St Patrick's Athletic F.C.

St Patrick's Athletic

Full name	St Patrick's Athletic Football Club
Nickname(s)	Saints Supersaints
Short name	Pat's St Pat's
Founded	1929
Ground	Richmond Park, Inchicore, Dublin 8
Capacity	5,346 (2,800 seated)
Chairman	Garrett Kelleher
Manager	Alan Mathews
League	League of Ireland Premier Division
2020	6th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

St Patrick's Athletic Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played originally in Phoenix Park but they moved to their current ground Richmond Park in 1930.

St Patrick's Athletic have won many trophies in Irish Club Football, including nine League Titles, the fifth most in Irish Football, as well as three FAI Cups and four League Cups. The current manager is Stephen O'Donnell, who took over from Harry Kenny in 2019.

The club graduated through the ranks of the Leinster Senior League and duly took their place in the League of Ireland in 1951, and won the Championship at their first attempt. The club's glory years came in the 1950s and 1990s when they won 6 of their 8 league titles. The club also have the record for never having been relegated from the Premier Division. The club play in red and white colours, and their nicknames include The Saints, Supersaints and Pats. The Saints also have a lot of Dublin Derby games with the likes of Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians.

History[]

Leinster Senior League years[]

During the late 1940s and 1950s St Pats played in the Leinster Senior League. During this period they won the league title on six occasions. This included four successive titles between 1947 and 1948 and 1950–51. In 1947–48 St Pats completed a treble after also winning both the FAI Intermediate Cup and Leinster Senior Cup. The 1948–49 season would see St Pats win a Leinster Senior League / FAI Intermediate Cup double. In 1950–51 a young Shay Gibbons helped St Pats win the Leinster Senior League title for a fourth time. After St Pats first team joined the League of Ireland in 1951–52, their reserve team won two further Leinster Senior League titles in 1955–56 and 1956–57.

1950–1960[]

Entering the League of Ireland[]

In 1951–52 the club was admitted, along with Cork side Evergreen United, to the League of Ireland. St Pats made an immediate impact, winning the league championship at their first attempt. Two more league championship successes followed in 1954–55 and 1955–56. The club had to wait until 1959 before their first FAI Cup success, repeating the feat in 1961. Despite several appearances in the final since 1961, it took the Saints till 2014 to win their third

Many of the Pats players of that golden era are still recalled fondly today—Ginger O'Rourke, Harry Boland ('The Legend', 1926–2000), Jimmy 'Timber' Cummins (a cousin of one of the founders—Bart Cummins) Jimmy 'Growler' Cummins (a brother of Bart Cummins) Irish international Shay Gibbons, Ronnie Whelan Snr. and Willie Peyton are players who contributed greatly during this era.

1960–1980[]

St Pats struggled throughout the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s with only the odd cup final or young star emerging to brighten things for long suffering Pats fans. Among those players to emerge was Noel Campbell. Campbell spent a number of years with St Pats (gaining the first of his Irish caps) before moving to SC Fortuna Köln where he would play 8 seasons. Perhaps the brightest star to play for St Pats was Paul McGrath. McGrath was signed by Saints' manager Charlie Walker from junior side Dalkey United. Within a year he had won the PFAI Player of the Year award and earned himself a move to Manchester United. The World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks also played one match for St Pats, making him by far the brightest star to turn out for the club in 1977.

1980–1990[]

The appointment of Brian Kerr as manager in 1986 was a major turning point in the fortunes of the club. Kerr worked on limited resources to create a team capable of challenging the best. The championship in the decade. At the end of the 1988–89 season St Pats left Richmond Park for what the board of directors called "a short time" while redevelopment work was done. 1989 saw a joint St Patrick's Athletic & Bohemians side play a friendly against the Libya national team in Tripoli, drawing 1–1 in what was a highly controversial friendly during Colonel Gaddaffi's reign as leader of Libya.^[1][2][3] The year 1990 saw the Saints draw 0–0 with the Tunisia national team in Tunis and another 0–0 draw with the Iran national football team in Tehran.^[4]

1990–1999[]

Playing in Harold's Cross, Kerr's blend of young players (Paul Osam, Curtis Fleming, Pat Fenlon, John McDonnell) and experienced campaigners disregarded by other clubs (Damian Byrne, Dave Henderson) won the club's first league championship in 34 years on Easter Monday 1990. Most Irish football commentators expected the young Saints to dominate Irish football for some time. A series of takeover attempts saw the club thrust into turmoil and Kerr was forced to break up the team. In the summer of 1992 the club were hours away from extinction before a group of local investors raised £82,000 to save the club.

Having spent four years in Harold's Cross the club returned to a new look Richmond Park in 1993, their spiritual home in Dublin's Inchicore. Brian Kerr began the task of creating a winning setup once again. With the aid of a newly appointed Chief executive, and former player, Pat Dolan and by the club's new chairman, Tim O'Flaherty, the league trophy returned to Richmond Park in 1996.

A new generation of footballing heroes emerged in Pats colours with greats such as Eddie Gormley, Paul Osam and Ricky O'Flaherty together with exciting young stars such as Colin Hawkins and Trevor Molloy thousands flocked to Inchicore for Friday nights under the floodlights in Richmond Park. When Kerr resigned to take up the Director of Coaching job with the FAI, the good work was continued by Pat Dolan and then Liam Buckley installed as manager. The glory continued as further league championships were secured in 1998 and 1999 which led to European qualification and a creditable 0–0 draw with the famous Celtic at Celtic Park, the club lost the return leg in Tolka Park, Dublin but the away draw was a major boost for Irish football against such a famous club in the world game. The club, however, suffered a humiliating setback in the same competition one year later when they lost 10–0 on aggregate to Zimbru Chişinău.

2000–2004[]

Into the new century, the success continued. St Pats won both the League of Ireland Cup and Leinster Senior Cup in 2000/01. Controversy dogged the club in the 2001/02 season due to player registration irregularities. The club had 9 points deducted due to fielding an ineligible player (Paul Marney) in their first 3 games of the season, but this decision was revoked upon arbitration, on 22 March 2002. They then had 15 points deducted for playing Charles Mbabazi Livingstone in the first 5 matches of the season in spite of not having registered him until 12 September 2001. An FAI arbitration panel rejected the Saints' appeal against the point deduction and Shelbourne finished the season as league champions. That season also saw St Patrick's come close to merging with fellow League of Ireland club St. Francis. This move was greeted with anger by club supporters and although St. Francis went out of business (and therefore the league) the merger never happened.

New club chairman Andrew O'Callaghan was appointed in the summer of 2002 and has worked to modernize the club and face the new challenges of UEFA licensing and ground development. St Pats made Irish footballing history in 2002 by becoming the first club to progress in the Intertoto Cup with a victory over Croatian team NK Rijeka over two legs—the club were eventually knocked out of the competition only on away goals to KAA Gent of Belgium.

Johnny McDonnell Reign (2004–2009)[]

The club marked its 75th anniversary in 2004, also in 2004 a change of management happened with former favourite Johnny McDonnell taking over the helm at the club. In 2005 the club were forced to investigate the idea of sharing a new stadium in Tallaght with Shamrock Rovers in order to comply with the FAI's wish for Dublin clubs to ground share. The move was met with furious protests by the club's supporters and a group calling themselves 'Pats for Richmond' was set up to organise demonstrations. In July 2006 St Pats signalled their intention to stay in Richmond Park by purchasing the Richmond House pub (also known as McDowell's) for use as an official clubhouse. The club lost yet another FAI Cup Final in December 2006 and their hunt for their third victory in the elusive competition continues. In early 2007 the club was purchased by wealthy property magnate Garrett Kelleher. After a number of months of negotiations, Kelleher finally announced himself as Chairman of St Patrick's Athletic on 19 July 2007.^[5] One of his first acts on taking over St Pats was to appoint ex-manager Brian Kerr as director of football. It was widely reported in Irish newspapers that Kelleher was preparing to spend €50 million on upgrading St Pats' Richmond Park home.
During the 2007 season Pats were neck and neck with Drogheda United for the title, but Pats slipped away and Drogheda United eventually finished up as champions.
It was the same again for the 2008 season with Pats battling up the top with Bohemians for the title. Also this year Pats were in Europe because their second-place finish in 2007 allowed them qualify for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. During their European run St Pats progressed through two rounds of the UEFA Cup beating JFK Olimps Riga and Elfsborg but the run came to an end when they lost to Hertha BSC in the First Round proper. Pats also lost out to Bohemians for the league title.

Jeff Kenna season: European run and domestic struggle (2009)[]

For the 2009 season Pats replaced Johnny McDonnell with Jeff Kenna in January 2009. He didn't have the best of starts with a 3–0 home defeat to former club Galway United. He was immediately put under pressure when bad run of results put them into a relegation battle. Despite the poor league form, once again Pats had another European run in the Europa League again progressing through two rounds of the Europa League, thus becoming only the second League of Ireland club (after Cork City in 2004 and 2005) to achieve such progress in two consecutive European campaigns. Pats this time won games against Valletta FC and Russian Premier League side Krylia Sovetov to reach the play-off round where they were defeated by FC Steaua București.^[6][7][8] In September 2009 with Pats struggling, Kenna resigned and was replaced for two games by Maurice O'Driscoll. Pete Mahon then took over until the end of the season and avoided relegation, winning two must win games on the final two weeks of the season, away to Drogheda United and at home to Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers.

Pete Mahon years (2009–2011)[]

Pete Mahon was appointed as manager for the 2010 season with John Gill as his assistant. The Super Saints reached their first Setanta Sports Cup final, where they met local rivals Bohemians after overcoming Sligo Rovers 6–2 over two legs. They lost the final at the Tallaght Stadium 1–0, however. The Saints were knocked out of the FAI Cup by archrivals Shamrock Rovers in a semi-final replay at Richmond Park, after knocking Dundalk, Belgrove and Sporting Fingal out. They were near the top of the table for the majority of the season; however, fell off somewhat near the end and finished in mid-table. The demise of Sporting Fingal saw the Saints take their European place for the 2011 season. Mahon led a successful Europa League campaign, knocking out Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja from Iceland and FC Shakhter Karagandy from Kazakhstan before eventually being knocked out in the third qualifying round by Ukrainian side FC Karpaty Lviv. The Saints won the 2011 Leinster Senior Cup after beating Dublin rivals Bohemians 2–0 at Dalymount Park. The Saints' bid to end their 50-year drought of winning the FAI Cup came to an end, after knocking Crumlin United, Waterford United and Cork City out, the Saints faced old rivals Shelbourne in the semi-final. The Saints drew 1–1 at Tolka Park, failing to make use of their one-man advantage for the whole second half. The game went to a replay at Richmond Park and things were going well when David McMillan opened the scoring for the Saints, but goalkeeper Gary Rogers was extremely harshly sent off early on and Shels went on to win, 3–1. Similar to the 2010 season, the Saints were near the top of the table for the most part of the season in 2011, but their title challenge petered out towards the end of the season and the Saints finished fourth meaning they would participate in UEFA Europa League qualifiers in the 2012 season.

Return of Liam Buckley: Return of success (2012–2018)[]

The Saints decided not to renew manager Pete Mahon's contract for the 2012 season, appointing former player and manager Liam Buckley to the job, giving him a two-year contract with former player and assistant manager at the club, Trevor Croly as his assistant. Buckley refurbished the squad by bringing in fourteen and getting rid of sixteen. Among the new signings were six Bohemian players, notably Chris Forrester, Christy Fagan, and Ger O'Brien. Meanwhile, six of those not retained by Pats went in the opposite direction, an indication of the change in circumstances at both clubs.

Buckley immediately introduced a more attractive brand of football than was witnessed under Mahon, whose sides had generally punched above their weight but ultimately lacked the quality to seriously challenge for the title. Pats started the season off well with the team playing wonderful football and being unbeaten in its first six games, which included the game against Shamrock Rovers which they demonstrated their wonderful football brilliantly in a 5–1 win over their fierce rivals.^[9] Buckley took the reins of the club knowing of the European expectations at the club and he didn't disappoint, managing his side to a third qualifying-round place after knocking both Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja and NK Široki Brijeg out after extra time, to earn a tie with German powerhouse Hannover 96, who knocked the Saints out in the third qualifying round. Buckley's side finished 3rd in the league, 6 points off champions Sligo Rovers. He also guided his side to the 2012 FAI Cup Final, the club's first game at the Aviva Stadium, but lost 3–2 in extra time to Derry City and extending the Saints' FAI Cup-winning drought to 52 years.

The Saints then endured a tumultuous pre-season, losing Sean O'Connor, James Chambers, and Barry Murphy, as well as Buckley's number two, Trevor Croly, to rivals Shamrock Rovers. Crucially, though, Pats held on to a number of other players who had been strongly linked with Rovers, including Chris Forrester and Ian Bermingham, and added some quality to the first XI in the form of Killian Brennan (who would go on to win both the PFAI Players' Player of the Year and FAI National League Player of the Year awards), and Conan Byrne (who contributed an impressive 9 league goals during the season).

St Patrick's Athletic clinched the 2013 League of Ireland title on 13 October 2013 after a 2–0 win against holders Sligo Rovers with two games to spare.^[10][11] They lifted the league trophy a week later at home to Derry City on 18 October and two days later played the 2013 Leinster Senior Cup Final against Shamrock Rovers, losing, 1–0, at Richmond Park.^[12]

The 2014 season started off with silverware for the Saints as they beat Sligo Rovers 1–0 in the inaugural President of Ireland's Cup, with Keith Fahey scoring a brilliant volley into the top corner from 25 yards clinching the trophy.^[13] The club crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the first hurdle in the second round, bowing out to Legia Warsaw. In the first leg they were denied a famous away win as Legia equalised in injury time to claim a 1–1 draw.^[14] An injury plagued Pats side lost the second leg 5–0 at Tallaght Stadium, conceding 3 in the last 10 minutes. On 9 September 2014, a team of second-string players and young Saints beat Longford Town 2–1 away from home to win the 2014 Leinster Senior Cup with Sam Verdon and Jack Bayly scoring.^[15] The season ended in a perfect manner for Pats as they won the FAI Cup after a 53-year wait with a 2–0 win over Derry City at the Aviva Stadium, with Christy Fagan immortalising himself with the club's fans by scoring a brace.^[16][17] Fagan also won the 2014 League of Ireland Golden Boot with 20 goals as well as being voted the PFAI Player of the Year for 2014.^[18]

On 19 September 2015, the Saints won their third League of Ireland Cup, beating Galway United on penalties at Eamonn Deacy Park following a 0–0 draw after extra time, with young goalkeeper Conor O'Malley saving Andy O'Connell's final spot kick to win the cup.^[19]

In 2016 the Saints knocked Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg out of the UEFA Europa League on away goals before being narrowly beaten 2–1 on aggregate to Dinamo Minsk of Belarus in the second qualifying round. Pats finished 7th in the 2016 season, meaning they would be without European football for the first time in 7 years for 2017. They did, however, successfully retain their League of Ireland Cup crown, beating Limerick 4–1 in the final at the Markets Field with two goals from Conan Byrne and one each for Jamie McGrath and Graham Kelly.^[20][21]

The 2017 season was the first in a change of the League of Ireland layout, meaning the bottom three teams in the Premier Division would be relegated in order to make the league a 10-team division rather than a 12-team one. The season turned out to be a struggle for the Saints and they sat bottom of the table come the halfway point. The mid-season signings including fan favourite Killian Brennan, former Premier League midfielder Owen Garvan and particularly Dutch centre back Jordi Balk, proved to be pivotal as the club went on to win 6 of their last 11 games after picking up just 3 wins in their first 21 games of the season. They went into the last day of the season in need of a point away to Derry City, which they earned via a 1–1 draw with a goal from Killian Brennan keeping their record of never having been relegated intact.^[22]

The following season was a great improvement on the field as Pats sat in a European place at the halfway point in the league but later went on their worst losing streak in the club's history as they lost 8 games in a row, scoring just 3 goals along the way. They then managed to pick up their form, winning 4 out of 6 games but on 22 September 2018 the Saints suffered a 3–1 loss at home to a weakened Bohemians side with several of their under-19 side playing among the 11 changes to their previous starting 11.^[23] This turned out to be Liam Buckley's last game in charge of the club as it was announced on 25 September that Buckley had left his post by mutual consent after a 7-year spell in charge of the club.^[24]

Assistant manager to Buckley and former club captain Ger O'Brien took caretaker charge for the last 5 games of the season, the first of those being the Leinster Senior Cup Final which they lost on penalties against Shelbourne at Tolka Park. He also saw out a draw away to champions Dundalk, and had an aggregate score of 9–0 against Limerick and Derry City as the club ended the season on a high note in 5th place.^[25]

The Harry Kenny months (October 2018 – August 2019)[]

On 24 October 2018 it was announced that Harry Kenny (who had been assistant manager in the 2013 league-winning campaign) would be the new manager of the club, signing a two-year contract.^[26] His new signings ahead of the 2019 season were Gary Shaw, David Webster, Ciaran Kelly, Cian Coleman, Georgie Poynton, Brandon Miele, Michael Drennan, Rhys McCabe and old fan favorite Chris Forrester, stating that his aim was to get the club back competing in European competition.^[27] Kenny's first competitive game in charge of the Saints was on 15 February 2019, a 1–0 opening-day victory over league runners-up Cork City at Richmond Park, with the game attracting the biggest attendance at a domestic game since October 2010.^[28] This was followed by a sell-out against rivals Shamorck Rovers on 8 March.^[29] On 25 April 2019 it was announced that the club had been awarded a licence to compete in UEFA Europa League action for the 2019–20 campaign ahead of Waterford, who had finished one place ahead of Pats in fourth place the previous season, but were not awarded a licence due to their club reforming in late 2016 and thus breaking UEFA's 'three-year rule'.^[30] Pats drew IFK Norrköping of Sweden and were beaten 2–0 at home and 2–1 away, knocking them out at the first hurdle.^[31] With the team scoring just 24 goals in 29 games and attendances steadily dropping, fans became restless with Kenny and after a shock cup exit to UCD on 23 August 2019,^[32] Kenny resigned by mutual consent the following day.^[33]

Stephen O'Donnell era (August 2019 – present)[]

Former Dundalk captain Stephen O'Donnell was announced as the head coach on a two-year contract on 31 August 2019, his first job in senior management, following the resignation of Harry Kenny.^[34] His brought in his former Arsenal youth and Falkirk teammate (and former Pats player) Pat Cregg as his assistant.^[35] His first game in management came on 6 September 2019 as his Pats side came from behind to win 2−1 away to Finn Harps thanks to goals from Darragh Markey and substitute Rhys McCabe.^[36] The club finished in 5th place by the end of the season, missing out on a UEFA Europa League place but they did however win the 2018–19 Leinster Senior Cup, beating Wexford 3–0 in the Fourth Round (under Harry Kenny, Cabinteely 1–0 in the Quarter Final, with Under 19's manager Jamie Moore managing a side made up of Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19's players in the Semi Final (beating Sheriff YC 3–1 away) and Final (beating Athlone Town 4–0), as both games were scheduled after the senior team's season had finished.^[37]

O'Donnell's first pre-season saw him make wholesale changes to the squad, releasing 10 players including some who were still in contract and bringing in 9 new signings; Jason McClelland, Robbie Benson, Conor Kearns, Rory Feely, Shane Griffin, Billy King, Dan Ward, Martin Rennie and Ollie Younger.^[38] The season was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic after 4 games and following 4 months of postponements, a decision was made to half the season from 36 games to 18. The season finished in disappointment for Pats as they missed out on European football on the final day of the season, while they had previously been knocked out of the FAI Cup in the First Round by Finn Harps.

Kits[]

Home kits[]

1930's

1975–76

1980–82

1982–83

1989–90

1990–91

1991–92

1992–94

1994–95

1997–98

2004

2005–06

2007–08

2009

2010–11

2012

2013

2014–15

2016–17

2018–19

2020

2021

The club's first kit was a red shirt with a white collar and a white chevron, with white shorts and red socks.^[39] Since then they have changed to a kit of a red jersey with white sleeves, white shorts and red socks, rarely changing from this format.

Away kits[]

1990–92

1992–94

1994–96

1999–2000

2001–2002

2003

2004

2005–06

2006–07

2008–09

2010–11

2012

2013–14

2015–16

2017–18

2019

2020

2021

The most frequent away colours used by Pats are navy/blue but over the years they have ventured outside of the ordinary.

Third kits[]

2004

2008

2010

2011

2013

2016–17

2018–19

The club have released some dedicated third kits in recent years, while in years that they haven't, they've usually used the previous seasons away kit as a third kit.

Kit manufacturers and sponsors[]

Years	Manufacturers	Shirt sponsors (front)
1930–1970's	Unknown	None
1970's	Admiral
1980–82
1982–83		Ideal Motors
1989–1990	Spall	DHL
1990–1991		Peat Briquettes
1991–1992		First Citizen
1993		None
1994		Liberty Air Technology
1993–1994		Aircare
1994–2004		Autoglass
2004–2005
2004–2006		Smart Telecom
2007		McDowell's
2007–2009		Paddy Power
2010–2012		Nissan
2013–2016		Clune Construction Company L.P.
2017		Pieta House
2018–Present		MIG Insurance Brokers

Fans[]

Saints fans have widely become known as some of the most active and vocal throughout the country. Throughout the club's history, any period of turmoil was always met with protest by the loyal saints. In 2001, an ultras group called the Shed End Invincibles^[40] were set up, for four years they created huge tifo displays, choreographed chants and created Richmond Park into a fortress. After a period of exile, the ultras group were reignited under new leadership. Since then, their work has been applauded by other fans. Big banners, flares, and smoke screens are a common sight at St Pats matches. Overseas visitor are regularly found at Richmond Park on a match night, including a Norwegian Pats' supporters club. As well as this, the club's supporters share friendships with supporters of clubs such as Ravenna from Italy, Sheffield United of England, and Hannover 96 of Germany. Fans of these clubs, along with Pats fans, regularly travel to one another's matches. Famous fans include former Irish manager Brian Kerr and American actor Wendell Pierce.^[41]

Community[]

The club motto is Ní neart go cur le chéile (as Gaeilge). It translates to No strength without unity. St Patrick's Athletic is strongly linked with Inchicore and the local south west Dublin community. The club operate schoolboy teams at every age group from under 10 to under 18.

Women's Football[]

In 1996 St Patrick's Athletic F.C. took over the local women's football team O'Connell Chics.

First team squad[]

^[42] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  CZE Vitezslav Jaros (on loan from Liverpool) 2 MF  IRL John Mountney 3 DF  IRL Ian Bermingham (captain) 4 DF  ENG Sam Bone 5 DF  IRL Lee Desmond 6 MF  IRL Jamie Lennon 7 MF  IRL Robbie Benson (vice-captain) 8 MF  IRL Chris Forrester 9 FW  MLT Kyrian Nwoko (on loan from Valletta) 10 FW  IRL Ronan Coughlan 11 MF  IRL Jason McClelland 12 FW  SCO Matty Smith 15 MF  SCO Billy King 16 MF  ENG Alfie Lewis

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  NIR Darragh Burns 18 MF  IRL Ben McCormack 19 FW  ENG Nahum Melvin-Lambert (on loan from Reading) 20 DF  IRL Shane Griffin 21 GK  IRL Barry Murphy 22 DF  ENG Jak Hickman 25 GK  IRL Josh Keeley 29 DF  IRL Paddy Barrett 31 MF  IRL Kian Corbally 34 MF  IRL Adam Murphy 38 FW  IRL Tommy Lonergan 39 DF  IRL James Abankwah 40 MF  IRL Ross Fay 41 DF  IRL Sam Curtis

Out on loan[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 28 DF  IRL Cian Kelly (at Wexford until 29 October 2021) 33 FW  IRL Kyle Robinson (at Wexford until 29 October 2021)

Technical staff[]

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Stephen O'Donnell
Assistant Coach	Pat Cregg
First Team Manager	Alan Mathews
Director of Football	Ger O'Brien
Coach	Seán O'Connor
Opposition Analyst	Martin Doyle
Goalkeeping Coach	Pat Jennings
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Chris Colburn
Physiotherapist	Mark Kenneally
Physiotherapist	Lee Van Haeften
Physiotherapist	Christy O'Neill
Equipment Manager	David McGill
Club Doctor	Dr Matt Corcoran
Under-19s Head Coach	Jamie Moore
Under-19s Coach	Niall Cully
Under-19s Coach	John Donohue
Under-17s Head Coach	Marc Kenny
Under-17s Coach	Paul Webb
Under-17s Coach	Sean Gahan
Under-15s Head Coach	Seán O'Connor
Under-15s Coach	Daniel McGuinness
Under-15s Coach	Billy Smith
Under-14s Head Coach	Mark Connolly
Under-14s Coach	Phil Power
Under-14s Coach	Craig Dempsey

Youth Structure[]

The club field an Under-19, an Under-17, an Under-15 and an Under-14 team that compete in the League of Ireland U19 Division, League of Ireland U17 Division, and respectively.

NUI Maynooth Scholarship Scheme[]

Set up in 2010, St Patrick's Athletic have a scholarship scheme in place with NUI Maynooth. The scheme allows Pats to offer young players the opportunity to play with the club's Youth sides whilst undergoing their third level studies on a sports scholarship. There is a big St Pats influence in the scheme with the Soccer Development Officer at Maynooth being former Pats defender Barry Prenderville as well as club captain Ger O'Brien managing the side to their first ever Collingwood Cup win in 2014, with teammate Brendan Clarke as his assistant. The scholarship scheme is a big asset to St Pats, as it helps attract the top young talent in the country to the club ahead of their rivals. The scheme has also been a huge success, with the Saints Under-19s side winning the Dr. Tony O'Neill Cup in 2015 to become the best side in the country, as well as a whole host of players graduating from the Youth Setup into the First Team squad. Among the top players to have come through the Programme are Jake Carroll, Seán Hoare, Jamie McGrath, Darragh Markey, Ciaran Kelly, Paul Rooney and Fuad Sule among others.^[43][44]

Youth Club Affiliations[]

In 2016, the club opted to disband their own youth teams that played in the Dublin & District Schoolboys Leagues, moving forward into a new model for the League of Ireland Under-19, Under-17 and up-and-coming Under-15s leagues. Pats struck up Affiliations with 4 of Ireland's top schoolboy clubs Crumlin United, Belvedere, Cherry Orchard and Esker Celtic in the best interest of both clubs and their players/facilities.

Crumlin United[]

On 1 March 2016, the Saints announced an Affiliation Agreement with local side Crumlin United, one of the country's top schoolboy clubs, to improve Pats Youth Setup while also benefiting Crumlin and their young players.^[45]

Belvedere[]

On 29 March 2017, the Saints announced an official partnership with Belvedere.^[46]

Cherry Orchard[]

On 24 May 2017 St Patrick's Athletic announced an official partnership with local Ballyfermot side Cherry Orchard.^[47]

Esker Celtic[]

On 13 July 2018 St Patrick's Athletic announced an official partnership with Lucan side Esker Celtic.^[48]

Honours[]

• League of Ireland: 8
  • 1951–52, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2013
• FAI Cup: 3
  • 1958–59, 1960–61, 2014
• League of Ireland Cup: 4
  • 2000–01, 2003, 2015, 2016
• President of Ireland's Cup: 1
  • 2014
• League of Ireland Shield: 1
  • 1959–60
• Dublin City Cup: 3
  • 1953–54, 1955–56, 1975–76
• FAI Super Cup: 1
  • 1999–2000
• LFA President's Cup: 6
  • 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1971–72, 1990–91, 1996–97
• Leinster Senior Cup: 9
  • 1947–48, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1999–2000, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2018–19
• FAI Intermediate Cup: 3
  • 1947–48, 1948–49, 1952–53
• Leinster Senior League: 6
  • 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1955–56, 1956–57
• FAI Junior Cup: 1
  • 1940–41
• FAI Youth Cup: 1
  • 1944–45
• Dr Tony O'Neill Cup: 2
  • 2000–01, 2014–15
• FAI Futsal Cup: 1
  • 2008

Notable players[]

Internationals[]

Republic of Ireland internationals

Synan Braddish Ray Brady Liam Buckley Noel Campbell George Cummins Kevin Doyle Tommy Dunne Enda Stevens Keith Fahey Curtis Fleming

Shay Gibbons Eamonn Gregg Alfie Hale Joe Haverty Jackie Hennessy Mick Kearin Shay Keogh Mick Leech Dinny Lowry Jamie McGrath

Paul McGrath Barry Murphy (born 1959) Joe O'Cearuill Eamonn O'Keefe Frank O'Neill Stephen Quinn Freddie Strahan Keith Treacy Ronnie Whelan Snr

League of Ireland XI representatives

Killian Brennan Liam Buckley Damien Byrne Jody Byrne Jimmy Collins Fergus Crawford Robbie Gaffney Tommy Gaynor Eddie Gormley Eamonn Gregg Ben Hannigan Jackie Jameson

Daryl Kavanagh Mick Kearin Dermot Keely Conor Kenna Shay Keogh Alan Kirby Mick Leech John McDonnell Dave Mulcahy Barry Murphy (born 1985) Ger O'Brien

Tony O'Connor Ken Oman David Parkes Gavin Peers Aidan Price Gary Rogers John Russell Freddie Strahan Ronnie Whelan Snr Joseph N'Do Ryan Guy

Republic of Ireland B internationals

Dan Connor Pat Fenlon Martin Russell

Republic of Ireland U23 internationals

Kenny Browne James Chambers Brendan Clarke Billy Dennehy Shane Guthrie Conor Kenna Paul McGee

David McMillan Barry Murphy (born 1985) Gavin Peers Ger O'Brien Mark Quigley Ger Rowe

Republic of Ireland U21 internationals

Martin Bayly Ian Bermingham Stephen Bradley Paul Byrne Aaron Callaghan Pat Cregg Dan Connor Ian Daly Clive Delaney Lee Desmond Pat Dolan Robbie Doyle Christy Fagan Rory Feely Pat Fenlon

Michael Foley Chris Forrester Keith Foy Robbie Gaffney Owen Garvan Jason Gavin Liam George Eddie Gormley Ronan Hale Colin Hawkins Dave Henderson Seán Hoare Conor Kearns Alan Kirby Mark Leech

Jamie Lennon Brian Maher Stephen Maher Jamie McGrath Jason McGuinness Trevor Molloy Thomas Morgan Ian Morris Tony O'Dowd Alex O'Hanlon Ken Oman Stephen Paisley Enda Stevens Mark Timlin

Other internationals

Con Blatsis Aime Kitenge Joseph N'Do Jeff Clarke Tyson Farago Gordon Banks Barry Bridges

Terry Venables Ryan Guy John Moore George Miller Kyrian Nwoko Danny Trainor

Trevor Wood Sean Byrne Neil Martin Cyril Guedjé Charles Mbabazi Livingstone David Partridge

Award winners[]

PFAI Players' Player of the Year;

Paul McGrath (1981–82) Paddy Dillon (1987–88) Mark Ennis (1989–90) Eddie Gormley (1995–96)

Paul Osam (1998–99) Keith Fahey (2008) Killian Brennan (2013) Christy Fagan (2014)

PFAI Young Player of the Year

• Colin Hawkins (1997–98)
• Mark Quigley (2007)
• Chris Forrester (2012)

SWAI Goalkeeper of the Year

• Brendan Clarke (2013)

League of Ireland Player of the Year;

• Colin Hawkins (1998)
• Paul Osam (1999)
• Killian Brennan (2013)

League of Ireland Player of the Month

Sean Byrne Derek Carthy Jackie Jameson Paul McGrath Damien Byrne Mark Ennis Mick Moody Damien Byrne Dave Henderson Curtis Fleming John McDonnell Eddie Gormley

Ricky O'Flaherty Dave Campbell Colin Hawkins Keith Doyle Thomas Morgan Trevor Molloy Martin Russell Liam Kelly Charles Mbabazi Livingstone Ger McCarthy Darragh Maguire Chris Adamson

Alan Kirby Keith Fahey Mark Quigley Declan O'Brien Conor Kenna Dave Mulcahy Danny North Killian Brennan Anthony Flood Chris Forrester Christy Fagan

Harry Boland Hall of Fame

Jimmy 'Timber' Cummins John McDonnell Paul McGrath Paddy 'Ginger' O'Rourke Shay Gibbons Eddie Gormley Dave Henderson Paddy Dillon

Mark Ennis Paul Osam Dinny Lowry Curtis Fleming Ricky O'Flaherty Tommy Dunne Brian Kerr (Note 1) Liam Buckley

Notes

• ^1 Brian Kerr was a manager only.

Source:^[49]

League of Ireland Top Goalscorer[]

League of Ireland Top Scorer

Season	Player	Goals
1951–52	Shay Gibbons	26
1952–53	Shay Gibbons	22
1955–56	Shay Gibbons	21
1989–90	Mark Ennis	19
1998–99	Trevor Molloy	15
2008	Mark Quigley	15
2014	Christy Fagan	20

Source:^[50]

Records[]

• St. Pats Full League Record

P 1990 W 824 D 520 L 645 F 2883 A 2576 Pts 2587

Statistics are correct up to 9/1/2021
Above points tally is the number of points earned in real terms. In most seasons the league used a 'two points for a win', system.
If using a straight 'three points for a win, one for a draw', system, St Pats would have earned 2994 points.

• Record League Points Tally 73 in season 1998–99 (33 games)
• Record League Goals Tally 66 in season 2014 (33 games)
• Record League Victory 8–0 (h) v Limerick (10 December 1967)
• Record FAI Cup Victory 8–0 (h) v Pike Rovers (21 May 2016)
• Record League Cup Victory 5–1 v Athlone Town (13 October 1985)
• Record Leinster Senior Cup Victory 7–0 (h) v Tolka Rovers (9 February 2015)
• Record League Goal scorer Shay Gibbons – 108 goals
• Record League Goal scorer in one Season Shay Gibbons – 28 goals in 1954–55
• Record Goal scorer in Europe Christy Fagan – 6 goals
• Record Goal scorer in Europe in one season Declan O'Brien – 4 goals in 2009
• Record Total Appearances Ian Bermingham – 426 appearances
• Record League Appearances Ian Bermingham – 331 appearances
• Record European Appearances Ian Bermingham – 24 appearances
• Youngest Player Sam Curtis – 15 years 255 days (13 August 2021 vs Waterford in the League of Ireland Premier Division)
• Youngest Goalscorer Kian Corbally – 15 years 305 days (1 November 2019 vs Sheriff YC in the Leinster Senior Cup)

Source:^[51]

League of Ireland Placing History[]

1950s 1951–52: League of Ireland 1st of 12 C 1952–53: League of Ireland 4th of 12 1953–54: League of Ireland 11th of 12 1954–55: League of Ireland 1st of 12 C 1955–56: League of Ireland 1st of 12 C 1956–57: League of Ireland 9th of 12 1957–58: League of Ireland 4th of 12 1958–59: League of Ireland 8th of 12 1959–60: League of Ireland 7th of 12

1960s 1960–61: League of Ireland 2nd of 12 1961–62: League of Ireland 4th of 12 1962–63: League of Ireland 9th of 10 1963–64: League of Ireland 5th of 12 1964–65: League of Ireland 7th of 12 1965–66: League of Ireland 9th of 12 1966–67: League of Ireland 6th of 12 1967–68: League of Ireland 9th of 12 1968–69: League of Ireland 5th of 12 1969–70: League of Ireland 13th of 14

1970s 1970–71: League of Ireland 12th of 14 1971–72: League of Ireland 6th of 14 1972–73: League of Ireland 7th of 14 1973–74: League of Ireland 8th of 14 1974–75: League of Ireland 10th of 14 1975–76: League of Ireland 11th of 14 1976–77: League of Ireland 6th of 14 1977–78: League of Ireland 10th of 16 1978–79: League of Ireland 14th of 16 1979–80: League of Ireland 12th of 16

1980s 1980–81: League of Ireland 8th of 16 1981–82: League of Ireland 7th of 16 1982–83: League of Ireland 7th of 14 1983–84: League of Ireland 10th of 14 1984–85: League of Ireland 11th of 16 1985–86: LOI Premier Division 6th of 12 1986–87: LOI Premier Division 5th of 12 1987–88: LOI Premier Division 2nd of 12 1988–89: LOI Premier Division 4th of 12 1989–90: LOI Premier Division 1st of 12 C

1990s 1990–91: LOI Premier Division 3rd of 12 1991–92: LOI Premier Division 7th of 12 1992–93: LOI Premier Division 7th of 12 1993–94: LOI Premier Division 9th of 12 1994–95: LOI Premier Division 5th of 12 1995–96: LOI Premier Division 1st of 12 C 1996–97: LOI Premier Division 5th of 12 1997–98: LOI Premier Division 1st of 12 C 1998–99: LOI Premier Division 1st of 12 C 1999–2000: LOI Premier Division 6th of 12

2000s 2000–01: LOI Premier Division 5th of 12 2001–02: LOI Premier Division 1st of 12 C 2002–03: LOI Premier Division 7th of 10 2003: LOI Premier Division 5th of 10 2004: LOI Premier Division 8th of 10 2005: LOI Premier Division 10th of 12 2006: LOI Premier Division 7th of 12 2007: LOI Premier Division 2nd of 12 2008: LOI Premier Division 2nd of 12 2009: LOI Premier Division 7th of 10

2010s 2010: LOI Premier Division 5th of 10 2011: LOI Premier Division 4th of 10 2012: LOI Premier Division 3rd of 12 2013: LOI Premier Division 1st of 12 C 2014: LOI Premier Division 3rd of 12 2015: LOI Premier Division 4th of 12 2016: LOI Premier Division 7th of 12 2017: LOI Premier Division 8th of 12 2018: LOI Premier Division 5th of 10 2019: LOI Premier Division 7th of 10

2020s 2020: LOI Premier Division 6th of 10 2021: LOI Premier Division TBC of 10

European record[]

Overview[]

As of 18 July 2019

Competition	P	W	D	L	GF	GA
European Cup / UEFA Champions League	8	0	3	5	2	23
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League	42	10	7	25	39	70
European Cup Winners' Cup	2	0	0	2	1	8
UEFA Intertoto Cup	4	2	0	2	6	6
TOTAL	56	12	10	34	48	107

Matches[]

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
1961–62	European Cup Winners' Cup	PR	Dunfermline Athletic	0–4	1–4	1–8
1967–68	Inter Cities Fairs Cup	1R	Bordeaux	1–3	3–6	4–9
1988–89	UEFA Cup	1R	Hearts	0–2	0–2	0–4
1990–91	European Cup	1R	Dinamo București	1–1	0–4	1–5
1996–97	UEFA Cup	PR	Slovan Bratislava	3–4	0–1	3–5
1998–99	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Celtic	0–2[a]	0–0	0–2
1999–00	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Zimbru	0–5	0–5	0–10
2002	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R	Rijeka	1–0	2–3	3–3 (a)
		2R	Gent	3–1	0–2	3–3 (a)
2007–08	UEFA Cup	1QR	Odense	0–0	0–5	0–5
2008–09	UEFA Cup	1QR	JFK Olimps	2–0	1–0	3–0
		2QR	Elfsborg	2–1	2–2	4–3
		1R	Hertha BSC	0–0[b]	0–2	0–2
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	2QR	Valletta	1–1	1–0	2–1
		3QR	Krylia Sovetov	1–0	2–3	3–3 (a)
		PO	Steaua București	1–2[c]	0–3	1–5
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	1QR	ÍBV	2–0	0–1	2–1
		2QR	Shakhter Karagandy	2–0	1–2	3–2
		3QR	Karpaty Lviv	1–3[d]	0–2	1–5
2012–13	UEFA Europa League	1QR	ÍBV	1–0	1–2 (a.e.t.)	2–2 (a)
		2QR	Siroki Brijeg	2–1 (a.e.t.)	1–1	3–2
		3QR	Hannover 96	0–3[e]	0–2	0–5
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Žalgiris	1–2	2–2	3–4
2014–15	UEFA Champions League	2QR	Legia Warsaw	0–5[f]	1–1	1–6
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Skonto Riga	0–2	1–2	1–4
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Jeunesse Esch	1–0	1–2	2–2 (a)
		2QR	Dinamo Minsk	0–1	1–1	1–2
2019–20	UEFA Europa League	1QR	IFK Norrköping	0–2	1–2	1–4

Notes

• (a): (Away goals rule)
• (aet): (After Extra Time)
• 1R: First round
• 2R: Second round
• PR: Preliminary round
• 1Q: First qualifying round
• 2Q: Second qualifying round
• 3Q: Third qualifying round
• PO: Play-off round

Managers[]

This list is incomplete; you can help by . (March 2012)

Manager records[]

As of 22 August 2021

Manager	Career	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Loss %	Notes
Stephen O'Donnell	2019–	55	25	14	16	76	55	21	45.5%	29.1%	Won 2019 Leinster Senior Cup
Harry Kenny	2019	35	14	7	14	31	37	–6	40%	40%
Ger O'Brien (interim)	2018	5	2	1	2	11	3	8	40%	40%
Liam Buckley	2012–18	319	160	60	99	511	355	156	50.5%	31.2%	Won 2013 League of Ireland Premier Division, 2014 FAI President's Cup, 2014 Leinster Senior Cup, 2014 FAI Cup, 2015 League of Ireland Cup, 2016 League of Ireland Cup
Pete Mahon	2009–11	114	54	27	33	175	111	64	47.4%	28.9%	Won 2011 Leinster Senior Cup
Maurice O'Driscoll (interim)	2009	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1	0%	50%
Jeff Kenna	2009	38	13	5	20	29	49	−20	34.2%	52.6%
John McDonnell	2004–08	211	88	48	75	271	230	41	41.7%	35.5%
Eamonn Collins	2003–04	48	19	18	11	70	58	12	39.6%	22.9%	Won 2003 League of Ireland Cup
Pat Dolan	2000–03	55	20	17	18	66	63	3	36.4%	32.7%	Won 1999 FAI Super Cup, 2001–02 League of Ireland Cup, 1999–00 Leinster Senior Cup
Liam Buckley	1998–2000	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1998–99 League of Ireland Premier Division
Pete Mahon (interim)	1998	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Pat Dolan	1996–98	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1996–97 LFA President's Cup, 1997–98 League of Ireland Premier Division
Brian Kerr	1986–96	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1989–90 League of Ireland Premier Division, 1986–87 Leinster Senior Cup, 1989–90 Leinster Senior Cup, 1990–91 Leinster Senior Cup, 1990–91 LFA President's Cup, 1995–96 League of Ireland Premier Division
Jimmy Jackson	1985–86	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Eoin Hand	1984–85	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Charlie Walker	1979–84	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1982–83 Leinster Senior Cup
Ralph O'Flaherty	1978–79	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Barry Bridges	1976–78	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
George Richardson	1975–76	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1975–76 Dublin City Cup
Jack Burkett	1971–75	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1971–72 LFA President's Cup
John Colrain	1968–71	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Peter Farrell	1967–68	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Gerry Doyle	1966–67	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
George Lax	1965–66	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Shay Keogh	1963–65	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%
Unknown	1958–63	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1959 FAI Cup, 1961 FAI Cup
Alex Stevenson	1954–58	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1954–55 League of Ireland, 1955–56 Dublin City Cup, 1955–56 LFA President's Cup, 1955–56 League of Ireland
Unknown	1951–54	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0%	0%	Won 1951–52 League of Ireland, 1952–53 LFA President's Cup, 1953–54 LFA President's Cup, 1953–54 Dublin City Cup

References[]

External links[]

• St Patricks Athletic FC Official Website
• SaintsForum.net (Discussion forum for All Saints fans)
• St. Patrick's Athletic FAI Cup history