St. Patrick’s Athletic: Review Of The Season (2024):
By: Aidan Crowley:
The 2024 League of Ireland (LOI) season proved to be one of mixed fortunes for Inchicore-based St. Patrick’s Athletic. The Richmond Park club finished third in the league table, without any silverware in their cabinet. However, their terrific end-of-season form saw them pip Derry City for a place in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League.
The Saints experienced some internal turmoil, back in May, when manager, Jonathan Daly, was sacked after a series of underwhelming performances, culminating in a 1-0 away defeat to Sligo Rovers. The appointment of Stephen Kenny was seen as a major coup for the club, following his spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland international men’s senior team.
Unfortunately, it was a relatively slow start for the former Dundalk manager, bagging just two wins from the first ten LOI matches. However, a fantastic run of eleven games unbeaten and a nine-match winning streak to finish the campaign was a remarkable achievement and was enough to secure European football next season.
The arrival of Aidan Keena and Joseph Anang at Richmond Park was instrumental in Kenny turning around the Saints’ fortunes and they ended the season with a settled side. They now boast several players, both in midfield and in wide positions who are rising stars, such as Jake Mulraney and Brandon Kavanagh and have to be considered as serious title contenders in 2025.
The season’s standout performance for St. Pat’s was their 0-3 result against Shamrock Rovers at a packed Tallaght Stadium. The Hoops were back in the title race, ahead of this fixture, but were blown away by an exceptional performance from Mulraney. The speedy winger netted twice and assisted the opener in one of the best LOI performances in recent memory.
It was a fifth win on the bounce for Kenny’s side and injected some real belief that they could finish in the top three. This result brought the club into the conversation for an amazingly late charge for the title. Beating a side that has broken all sorts of records for Irish clubs in Europe by this margin was a remarkable achievement.
Captain and defender, Joe Redmond, was imperious in defence and Anang continued his solid form between the sticks. Midfielder, Jamie Lennon, was one of the unsung heroes for the Saints LOI winning run and provided two key passes in another excellent display.
The Saints also had a terrific run in last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League, as they were narrowly defeated in the Play-Off Round by top Turkish side, Istanbul Basaksehir, having beaten seasoned campaigners, FC Vaduz of Luxembourg and Sabah FC of Azerbaijan in the previous rounds.
There are several St. Pat’s players who have emerged as stars of the future and world-class prospect, striker, Mason Melia, is top of the list. However, midfielder, Kavanagh, seems to be destined for a playing career at the highest level, following another incredible campaign.
Kavanagh scored six goals and provided fourteen assists, topped the league’s charts for pivotal chances created and was ranked second for key passes, continuing his form from his spell with Derry City in the 2023 season.
The 24-year-old is extremly versatile in being able to play in a wide role, both as a central midfielder or in a more advanced role. His contract runs until the end of the 2025 season, so he is all set to feature strongly and to be the key player in a potential title charge for the Saints, next season.
This St. Pat’s team, if kept together in the forthcoming Winter transfer window, is destined to win some silverware and the league title will be the ultimate goal for this squad of very talented players.
The Saints have added Sligo Rovers winger, Simon Power, in the post-season window, with striker, Cian Kavanagh, moving in the opposite direction.
Winger, Alex Nolan, has made the move to Cork City, but they have retained their key players. On the flipside, there is bound to be some avid interest in Melia from across the water, with both Premiership and Championship clubs vying for his signature. However, St. Pat’s should be able to retain his services for the LOI 2025 season, with any move likely to be a temporary stay in Ireland, before a future permanent deal.
Keena has proven himself to be a solidly reliable goalscorer at this level and there is little required to improve the starting XI. However, some midfield reinforcements may be on the Saints’ wishlist, to cover any potential absences of star players, Kavanagh, Lennon or Chris Forrester.
The main rivals for the Inchicore outfit’s next league title bid will be, once again, Shamrock Rovers. However, retaining the spine of their current squad and conducting some astute business in the next transfer window should be enough to see the Super Saints go marching on to a tilt at another league crown.
Note: While the Saints failed to capture any major silverware during the LOI 2024 season, they did manage to bag this year’s Leinster Senior Cup, defeating Clonsilla-based, St. Mochta’s FC, at Richmond Park on a 2-1 scoreline. This is the oldest association football cup competition in the Republic of Ireland, pre-dating the FAI Cup and the goals came from striker, Michael Noonan and midfielder, Kian Leavy.
Hashtags: #StPatsNews 
