ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC GOALKEEPER Brendan Clarke has admitted that he doesn’t believe the 2013 champions will retain the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title this season.
The Saints won the league for the first time in 14 years last October but trail current leaders Dundalk by eleven points with just six games remaining despite defeating the Lilywhites 1-0 at Richmond Park on Friday night.
“We were always confident in ourselves,” Clarke said, speaking at the media launch for the FAI Ford Cup quarter-finals in Dublin today.
“We’re disappointed with the league campaign this year as we would like to be a lot closer than we are.
“They’re the team to be caught and we’ve beaten them but it’s not about just beating Dundalk. It’s about beating teams for ourselves because we want to do well and secure Europe for next year.
“Obviously we have the cup as well and if we get past Bohs and the semi-final, we can win the cup and get into Europe that way.
To be honest, I think the league now is out of our grasp,” he added. “If you ask any player in the squad honestly, they will tell you it is. I think Dundalk only need two wins and a draw to put us out of the title race and you can see them getting that.
“But we’re looking forward to catching Cork and trying to get second to secure Europe through the league and we will try to win the cup as well.”
Pat’s, who haven’t won the country’s premier cup competition in 53 years, are at home to Bohemians in Friday’s last eight meeting and Clarke is hopeful that this is the year they finally end the drought.
“We had the disappointment of the Derry final in 2012 and I think that stood to us last year,” Clarke says. “We were a lot closer knit group last year and that helped us as well with the league campaign as we ended up winning that, which was fantastic.
“As Liam (Buckley) says, someone has to win the cup every year and there’s no reason it can’t be us.
“We had a Dublin derby in the last round against Shelbourne. There was a great atmosphere in Richmond Park and it was a tough game. There is something special about Dublin derbies and it being a cup quarter final as well will add some spice to it.”
St Patrick’s Athletic play Bohemians in an FAI Ford Cup quarter-final at Richmond Park on Friday night (7.45pm kick off)
