JAMIE LENNON’S HEAD was still in the clouds a week after his man-of-the-match performance in last season’s FAI Cup final win over Bohemians.
The ones above the New York City skyline to be precise.
Once the St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder finished enjoying a couple of days around Dublin with his teammates he headed to the United States for the first time.
In a helicopter above downtown Manhattan, with the Statue of Liberty in view, the thought briefly crossed his mind about what the trip would have been like if St Pat’s had lost the Cup final at Aviva Stadium in front of a record crowd of 43,881.
“I don’t think I’d have said a word on the holiday,” he says. “But I’d always wanted to go to New York. My girlfriend wanted a few days in the Dominican Republic and that’s only a few hours away. You have to compromise.”
Lennon is about to embark on his seventh season in the Premier Divison with the Saints. The “shy boy” who loved History and Geography in school and considered becoming a teacher when he went to Dublin City University has now found a sense of self in the heart of midfield.
“I wouldn’t have said a word growing up, I just always loved football and wanted to play.”
Mick Lennon, his father, is the reason for that. He’s 56 now but still running teams for Ely Woodlawn, the club he helped set up in Santry. “Even now around the house there are always balls, gear bags, boots, jerseys” the 25-year-old says.
The smells of football.
Lennon Jnr even lent a hand managing some of his mates in the club’s senior side in the AUL division, leading them to a league title last season.
“I gave it up last summer,” he says. “I always feel like I’m thinking about football or talking about it. I don’t do anything else. With Pat’s it’s about recovery, the right food, rest, watching games, going over clips. Getting better.”
When Lennon’s time in Shelbourne’s schoolboy section came to an end, there was no offer of anything from U-19 level up.
St Pat’s offered him a trial soon after and he was signed the same week. He became captain of their U-19s and is now the longest serving senior player at the club given Chris Forrester left and returned following almost four years in Britain.
“We’re like an old couple who argue and give out every day but we also know what each other wants and I know Git down to a tee. I’m happy to be the one doing the dirty work for him.”
Lennon isn’t one of the young ones anymore. “Time makes you feel like you understand the game and the standards that should be there,” he says.
“Before I would only focus on myself, I’d be afraid to make a mistake and hope that I did OK. Now I know what I can do, I don’t have that same self-doubt or imposter syndrome. If I’m passionate about something I will speak up and say it. I’m not shy anymore.”
Still, the boyhood Liverpool supporter was left speechless in the moments before he was due to take part in a pre-season friendly against Bohs last month. It was the same day Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to leave Anfield at the end of this Premier League season.
“I couldn’t believe it. The kitman literally showed me on his phone as we were walking out. I didn’t know what to say. Devastated.”
There was a time when his father would have been too, but things have changed slightly over the last decade. “I think he’d rather watch Pat’s than Liverpool now to be honest. The whole family would go to games now whether I was there or not.
“My Dad is in WhatsApp groups with friends he’s made and they arrange to go to games. My Mam (Jackie) and Dad have season tickets. My sister Shauna does too.
“I have a couple of cousins who have started going and they’ve had to get season tickets because I had to explain to them that I can’t get tickets this season. The demand is unreal.”
St Pat’s have already sold a record number of season tickets for the 2024 campaign and Richmond Park is set to be a sell-out every other Friday with just a limited amount released for general sale.
They are away to Galway United tomorrow night before hosting Bohemians in a Dublin derby on Friday week.
“The league is booming,” Lennon says. “It makes you feel like a proper football when you see the crowds we get around the country, facilities are the only thing we’re missing to match but it’s really good to feel respected as a League of Ireland footballer now.”
Pat’s now train at the Sport Ireland campus and after finishing third last season, plus that Cup win, Lennon is not shy about laying out the expectation for Jon Daly’s side.
“We’ve had some success over the last few years but we need to hit the ground running this season and build on last year to challenge for the league.”
