St. Patrick’s Athletic: Review Of The League Of Ireland Season (2025)
By: Aidan Crowley:
St. Patrick’s Athletic’s 2025 League of Ireland (LOI) season was a mixed bag, marked by both European promise and domestic disappointment. The Inchicore outfit ultimately flattered to deceive, with a disappointing fifth place finish in the LOI Premier Division, just missing out on European football for the forthcoming season.
The Saints also experienced the trauma of an FAI Cup semi-final defeat to Cork City in a competition where they were hoping to go on and clinch some much sought-after silverware.
On the plus side, St. Pat’s reached the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa Conference League, with a very respectable run, including tough ties against top Lithuanian side, FC Hegelmann and ace Estonian side, Nomme JK Kalju. They eventually came unstuck, crashing out of contention against Turkish giants, JK Besiktas FC.
The Saints started the 2025 LOI season with high expectations of being crowned league champions for the first time since 2013. When Stephen Kenny replaced Jonathan Daly as manager in the Summer of 2024, he brought the Saints on a nine-game unbeaten run at the end of that season, to secure third spot. This impressive feat had St. Pat’s fans believing that they could replicate this form this year and retain European football for another season.
The first five games of the season proved to be disappointing for the Saints, with a dull 0-0 draw against Drogheda Utd. in their opening game at Richmond Park casting a shadow over their title ambitions. This was followed swiftly by a frustrating 2-1 loss to Galway Utd. at Eamonn Deacy Park, despite a wonder goal from super striker, Aidan Keena.
A memorable 4-3 win against Sligo Rovers at Richmond Park had the Saints faithful believing that the squad could dig deep when required. Keena clinched a dramatic 79th minute winner, straight after Sligo made it 3-3, courtesy of former St. Pat’s striker, Cian Kavanagh.
The Saints then recorded a comfortable win against Derry City at Richmond Park, with Keena on target twice from the penalty spot. This result gave the squad a huge boost ahead of their next match against Shamrock Rovers.
However, matters took a turn for the worse, once more, with a 1-0 defeat at Tallaght Stadium, with St. Pat’s fans ultimately disappointed with the lack of consistency within the squad.
Overall, this was one of the worst starts to a LOI season in recent years, the only bright spot being the strike rate of Keena, with five goals in the first five games.
However, history tells us that St. Pat’s have experienced a number of slow starts to the season in recent years, even when they last won the title in 2013. That year, under the guidance of then manager, Liam Buckley, they endured a rocky start in their first four games, including losses to Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk.
As the 2025 LOI season progressed, two other key players emerged in the shape of defender and captain, Joe Redmond and goalkeeper, Joseph Anang. Both players proved to be pivotal in keeping the squad moving forward and the Saints in competitive mode.
However, a 3-1 loss to Galway Utd., followed by a 2-2 draw against Waterford, increased the pressure on Kenny, with many fans calling for his immediate sacking.
It can be argued that their impressive European run helped to distract the Saints faithful from their poor domestic form. Their 3-0 aggregate defeat of Hegelmann FC set the tone for a prospective serious European challenge. Then, the impressive 3-2 aggregate win against Nomme JK Kalju, with midfielder, Jake Mulraney, netting in extra time, further enhanced their credentials.
In their titanic clash against JK Besiktas, St. Pat’s found themselves 4-0 down at halftime in the first leg. However, in the second half, the Saints found their opponents’ net, eventually losing 4-1 on the night.
The second leg offered a St. Pat’s rejuvenation, with a 2-0 lead after thirty-five minutes. However, they ended up losing 3-2 on the night and 7-3 on aggregate, crashing out of contention.
Following their latest European adventure, the Saints went on a scintillating six-match unbeaten run, including FAI Cup wins against Shelbourne and Galway Utd. (quarter-final). The St. Pat’s fans began to believe, once again, as it seemed that their side would finish the season strongly and perhaps win the cup, in tandem.
However, it wasn’t to be, as the Saints crashed out of the FAI Cup, losing 3-0 to an already relegated Cork City side in the semi-finals (they had beaten them 4-0 in the league, eleven days earlier) and only managing to secure that fifth spot in the league. To add insult to injury, St. Pat’s also suffered a 2-1 defeat to Dundalk in the Leinster Senior Cup final at Richmond Park.
The last three league games of the season did nothing to settle the nerves of the Saints faithful. Draws against Bohemians, Waterford and Shelbourne ensured that with that fifth place finish, European football would remain tantalisingly at arms length for next season.
The 2025 LOI season can only be described as a huge disappointment for both the St. Pat’s squad and the Saints faithful, alike. In a year that began full of promise, it soon became apparent that the players were not achieving their full potential, with some performing way below par.
For the forthcoming season, St. Pat’s fans are expecting a huge clean out, with players who have underperformed on big wage bills, being moved on. While, a number of new players have already been signed in advance of the 2026 LOI season kick-off, the Saints have lost some key personnel. These include super striker and teenage sensation, Mason Melia, who is bound for a new career at Tottenham Hotspur and who will be sorely missed at Richmond Park.
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