Navy Training Jersey

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Small to 3XL

35 57

A View from Afar

Ronan O’Flaherty

Ian Templeman

@iantemplemanloi

Like many others in the past year, I have taken the opportunity when having more spare time on my hands to read a bit more, and as a result I’ve regularly been searching for a bargain or two in online bookshops. I have to admit that although I am always on the lookout for something a little bit different, I am pretty onedimensional in my choice of reading, with football books topping my preference lists.

firm handshakes, or no celebrations at all, which until fairly recently was the case in rugby union. And it’s not as if there were halcyon days of celebrations either, because if you watch old footage of goals scored in the 60s and 70s, some of the

I was attracted recently by a book called “Gooaal! The Joy of Football Celebrations” by Tony Rickson, which explores and revisits the various ways in which footballers have marked the exhilarating moments after scoring a goal.

celebrations look just as daft as some of the modern ones, and this is a subject that is touched on by Tony Rickson in his book.

In these pages in the past, I have aired my opinions on modern day goal celebrations, and to return to the subject again, I will state here and now that I am no fan of the earcupping, badge-bashing, cameramugging, thumb-sucking, the incredibly irritating finger to the mouth - and in particular kneesliding – celebrations that are sadly commonplace today. In the case of knee sliding, when I watch a player doing that, it often makes me wonder if the guy who leaves muddy tracks on the pitch from a knee slide ever gets in the ear after the game from the groundsman, who has to carry out hitherto unnecessary repair work afterwards as a result. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating a return to old fashioned

He makes reference to the celebrations following England’s goals in the 1966 World Cup Final, where the scorer would take a little leap and put one or both arms in the air. In the case of Geoff Hurst, some time ago I had noticed that his celebration was decidedly odd after he scored the first of his three goals. He throws both arms in the air, then drops them straight down by his side and jumps, keeping his arms straight down in the same position, and bringing his knees up to his chest. I’m sure that probably looked a bit odd in 1966, and looks utterly bizarre now. Coming back to the present day, I may be in grumpy old man mode here, but I do feel that these days there seems to be a sort of “look at me, aren’t I wonderful” type of undertone to modern day goal celebrations, with new original ones

becoming more infrequent, and that is a point that is brought home as you make your way through Tony Rickson’s analysis of the art, if it can be called that. The book actually begins with a description of Paul Gascoigne’s goal celebration after scoring for England against Scotland in Euro 96, and as a born and bred Scot I think you will forgive me for glossing over that one. But for someone of my advancing years, a trawl through the book brings back many memories of players and goal celebrations from the past, and many I can picture in my mind’s eye. Here’s a few for starters, see how many of these you remember.……Jurgen Klinsmann’s self-mocking dive when he scored on his debut for Spurs, Cameroon’s Roger Milla doing his snake hips dance at the corner flag during Italia 90, Peter Crouch’s robot dance after scoring for England, and probably most memorably of all, former Republic of Ireland coach Marco Tardelli absolutely losing it when he scored for Italy in the 1982 World Cup final. To quote from the book, Tony Rickson describes Tardelli’s reaction as follows: “Caught up in the moment he just raced away, fists clenched, tear-stained face taut with

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

a manic expression, probably becoming the first man in history to heartlessly brush aside excited team mates as if they’d had nothing to do with it. Many reckoned it was the most goosebump-worthy goal celebration ever. His was a great example of the involuntary celebration. Tardelli never planned it that way, the moment just overtook him”. It is certainly one of the most exuberant celebrations of a goal I can remember seeing. Looking back over the years, probably one celebration I remember most vividly was the one performed by the former Southampton, Manchester City and England striker Mick Channon who used to celebrate what was coined a “windmill celebration”. Basically, when he ran away celebrating after scoring he would whirl his right arm round in a circle. For younger readers who don’t remember Channon, who is now a well-known racehorse trainer, it sounds a bit daft trying to explain that in written form, but as an early teens football fan in the 70s I remember thinking it looked quite cool at the time, and even now, I reckon it’s a good example of how to celebrate jubilantly without looking utterly ridiculous. Coming back to the present day, one person whose goal celebrations I generally approve of is Luis Suarez, now with Atletico Madrid. It’s fair to say that his sportsmanship has been questioned in the past, but over the past year I have been watching a

fair amount of Spanish football, and what I like about the Suarez celebration style after scoring is that he invariably and fairly quickly acknowledges a team-mate who has played him through on goal to create the goalscoring chance for him. It is a continual source of annoyance to me when watching a game, where some good build up play creates a simple tap in for someone, and the scorer then takes off to salute the crowd as if he had scored a worldie, and at the same time shows no recognition for the guys who set the chance up for him in the first place. Bringing this subject closer to home and up to date, I have carried out a totally unscientific analysis of St Patrick’s Athletic goal celebrations in the first couple of weeks of the season, and I am pleased to report that I have liked what I have seen so far. At Tallaght Stadium on the opening night, Robbie Benson simply waited for his team mates to join him in a group celebratory huddle after his deflected shot had given Pats the lead.

months. Don’t take all the glory yourself, don’t wind up the opposition or their fans and don’t irritate the groundsman by performing a knee slide. There’s no need. Just enjoy the moment with your team-mates, and when spectators are back by all means share your jubilation with the fans. Please don’t start indulging in celebrations where you end up looking like your favourite uncle getting up on the dancefloor at a wedding after enjoying a few pints of Guinness, and trying to do a John Travolta impersonation. There’s no need. Just enjoy the moment - and we will enjoy it with you.

Just over a week later at home to Drogheda United, both Ronan Coughlan and Billy King adopted a similar approach by celebrating in traditional style with all their team-mates, and guys, can I just say that I hope this has set the standard for what we all hope will be many celebrations in the coming

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

Light Up Your Nights

Player Apps & Goals 2021 League of Ireland

Total

Start

Sub

App

Start

Sub

App

Start

Sub

App

Vítězslav Jaroš

John Mountney

Ian Bermingham

Sam Bone

Lee Desmond

Jamie Lennon

Robbie Benson

Chris Forrester

Nahum Marvin-Lambert

Ronan Coughlan

Jason McClellend

Matty Smith

Paddy Barrett

Billy King

Alfie Lewis

Darragh Burns

Ben McCormack

Shane Griffin

Barry Murphy

Josh Keeley

Cian Kelly

Kian Corbally

Daniel Norris

Jamie Whelan

Own Goal

PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

SSE Airtricity League

FAI Cup

LAST 5 MATCHES

Pld

Pts

Finn Harps

Sligo Rovers

W W

St Patrick's Athletic

W W

Longford Town

Shamrock Rovers

Drogheda United

Waterford

-1

Dundalk

-2

Bohemians

-2

Derry City

-3

W W D

#LightUpYourNights 2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

61 61

Results & Lineouts 2021 Date

Opposition

Fri 19 Mar

Shamrock Rovers

Sat 27 Mar Drogheda Utd

League

4th Sub

5th Sub

1 Goals Scored P Penalty OG Own Goal For

Away Series 1

1-1

Jaroš

Mountney

Griffin

Desmond

Barrett

Lennon

King

Benson

Coughlan

Forrester

Smith

McClelland

Bone

Bermingham

Home Series 2

2-1

Jaroš

Mountney

Griffin

Desmond

Bone

Lennon

McClelland

Benson

Coughlan

Forrester

Smith

Bermingham

Burns

King

Jaroš

Mountney

Bermingham

Desmond

Bone

Lennon

Burns

Benson

Coughlan

Forrester

Smith

Barrett

McClelland

King

Bohemians

Away Series 3

1-0

Derry City

Home Series 4

0-1

Sat 17 Apr

Dundalk

Away Series 5

0-1

Tue 20 Apr

Waterford

Home Series 6

0-1

Fri 23 Apr

Finn Harps

Away Series 7

0-1Ronan Coughlan wins the aerial battle to score the winner at Dalymount.

Fri 30 Apr

Longford Town

Home Series 8

0-1

Away Series 9

0-1

Fri 07 May

Shamrock Rovers Home Series 10

0-1

Fri 14 May

Drogheda Utd

Away Series 11

0-1

Fri 21 May

Bohemians

Home Series 12

0-1

Mon 24 May Derry City

Away Series 13

0-1

Fri 28 May

Home Series 14

0-1

Sat 12 June Longford Town

Away Series 15

0-1

Fri 18 June Sligo Rovers

Home Series 16

0-1

Mon 21 June Finn Harps

Home Series 17

0-1

Fri 25 June

Waterford

Away Series 18

0-1

Fri 02 July

Bohemians

Away Series 19

0-1

Fri 09 July

Derry City

Home Series 20

0-1

Fri 16 July

Drogheda Utd

Home Series 21

0-1

Fri 30 July

Shamrock Rovers

Away Series 22

0-1

Fri 06 Aug

Dundalk

Away Series 23

0-1

Fri 13 Aug

Waterford

Home Series 24

0-1

Fri 20 Aug

Finn Harps

Away Series 25

0-1

Fri 03 Sept Longford Town

Home Series 26

0-1

Sat 11 Sept Sligo Rovers

Away Series 27

0-1

Fri 24 Sept Shamrock Rovers Home Series 28

0-1

Fri 01 Oct

Drogheda Utd

Away Series 29

0-1

Fri 08 Oct

Bohemians

Home Series 30

0-1

Fri 15 Oct

Derry City

Away Series 31

0-1

Mon 25 Oct Dundalk

Home Series 32

0-1

Sat 30 Oct

Longford Town

Away Series 33

0-1

Fri 05 Nov

Sligo Rovers

Home Series 34

0-1

Fri 12 Nov

Finn Harps

Home Series 35

0-1

Fri 19 Nov

Waterford

Away Series 36

0-1

Extra.ie FAI Cup Dates

EA Sports Cup

1st Round - Week Ending 25th July

The 2021 edition of the EA Sports Cup has been cancelled

2nd Round - Week Ending 29th August

* Own Goal

Yellow Card

Red Card

Substitutes

Fri 09 Apr

Dundalk

1st Sub 2nd Sub 3rd Sub

Starting XI

Venue Comp Score

Sat 03 Apr

Mon 03 May Sligo Rovers

FAI Cup

Burns

Kelly

McCormack Melvin-Lambert

Murphy

Keeley

Corbally

Lewis

McCormack Melvin-Lambert

Murphy

Keeley

Corbally

Lewis

McCormack Melvin-Lambert

Murphy

Keeley

Quarter Finals - Week Ending 19th September Semi-Finals - Week Ending 24th October Final - Week Ending November 28th

2021 Season • Vol. 33 • No. 2 • St Patrick’s Athletic v Derry City

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