St Patrick’s Athletic
Manager: Tim Clancy
Assistant: Jon Daly
Danny Rogers
David Odumosu
Dean Lyness
Noah Lewis
Anto Breslin
Joe Redmond (C)
Tom Grivosti
Jamie Lennon
Serge Atakayi
Chris Forrester
Eoin Doyle
Tommy Lonergen
Jason McClelland
Harry Brockbank
Mark Doyle
Conor Carty Vladislav Kreida
Ben McCormack
Jake Mulraney Axel Sjöberg
Sam Curtis
Thijs Timmermans
Jay McGrath Darius Lipsiuc
lucht tacaíochta Chlub Pheile Na Boithéamigh go Phairc Richmond anocht. Manager: Declan Devine Asst Manager: Gary Cronin James Talbot Luke Dennison Jay Benn Paddy Kirk Krystian Nowak Grant Horton Jordan Flores Declan McDaid Alistair Coote Jonathan Afolabi Dylan Connolly James Akintunde Kacper Radkowski James McManus James Clarke Keith Buckley (C) Adam McDonnell John O'Sullivan Drew Baker Dean Williams Kris Twardek Cian Byrne Nickson Okosun Adetobi Jinadu 1 25 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 22 23 24 29 32 GK GK D D D D M M M F F F D M M M M M D F M D F M o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Sean McHale Dan McHale Anto Dodd
Jason Oyenuga Luke O’Brien
You're very welcome to Richmond Park and especially the players, officials and supporters of Bohemians FC. Our visitors have got off to a flying start and their haul of 9 points from their first four games is very impressive, especially given the amount of rebuilding which the squad required pre-season. Unfortunately our first doublefixture weekend has put a severe dent in our own optimism. Trips to Oriel Park and the Showgrounds would be a tough challenge at any time, but the manner of our two defeats was deeply depressing, for different reasons.
The Dundalk game turned into one of those nightmares that most teams have from time to time, where everything seems to go wrong on the night, and left us with our worst scoreline for a very long time.
The Sligo game, however, was one in which we dominated possession and chances (helped obviously by the early red card) but came away
with nothing from a game which seemed to be there for the taking. Those of us who have the honour to be officials of this club are here first and foremost because we are fans, and, believe me, we feel the pain of that kind of a weekend just as much as any diehard fan. I know that the playing and coaching staff are hurting too. They will be determined to do themselves justice in the coming games so that, in time, last weekend is just remembered as a blip, much like the home trouncing by Derry last April. That turnaround has to start tonight. This game is another sellout, and your magnificent support deserves to be rewarded. Get behind the team as you always do and you can really help them to deliver the type of performance and result that I know them to be capable of.
Enjoy the game.
Tom O'Mahony President
St Patrick's Athletic FC
Richmond Park 125 Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8, Ireland
Tel: +353 1 454 6332
Fax: +353 1 454 6211
For media enquiries, please email press@stpatsfc.com
Opening Hours: 9.30am-5pm (Mon-Fri). See our facebook page for additional opening hours on match days.
HONOURS
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
1951/52, 1954/55, 1955/56, 1989/90, 1995/96, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2001/02, 2013
FAI CUP 1958/59, 1960/61, 2014, 2021
LEAGUE CUP 2000/01, 2003, 2015, 2016
PRESIDENT'S CUP 2014
LEINSTER SENIOR CUP 1947/48, 1982/83, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1999/2000, 2011, 2014, 2019
LOI SHIELD 1959/60
FAI SUPER CUP 1999 DUBLIN CITY CUP 1953/54, 1955/56, 1975/76
LFA PRESIDENT'S CUP 1952/53, 1953/54, 1955/56, 1971/72, 1990/91, 1996/97
FAI INTERMEDIATE CUP
1947/48, 1948/49, 1952/53 (Reserves)
FAI JUNIOR CUP 1940/41
FAI YOUTH CUP 1944/45
• All persons entering the stadium are admitted only subject to the following ground regulations and to the regulations of the Football Association. Entry to the ground shall be deemed to constitute unqualified acceptance of all these rules and regulations.
• Firework, smoke canisters, bottles, glasses, cans, flags, banners, poles, flares and any other articles or containers which could or might be used as a weapon or likely to cause a nuisance to other people in the stadium are not permitted within the stadium and any person in possession of such an article or container may be refused entry or ejected from the stadium.
• Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an Adult and that adult must accept respon sibility for those in his/her charge.
• Spectators are not permitted to bring alcohol or any banned substances into the stadium.
• There is a no smoking policy in effect in both stands.
• The climbing of walls, floodlight pylons, stands or any structure inside theg round is strictly forbidden.
• Any persons found damaging or defacing the property of St Patrick’s Athletic FC will be liable to prosecution.
• Any excessive noise, such as that from the use of radio sets megaphones and/or behaviour likely to cause confusion or nuisance i.e.: Laser lights of any kind is not permitted inside the stadium.
• Foul or abusive language is not permitted inside the stadium and will result in ejection from the stadium.
• No form of racist abuse will be tolerated inside the stadium and will result in ejection from the stadium and may result in a prosecution by An Garda. St Patrick's Athletic shows the red card to racism.
• St Patrick’s Athletic Football Club are committed to ensuring the safety of all spectators at Richmond Park. It is therefore important that the following information is read and strictly adhered to.
• Anyone requiring medical attention during the game should alert their nearest steward or club official and will be directed to the St John’s Ambulance attendant or First Aid Room.
• Any person who does not comply with instructions from a steward may be ejected from the stadium.
• In general, the right of admission is reserved to the Club Management of St Patrick’s Athletic FC.
• St Patrick’s Athletic FC reserves the right to refuse admission or eject any person from the stadium who refuses to be searched by a police officer.
• Any person who blocks, or obstructs a gangway in any way and refuses to move on request may be ejected from the stadium.
• St Patrick’s Athletic FC reserves the right for its servants or agents to remove from the stadium any person who does not comply with the stadium regulations or whose presence inside the stadium could reasonably be construed as a source of danger, nuisance or annoyance to any spectator.
• Parents, Guardians or any adult responsible for children inside the stadium should ensure that children are supervised at all times.
• Cigarettes should be properly extinguished as they can be a major cause of fire.
• The use of flares inside the stadium is strictly forbidden.
In the event of an emergency at Richmond Park requiring evacuation of the ground in part or whole, spectators are requested to remain where they are and listen for announcements over the public address system. The announcements may direct spectators in a specific area of the ground, or the stadium as a whole, to evacuate the through exit gates to the outside of the stadium, or through perimeter gates onto the pitch. Club stewards and members of the Garda Siochana will assist in directing spectators. If requested to vacate a specified area of the ground, spectators should do so as calmly and quickly as possible to assist in a safe and speedy evacuation. Do not, under any circumstances, re-enter an evacuated area. Please take note of your nearest exit.
Welcome back to Richmond Park, the third edition of the Saint for the season and a welcome back for our team, who have endured a torrid week on the road.
This is an unforgiving league, and we're back into the furnace of another Dublin Derby, this time against a very in-form side, so it'll be a test. But maybe it's what we need in front of a home crowd. Let's hope we can click in front of our third successive sellout crowd.
Thanks as always to all our contributors for what is our third programme in four Fridays. I have to give a special mention to Sarah Tynan, who has joined the programme team this year and provides a welcome female voice to these pages. She's been providing exceptional work since day one and last
Saturday she made a trip to Marlay Park to witness a slice of Saints history. The first league game for our Under-17 women's team in the WSL is a great moment, and we're not here to just make up the numbers if Sarah's match report is anything to go by. Read it on page 28. Well done to the team, and thanks for your great work Sarah. We're also featuring the first of our player Q&A's, with Eoin Doyle answering our quick-fire questions. Thanks to Eoin and Darren Conn, our programme seller, for putting this together.
Enjoy
Editor
A very good evening to everyone and a very warm welcome to the management, players, officials and fans of our Dublin neighbours Bohemians.
It is good to be back in front of our home supporters tonight having been on the road for the last two games and we are looking forward to what will be another magnificent atmosphere here in Richmond Road.
While it was an enjoyable evening the last time we were here against Shelbourne, as we picked up our first win of the 2023 season, it has been a disappointing couple of weeks in terms of the last two results against Dundalk and Sligo.
To those of you who travelled to Oriel Park and The Showgrounds I can say it’s very much appreciated by everyone on the team... players and staff, and as a group we are angry and annoyed that we failed to produce the type of perfor mances and results you want to see.
The two defeats have not been acceptable and as a staff and squad we have taken full responsibility.
Our opponents tonight have had a really good start to the season and come in to the game with three wins already on board and will no doubt be looking to build on this this evening. We face a really tough opponent and there has been an instant improvement
under the guidance of Declan Devine, they’re a team of many talents and have some really exciting young players.
We go into tonight’s game without the services Adam Murphy, Harry Brockbank and Danny Rogers who picked up a freak thumb injury in the warm up against Shelbourne. Thankfully we have been able to add Axel Sjoberg, an attacking full back from Sweden and Dean Lyness a goalkeeper from Scotland to our playing squad, welcome to the club lads and hopefully you both have an enjoyable and successful time with us.
We go into tonight’s game with a burning desire to get back on track and our focus is on being professional at all times and ensure we play to our potential.
To help us achieve on the pitch we can only do it with the support of you our
The last two home games have seen a wonderful atmosphere here in Inchicore and we want Friday nights to be special for all who come.
With your backing from the terraces we will try and play a brand of football you can get behind and enjoy.
Thanks for getting behind the team and I hope you enjoy the game.
Thanks,
Alan Mathews, Technical Director, St Patrick's Athletic FC.
AGE: 34
BIRTHPLACE: Dublin
PREVIOUS CLUBS: Not enough space in the programme but here goes! Sligo, Shamrock Rovers, Hibs, Chesterfield, Cardiff, Preston, Portsmouth, Oldham, Bradford, Swindon, Bolton.
TEAM SUPPORTED AS A BOY: Liverpool
FIRST FOOTBALL MEMORY: Mini World Cup in Firhouse.
BOYHOOD HERO: Robbie Keane
BEST GOAL SCORED: A derby goal for Swindon Town vs Plymouth Argyle. Jumped into the crowd and got a yellow.
BEST GOAL:
I was in Parkhead with the gaffer, then Hibs team mate, and saw Tony Watt score against Barcelona.
BEST MOMENT IN FOOTBALL TO DATE: Playing in the first FAI Cup Final at the Aviva.
WORST MOMENT IN FOOTBALL: Getting relegated with Bradford.
MOST SKILLFUL PLAYER PLAYED AGAINST: Aiden McGeady
BEST FRIEND AT CLUB: Harry Brockbank
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Italy
FAVOURITE SPORT OUTSIDE FOOTBALL: Football!
BEST GROUND PLAYED AT: Hampden Park, followed by Wembley!
BEST DRESSED IN SQUAD: Everyone wears tracksuits, we're all awful dressers!
WORST DRESSED IN SQUAD: Everyone!
Ronan O’FlahertyWe travel in large numbers in the hope that our combined presence will inspire the team. Some drive but most are driven. We hope the team is driven also.
There was a time when the commute to Oriel Park felt like a trek. Now, you might get there quicker than you'd drive across Dublin. The journey from door to door takes us all of 65 minutes.
The roads and streets on the approach to Oriel Park are narrow. They are pinched even tighter by each parked car. Driving around in circles is a mug's game, especially with Dundalk train station nearby. It's worth the few quid to liberate ourselves of the hassle.
There are two sections to the carpark in the train station: front and back. The front is packed. Some vehicles are even parked in places where there is no spot. We struggle to understand the logic, as barely 30 yards yonder, in the back section, there are more empty spaces than you could shake a fist at.
Fumes from the distillery next door violate the nostrils of all who can smell. We take a moment to appreciate the stunning yellowbrick facade of the station. It wasn't built today or yesterday, that's for sure. Turns out it's been there since 1894. Looking good for 129.
Walking through the carpark toward the street, we pass people with the same grá as ourselves.
Some make their statement of devotion subtly. A red-and-white scarf peeks out from under a coat. An enamel badge featuring the golden crozier twinkles as it catches the streetlight.
Others make louder displays of affection. We spot a couple of manager's coats with the club crest embroidered on the breast. Woolly hats bearing the word 'Saints' are popular. Some even have tattoos, but they won't be on display tonight. Too nippy for that.
Kennedy's bar is across the road from the station and a short stroll from the ground. It calls out to us. Out of respect for the driver, we don't suggest going in for a shneaky wan. But then he suggests we do. Within four minutes, a creamy pint is gripped and coming close to the settle.
We spot a familiar face and exchange pleasantries.
"The crowds at the games are great, aren't they," he says.
"Unreal."
"I remember coming up here when we lost 5-0 and we only had about 100 fans."
"Well now we can lose 5-0 and be comforted by the fact 600 travelled to see it! And more wanted tickets but couldn't get them."
(Be careful what you joke about.)
Pit stop complete, we're back out on the street in no time. The man
on the door of Kennedy's wishes us well. We can't imagine his good wishes extend to our football team.
On the approach to the ground we pass neighbouring petrol stations. The queue of thirsty cars waiting to get some juice is backed up and almost out on the main road. The throngs of people going to the game negotiate this part of the journey with added care.
The ground is now on our left. The sky above is illuminated by the Oriel floodlights. We divert our gaze to catch a glimpse of the words on the outside of the main stand. They draw a comparison with Wembley, proclaiming Oriel to be "The Home of Football"
We move into position on the terrace in good time for kickoff. The away section continues to fill up at a trickle until, suddenly, a sizeable group enters the ground all at once. "That's the supporters' buses," somebody announces from behind us. "They were running late."
The man on the public address has a good turn-of-phrase and a penchant for using full first names, such as Joseph (Redmond), Christopher (Forrester) and Timothy (Clancy).
The teams take the field. Dundalk fans in the far terrace light red flares. Way back when, that part of the ground housed away fans. Momentarily, I travel back in time. The location is still Oriel Park but
it's April 1996. I am 12 years old and Paul Campbell's leaguewinning screamer is greeted with flares and a pitch invasion.
Back to the present. There will be no such scenes of joy this evening. Barely 300 seconds have elapsed when Pat Hoban evades detection with a reheared dash and heads home from a free kick.
"He made that look easy."
"That's because it was easy."
Louie Annesley makes it 2-0 on the quarter-hour. This could get ugly. Anxiety infects the terrace.
Mercifully, we get to half-time, but further punishment is fated.
Six minutes into the second half it's 3-0. Number four arrives two minutes later. Good night and God bless. Connor Malley adds the fifth late on and the man on the PA gleefully announces that "sexy football is back at Oriel Park".
We stay until the end. Of course we stay until the end. The players' acknowledgment of the supporters is a little sheepish and distant.
Disgruntled tones shift the subject matter to three days later.
"We'd want to be getting a result in Sligo," I'm told. "It's not mustwin but it is must-not-lose."
"So it's must-draw?"
"We can't be going into the Bohs game on the back of two losses, let's put it like that."
Unfortunately we can and we are. No time like the present to get back on track.
Any views expressed in this article are the contributor's own.
1 Which former Saint was the top scorer in the First Division in 2017?
2 Which two players won the FAI Cup with Bohemians in the 70s before playing on opposite teams in an FA Cup Final in the 80s?
3 Jake Mulraney played on a losing team for which club in a Scottish Cup final?
4 Who was the most northerly team in the First Division last season?
5 Who was the Irish International player of the year in 2022?
6 Who were the six Premier League clubs that had a player taking part in the 2022 World Cup final?
7 Who was the oldest member of the England World Cup squad in Qatar?
8 Which three Spanish clubs not based on the mainland have played in La Liga in this century?
9 Who was the first Premier League player to score in a World Cup tournament?
10 Who was the first London club to win the League Cup?
of Ireland regulars by surprise. The Gypsies managed to claim the top spot on the league table for the opening two rounds of fixtures, and have managed to maintain secondplace since. Although it is too early to predict whether or not starting form will continue as the season progresses the Dalymount faithful will surely see their side as having enjoyed a pleasantly surprising start to the season.
timated, but, as any football supporter should know, it can take time for a new manager to get a group of players playing their particular style of football. Additionally, the club had a high turnover rate in terms of players leaving before the beginning of the current league campaign.
Tonight’s opponents, Bohemian Football Club, visit Richmond Park for the first clash of the season between our two sides at a time when our visitors are in flying form. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the Saints.
One look at the league table, or indeed at recent results, will tell you as much. Bohemians have only a single blemish on their league record after the opening four games: a one-nil loss to northside rivals Shelbourne in Tolka Park a week ago to this day. The Saints, meanwhile, can boast only a single win from our opening four.
Without any disrespect intended to our visitors, Bohs have gotten off to a start that has likely taken many League
Perhaps the underestimation of this Bohemian side ahead of the 2023 season can be attributed, at least in part, to conventional footballing wisdom. The club enjoyed less success in 2022 than they had in 2021; Bohs finished one place lower down the table in sixth, compared to fifth in 2021, they failed to secure a spot in the FAI Cup Final as they had the previous year against ourselves, and, in what nowadays seems crucial to the domestic success of League of Ireland clubs, there was no 2022 European run to speak of in Phibsborough.
Furthermore, the club had brought in a new manager in Declan Devine late last season. Devine has proven himself to be a quality manager in the league previously, namely with his native Derry City, and is certainly not to be underes-
Regardless of what some might have predicted, this Bohemians side, bolstered by former Longford gaffer Gary Cronin and Irish football stalwart Pat Fenlon joining the club as Assistant Manager and Director of Football respectively, have set a marker down early on, with wins against Cork, Dundalk and Drogheda, claiming nine points from a possible twelve.
Jordan Flores has proven himself to be a danger man for Bohs, scoring in each of their three victories. Two of his goals came in the form of free-kicks at home against the two County Louth sides, the most recent being against Drogheda this past Monday as the Gypsies enjoyed a 3-1 win. Both are up there as two of the goals of the season so far. The other, an audacious powered attempt as Bohs played away to Cork on the opening night, shows that he is also capable of hitting the back of the net outside of set-pieces. In saying
that, the Saints, giving away as many as twenty fouls on Monday when we lost 2-1 to Sligo in The Showgrounds, will have to be careful not to allow the former Wigan Athletic man to take advantage of any lapses in discipline.
All of this is without mentioning the exploits of Declan McDaid, Ali Coote and James Akintunde, all of whom have also found themselves on the scoresheet for Bohs in the early stages of the 2023 campaign.
Owing in no small part to our bitterly disappointing performance away to Dundalk a week ago, the Saints have conceded eight goals this season while only managing to score three. Bohemians, meanwhile, claim seven goals
in their favour with only four going against them. Football is a funny game, but, taking recent performances and the statistics on the table into account, it would be odd to suggest that Bohemians enter this game as anything other than favourites.
If the Saints are to take solace from anything related to our opposition ahead of this game, it will come from looking at what has led to the few goals that they have conceded:
Against Drogheda, it was a misplaced dropkick from goalkeeper James Talbot and a shot that probably could have been saved.
Against Dundalk, it was a miskicked clearance leading to a long-range effort that Talbot probably should have saved.
Against Shelbourne, it was a miskicked clearance leading to a late winner.
Against Cork, it was Talbot tripping up over the ball after attempting to claim it outside the box.
In the games in which we did secure satisfying results, namely the draw with Derry and victory against Shels, our goals appeared somewhat
fortunate, although we had been knocking on the door for them. The goals that Bohemians have conceded, meanwhile, appear to have came somewhat unfortunately.
In life, you make your own luck. In footballing terms, that can mean grinding out a result when the tough fixtures come at you and maybe nicking something. Here’s hoping, then, that the lads can make the most of each and every opportunity, both defensive and attacking, that comes their way tonight.
For the love, not the glory!
Irish Independent
Monday, March 11, 1996
THE one thing Wayside Celtic did not want to do at Belfield yesterday was to concede an early goal. But that's just what they did — after just three minutes.
And they fell behind arrears in the worst possible way as Colm Talbot, who afterwards proved to be their best player, pulled down Paul Campbell to give away a needless penalty. Ricky O'Flaherty scored with ease from the penalty spot to lay the base for a hat-trick which marched the Saints into the semi-finals.
From that moment on, Wayside were fighting an up-hill battle — and they seldom looked like reaching the summit.
"You cannot expect to give the potential League of Ireland champions a start like that and hope to beat them," said Wayside manager Peter Lennon afterwards.
"St Pat's are a superb side. We always knew it was going to be tough and giving away that
penalty was the last thing we could afford to do."
Lennon was also critical of his defence's covering for St Pat's second goal, which arrived in the 26th minute. But whatever shortcomings the Leinster Senior League side may have had, there was no question about the merit of the St Patrick's victory and who was the Man of the Match.
O'Flaherty was superb throughout a game which was delayed for 13 minutes to allow the crowd of 3,500, who returned gate receipts of £6,080, to gain access. Any late-comers missed O'Flaherty's opening goal, but they were more than amply compensated with the strikes which enabled him complete his hat-trick.
His second came out of what seemed a hopeless cause. St Pat's defender Brian Morris-Roe had a dreadful shot which went across the face of the Wayside goal. The ball appeared to be going, wide hut Johnny Glynn got to it before it crossed the end-line and fired over a cross, from which O'Flaherty scored wilh the sweetest of flicked headers.
The third goal, which came three minutes into the second half, was even better. Indeed, it must be a contender for goal of the season.
Willie Burke took a throw-in to Glynn. He returned the ball to Burke and his cross was headed down by Paul Osam to O'Flaherty, who, with his back to goal, cracked the ball over his shoulder and into the net. It was a superb strike by any standards.
From then on, St Pat's were coasting and the game suffered as a consequence. But, there was a clear message here for those who feel the Saints don't have what it takes to win the League, much less the Cup.
They played brilliantly, granted against a team of lesser class. They have Osam back to his best, playing with confidence and aplomb and they introduced fit-again Eddie Gormley in the second half for his bit of first senior action in five weeks.
With strength like that in their ranks, it was no wonder that luckless Wayside were put through the wringer.
Although they were largely overwhelmed, Wayside had the odd chance. After 33 minutes,
John McDonnell was lucky to deflect a shot by Steve Martin for a corner and Martin should have done better in the 75th minute when he shot straight at goalkeeper Gareth Byrne.
Wayside's best chance came in the 77th minute, when a bad back-pass by McDonnell put his defence in trouble and Martin almost got into score.
St Pat's manager Brian Kerr was a happy man afterwards: "It's still nice lo be in there with a chance of winning the double. Matches like today's are the ones which can be most difficult if you don't do things properly. But I don't think we did too many things wrong today." Indeed.
O'Dowd, Grimes, O'Douchon, Simpson, Mooney, Jackson, Martin, Talbot, F. Byrne, M. Byrne, P. Masterson.
Subs:
Gorraghty for F. Byrne (44), Walters for P. Masterson (57).
G. Byrne, Burke, Carpenter, McDonnell, D. Campbell, Morris-Roe, Osam, Mernagh, P. Cambell, O'Flaherty, Glynn.
Subs:
McElligott for Burke (65), Gormley for Morris-Roe (70), J. Byrne for P. Campbell (77).
REFEREE:
J. Byrne (Dublin).
MAN OF THE MATCH: RICKY O’FLAHERTY
We would like to thank the following who have sponsored the club for the 2023 season...
Jimmy Edwards
Welcome to Declan Devine and all from Bohemian FC to another sold-out Richmond Park. It’s fantastic to see a lot of the games around the league selling out days in advance of the fixtures
Our last home game was another Dublin derby against Shelbourne and while we were victorious on the night Shels played well and will feel unlucky not to have taken a point. But thankfully for us, Eoin Doyle’s late goal was the only one of the game to leave us victorious. It’s always nice to win a Dublin derby but it was a very close game.
The following week we headed up to Dundalk and put in a performance in what can only be described as absolutely abysmal, disjointed and flat all round. It gives me no pleasure saying that but I think we need to be honest in terms of what we saw on the pitch that night.
Dundalk were worth their win and in truth, as much as it pains me to say it, they could
@jimmyedwards41have won by an even bigger margin than the five unanswered goals they got. The poor starts we made to both halves had us on the back foot from the whistle and it was impossible to recover.
We then headed to Sligo last Monday and again came away with a very disappointing result considering we were playing against a Sligo team low on confidence like ourselves, but a Sligo team who were reduced to ten men after 20 minutes and sadly we never really looked like taking advantage of having the extra man. In fact, it was noticeable that Sligo looked quicker to every ball, especially in the second half when you would think the ten men would be tiring.
I’m not going to have a go at any individuals because I’m sure no players go out not to do their best but the effort and work rate left a lot to be desired all over the pitch. We are giving up some seriously
soft goals and not taking the chances we get at the other end.
Let’s hope that comes to an end very soon as this league can be unforgiving if a bad run of form takes hold. If the players can’t get themselves up for a Dublin derby tonight then I’m not too sure what it will take to get the performances up to the level the fans expect.
There was a great travelling number of fans up in Oriel Park and in the Showgrounds (on a Monday) which is great to see and hopefully that continues throughout the season. The 2023 season dawned with great optimism and it would be an awful shame were it to be dampened so early in the season. Let’s hope we can see the season reignite tonight. Come on the Saints!
Back in the early eighties there were two players named John Cleary playing in the League of Ireland. The John Cleary from Ballyfermot played for the Saints and a few other League of Ireland clubs. The John Cleary from Walkinstown Avenue also played for The Saints, Shelbourne and St James’ Gate and later managed The Gate and Kilkenny City.
Sadly John Cleary from Walkinstown died two years ago, but the Ballyfermot-born player is thankfully still in good shape. After meeting up at the first League game of the season against Derry City we sat down to chat about the ‘good old days.’
John said: ‘‘I was very sad to hear of my namesake’s death. We played together for Shelbourne and the Saints, but John died in 2021 during Covid.’’
The Saints have strong links with Ballyfermot and John hails from Lally Road where he grew up with his 12 siblings, six boys and six girls.
John said: ‘‘I played schoolboy football for Bromley who were managed by a Postman named Paddy Donnelly. Then I moved to Ranch and later joined Ballyfermot United. While with
Ballyfermot I was spotted by Shelbourne who were then managed by Mick ‘Digger’ Dalton.
‘‘Around that time I also took up Boxing and had a fairly successful Boxing career when I joined the Army for three years. Outside of the Army I boxed at Light Middleweight for CIE, Corinthians and Donore.’’
‘‘I spent two seasons with Shels who were struggling at that stage. Then Charlie Walker brought me to Inchicore where I had the pleasure of playing alongside a promising young lad named Paul McGrath. Yes the stories are true; Paul would often link up with the team on a Sunday morning straight from doing a night shift of security work at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown. We would leave space for Paul on the long seat at the back of the team bus so that he could get ‘40 winks’ as we headed down the country for a game,’’ said John.
‘‘Tommy Connolly took me to Dundalk, but then Turlough O’Connor let me go from Oriel Park and I rejoined the Saints where Jimmy Jackson was the manager at that stage. When Jimmy was sacked two of the directors Paddy Becton and
Jimmy Crinnion asked me if I would take over as playermanager with Austin Brady as my assistant.
‘‘We did okay, but I wasn’t really interested in management at that stage and I was surprised when Turlough came in for me again in 1987. I also had a good offer from Shamrock Rovers manager Jim McLaughlin, but Turlie was very honest and admitted that he was wrong to let me go two years earlier.’’
‘‘We won the League-Cup double with Dundalk and I scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the FAI Cup final against Derry City at Dalymount on May Day 1988.’’
‘‘Then I joined Galway and won a second FAI Cup medal in 1991 when we beat Rovers in the final at Lansdowne Road. When I left Galway I had a season with Crusaders in the Irish League and then I managed Kilkenny City in the first division and finished my League career with Monaghan and Longford Town.’’
‘‘Looking back I suppose one of the funniest incidents was in the Cup Winners’ Cup game against Ajax in Amsterdam back September 1978 where Frank Stapleton was one of their scorers in a 4-0 win.
‘‘Former Dutch international Jan Wouters was running the show in midfield. I was playing in defence, but decided to see what Wouters was really made of. At that time I always wore a gum shield when playing. I waited for my opportunity and clattered Wouters, but I also got the ball and wasn’t booked.’’
‘When he eventually got up Wouters said: ‘‘You are a terrible ugly looking man. I said well you are no Mona Lisa yourself.’’
John made 109 League appearances for the Saints during two spells here at Inchicore and scored 22 goals. In total he made 357 league appearances for the six League of Ireland clubs he played for, scoring 60 goals. The Saints goal he remembers best came in the Leinster Senior Cup final win over Drogheda at Tolka Park in December 1982 when he scored the winner.
John, who is now in his 67th year, later had had a successful career as an Insurance Consultant. He is hoping to get to see more League of Ireland games this season. ‘‘I cannot believe how good the pitches are now compared to my time in the League,’’ he said.
John’s wife Carmel hails from the Liberties and they still live in Lower Ballyfermot, on O’Moore Road. They have three boys, Andrew, John and Anthony. All three played for Ranch and other Dublin junior clubs, while Andrew had a spell with the Saints when Pat Dolan was manager. They have ten grand-children and 18 year-old grandson Scott Cleary is currently doing well with Shamrock Rovers under 19 team.
Looking back who was the best player he played with? ‘‘Definitely no doubt it was Paul McGrath, but Paddy Dillon, who wasn’t the tallest player, was a brilliant striker,’’ said John.
Danny Rogers
Mtiscot.land
David Odumosu The Dalton Family
Noah Lewis Lads off the Camac
Anto Breslin Dublin 12 Saints
Joe Redmond Cian Menton Conro Services
Tom Grivosti PatsApp
Jamie Lennon Tommy Keyes
Serge Atakayi saveenergy.ie
Chris Forrester The Bridge House Will Morgan
Eoin Doyle Will Morgan
Tommy Lonergen Fynch
Jason McClelland John Hudson
Harry Brockbank
Mark Doyle The Gaffneys
Conor Carty
Vladislav Kreida Peter Boyle
Ben McCormack McDowells
Jake Mulraney Thompson Solicitors Peter Boyne
Sam Curtis The Malt House
Adam Murphy The Patron Saints
Thijs Timmermans McCrudden Fitness
Jay McGrath
RUAIRI KAVANAGH: EDITOR
Works with the club, contributors and designers ato deliver each issue. Apart from that he specialises in getting randomers to come along to their first Pats game. This tactic has yielded a 100% win ratio to date.
JOE O’ROURKE: DESIGNER
Part of the All Saints Show, having previously designed the club murals among other things Joe has spearheaded the redesign of The Saint and was a major reason for us being named Programme of the Year. Thanks Joe!
PAT O’CALLAGHAN
Long club serving historian and programme curator. Pat has been involved with the club and the programme for decades. He’s also one of the friendly faces you encounter when entering the ground to buy your programme.
JIMMY EDWARDS
Following on from his father's (of the same name) 30 years of writing for the programme, Jimmy Edwards (Junior) continues the Pensive Points tradition.
JOHN OWENS
Statto supreme, we reckon he has shares in Microsoft Excel. An incredible range of knowledge, John was way too modest when he once described himself as just a ‘guy with a few spread sheets!’.
IAN TEMPLEMAN
Our foreign correspondent. Writes, with considerable eloquence, from the UK with his observations on our league and particularly the Saints. Ever reliable, always has his copy in first.
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!
When not found on the Camac, Kieran is to be found finding inventive ways to torture Saints fans with his fiendishly tricky questions.
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-‘.
A Kerryman living in Dublin... a long time. He has been attending League of Ireland and Republic of Ireland home games for over 50 years. Interested in all sports, but mainly GAA, Soccer and Rugby. A member of the Soccer Writers’ Association. Writes on LOI and international matters.
Sarah has been a keen follower of the Saints since she was 6, getting to most games home and away and even the odd European adventure. She’s delighted to add a bit of youth and much needed diversity to the programme team.
From Palmerstown, Eoghan covers opposition analysis for The Saint. He has a background in media and communications, and can usually be found in Section G on matchday.
Originally from London, he has been following Pats since the first week he moved here after being brought to a game by a friend. He is an avid programme collector and boasts a collection in excess of 25,000 programmes. He collects everything football related, much to the sorrow of his long suffering fiance. He is passionate about keeping the match day programme alive. His sons are following in Dad's footsteps and love to volunteer at St Pats whenever they can.
Like so many other things on match night, it takes considerable effort to compile the issue of The Saint you’re viewing. So who’s who?
Ian Templeman
Over here in England, Tony Incenzo is a well known broadcaster and journalist, who covers football right from the top professional level down to grassroots. He’s best known for his lifelong support of Queen’s Park Rangers, and for a number of years has fulfilled the fans dream of covering all their home games from the press box for Talksport Radio and other media outlets, and is a major contributor to the QPR programme.
He is also a big advocate of non-league football over here, and an avid groundhopper, and when not covering QPR games he takes himself off to all parts of eth country to watch non-league games. In that environment I have met him a few times when he visited grounds in the league I’m involved with, the North West Counties League, and I am one of the many hundreds of people down the years who has signed the scrapbook he carries around with him, to document and keep a record of the games and grounds he has visited, along with the people he meets.
For those who are active on Twitter, his account is worth a follow - @TonyIncenzo – as he posts a variety of stories and pictures from his footballing life as a media man and as a fan, and he is never shy of offering subjects up for debate among his many followers.
A few weeks back, he posed what I felt was a particularly interesting and thought provoking question, which I thought was worth sharing here. Tony wrote as follows:
“A question for older football supporters.
“Do you have the same feeling of affinity towards current players at your favourite club as you did for players 20, 30 or 40 years ago?
“I don't because players nowadays only stay for a year or two and then move on”.
An interesting point to ponder, one that every football supporter will have a view on, and based on the replies Tony received, opinions seemed to be divided on the issue. There were dozens of responses, and I obviously won’t reproduce them all here, but there were some interesting views shared.
One angle was that your opinion would perhaps be coloured depending on the club you supported, with a West Ham supporter pointing out that they had Mark Noble for his entire career, and in the current squad Cresswell is a nine-year veteran, and Antonio, Ogbonna and Lanzini have been there eight years.
A Manchester United fan said he had an affinity with players that seem to give everything on the pitch for the badge, so although he loves de Gea in goal and Marcus Rashford, both long-standing players at the club, he also loves more recent arrivals Martinez and Casemiro too.
Another United fan pointed out that their ethos of always including academy graduates in the team helps to continue that link, which is a fair point. From memory, I think the last time United fielded a first team eleven without a player who had come up through their ranks was in the 1930s.
On the other side of the argument, there were many who agreed with Tony. One respondent said:
“50 years ago the players were 95% from UK & on the whole played for the club first (often having an affinity) & money was second. They earned well but not outrageously more than many supporters did. Now earnings are obscene & in another world to the supporters”.
There were also some who observed that the landscape has changed generally, and it’s a far
more transient industry, compared to the past when teams pretty much had a core of players for 5-10 years, with just a few comings and goings each season.
However, there was one particular post that made me pause for thought. One of Tony’s fellow QPR supporters wrote:
“Is it an age thing too? Those decades ago, I was a lot more fire and passion and football isn't life and death, it's more important than that. Now as a middle age bloke, I'm much more arms folded watching, but my son still has that churning passion going on”.
That comment got me thinking. Yes, it’s true that I maybe don’t get so excitable when watching a game, and I’m much less annoyed at bad misses or decisions that that don’t go in our favour, so I suppose I am a bit more chilled out than I was in my younger days. I can also remember joining in chanting at games, and actively making my way into singing sections of grounds, neither of which I wouldn’t do now.
Also, when I first started going to football matches, players were older than me, I looked up to them a bit more as a result, and therefore had them on a higher pedestal than I do now. When
you get to my age, most current players are young enough to be my grandchildren, not just my children and while I admire them and enjoy watching them play, I probably don’t get that same feeling of admiration for them as I did in my younger days.
But at the same time, I can still get excited about football, and I have two recent memories of being rebuked for my noisy at home celebrations by the women in the household when celebrating two last gasp match winners for the Saints – once when Adam O’Reilly scored that last gasp winner at Oriel Park last season and the other when the gangling, bleached blonde SK Mura midfielder Tio Cipot blasted his penalty kick over the cross bar to give us a penalty shoot out win in the Europa Conference League.
Those sort of memories that stay with us are what’s great about supporting a team, and to take another recent penalty shoot out example, it was Robbie Benson who struck the winning penalty in the 2021 FAI Cup final, the last act of his one year stay at the club. Do we look less favourably on that moment of elation we all enjoyed, just because he disappeared off back up the road to Dundalk a few weeks afterwards? I don’t think so. We all might regard him differently to, say, Ian Bermingham who had
a long career in a red and white shirt, but that doesn’t mean to say Benson wasn’t a valuable member of the squad while he was here at Richmond Park, and who we will remember in years to come for that penalty kick.
While I can accept Tony Incenzo’s point that it may be more difficult to feel affinity to some current day players, I think it does depend on the circumstances and the individual. As far as the Saints are concerned, whoever is wearing the red and white gets my support, and if they help to bring success to the club while they are here, it wouldn’t bother me if they’d been here five minutes as long as their contribution was a useful one.
For we supporters, our mantra may be “Once A Saint, Always A Saint”, but if a player making a short stop off at Inchicore during his career delivers us a memorable moment before moving on somewhere else, that’s OK by me.
It might be the case we won’t have so many obvious candidates for a Saints’ Hall of Fame as the years go on, compared to the past and present, but times change and if longevity will be replaced by short term impact as reasons for fondly remembering Saints players in future, then so be it.
Excitement was building in Marlay Park on Saturday, as St Patrick’s Athletic’s hugely successful academy kicked off a historic new journey by introducing their first women’s team in the WLN U17 League. They were preparing for their first match against DLR Waves. Kickoff was at five o’clock, and bit by bit, a steady crowd arrived, gathering around the sidelines. There was a sense of trepidation about, as the girls were determinedly warming up.
The whistle blew and the two teams were off. For a team just
entering the league, the match should have been daunting, playing a well experienced opponent, but as the minutes ticked on, the Saints held Waves in check, matching them challenge for challenge. With bated breath we watched as the Saints attacked, and then came the milestone of the Saints’ first goal. Eve Maloney buried it into the back of the net, leaving the Waves’ goalkeeper no chance. Three minutes into the first half and it was one nil to Pats.
As light started to dim, and the floodlights cast a sheen over
the pitch, the two teams were battling it out. Possession was all but equal, and at that point in the game, it could have gone either way. However, we didn’t have to wait long until the Saints were surging up the field. Unstoppable, captain Amber Cullen sent the ball into the back of the net fifteen minutes into the game, and it became two nil. After a brief celebration the girls were back in place, more determined than ever.
The rest of the half remained scorless, but it was far from dull. Every chance the Waves
had, the girls pushed back, and they had a few chances as well. There was a slight stoppage as Amber Cullen had an injury, but she was back up and playing in no time.
There was an electric start to the second half as one minute in, Eve Maloney got her second goal, making it three nil to the Saints. At this point they were steadfast in their defense, and waves had a hard time breaching midfield and the back four.
Waves were determined to get through, and played well, attacking with renewed vigour, and their pressure was rewarded with a goal. Only four minutes into the second half, they got a corner, and sent it into the box. In the tangle of legs, Aisling Meehan got her foot to the ball and sent it in. Three to one to the Saints, Waves were back in the game. The rest of the half was filled with pace, grit, and a fair amount of determination on both sides.The game stayed competitive but the Saints held out until the final whistle blew at seven o’clock, and St Patrick’s Athletic Women’s U17’s made history. It was an amazing win for the girls, and they’re now
able to face next week’s game with an air of confidence.
Now, their focus turns to next week. They face Bohs in Cherry Orchard on Saturday the 11th of March, and hopefully they can bring about a similar result. Crowds are welcome, if you want to come and see the newest era of the club’s academy coming to life.
Manager Darragh O’Reilly gave me a few words after the game;
‘’Delighted with the start and couldn't be prouder of the girls.
We focused a lot this week on how we'd press to win the ball high up the pitch and to an individual they were brilliant.
The girls are all buzzing & will enjoy the rest of the weekend but they know it's just the start so we'll try to improve certain things and look ahead to next week’’
As the crowds dissipated, the girl’s were delighted, running off the field in victory for the first, but surely not the last time. The night ended with a deafening chorus of ‘Freed From Desire’ echoing out of the changing rooms into the night.
Annie O’Brien (G)
Oluwanumilekon (Numi) Makinwa
Katie Power
Holly Telford
Aoife Kavanagh
Marian Bissett
Amber Cullen (C)
Molly McGauley
Eve Maloney
Rebecca Yates
Lucy Doheny
Simone Reilly
Leona Heffernan (G)
Kaylyn Corcoran
Eimear Flood
Aimee Dobbs
Nina Kearns
Unconscious and
Unresponsive and
Absent or abnormal breathing
Would you like to join a Dublin City Council Community Cardiac Programme in Inchicore Community Sports Centre?
It is great to be back watching live football after a long off season and it is also great to see such big crowds in Richmond roaring the team on.
The Patron Saints recently had a very successful AGM and would like to announce that the new committee is comprised of James Byrne, Johnny Keegan, Dermot Meagher, Paul Maguire, Paul Murphy, Jennifer Murray, Danny Quinn, Liam Temple and Ian Walsh.
We would like to thank the following who stepped down from the committee this year Andy Ayres, Philip Bergin, Ulick O'Sullivan, Joan Stapleton and Ger Sweeney.
2022 was a good year for the Patron Saints when we increased our membership by over 30% to over 100 members and this year we want to get nearer to the 150 mark so we can contribute more to Saint Patricks Athletic both on and off the pitch.
During the year we organised various events including Player of the Year awards night, Santa in Richmond, Euro Raffle draw, Patron Saints in the Directors box and a Q&A in The Saint pub with Tim, John, Joe Redmond and Adam O'Reilly.
Also during the year we funded work on the gents toilet on the Camac terrace to the tune of €10,000 and also contributed €1500 to the publication of "Saints Rising" by Dermot Looney which is an excellent historical account of the founding of our great club.
The Patron Saints will again be sponsoring a player this year and we raffled at the AGM last years players jersey (Adam Murphy) which was won by David O'Hara. Also at the AGM we raffled 2 "Saints Rising" books which were signed by
Dermot Looney and Brian Kerr. They were won by Juliana Lawless and Joan Stapleton. We would also like to announce that the 100th member raffle was won by Orla Nolan (Adam O'Reilly's jersey).
The club recently put in a fund request to improve the home dressing rooms, provide after match recovery equipment, provision of safety lighting and procure training and video equipment for the youth academy. We would ask all members to check their emails and vote as they see fit on all fund requests (at the recent AGM these fund request met with general approval).
Due to the huge increase in crowds and insurance restrictions on the numbers allowed into the club shop the Patron Saints will have a desk inside McDowells lounge from 1820 till 1920 on match nights on a trial basis. The committee will be available for members to collect their 2023 membership badge and fixture card or pay subscriptions or buy a Golden Goal. We will also be giving out Patron Saints information sheets to prospective members.
We have a number of new positive ideas that were raised at the AGM to promote and raise the profile of the Patron Saints, so that we can become bigger and stronger and offer more support to the Club so look out for these during the coming season.
If you would like to join the Patron Saints please call in to McDowells before the match to meet us or look on facebook spafcpatronsaints or twitter @PatronSaints or email us at stpatssc@gmail.com
Come on the Saints!
Patron Saints Committee
