ABOUT ONE HOUR before kick-off two Gardaí from the Mounted Support United trotted down Emmet Road away from Richmond Park.
One hundred yards behind them were three ponies with carts attached, saddled by kids no older than 13. At least two of them had bolted with their dinner from Toni’s chipper.
“Head for the Pheenooo (Phoenix Park),” one of the young lads roared, his voice barely broken.
Two men stood watching this and asked a very understandable question. “Is that a normal thing to see around here?”
Erm…
There was a waft of salt and vinegar and a tinge of something exotic from their accents.
Turns out Patrick and Martin were from Møn, an island in southern Denmark, and were in Dublin for the weekend with their wives. Their better halves remained in Temple Bar and their husbands assured them they would join them as soon as the match was over.
The Shamrock Rovers players will not be venturing into that part of town to celebrate their fifth Premier Division title in six seasons. Simon Power’s stunning strike for St Patrick’s Athletic, combined with Derry City’s win in Waterford, means this title race that is effectively over still limps along.
On a night of such significance for Rovers there was also major potential consequence for St Pat’s.
Victory, along with Bohemians losing 2-0 to Galway United, means Stephen Kenny’s side can leapfrog the Gypsies into fourth spot should they triumph at Dalymount Park on Monday.
There will be three fixtures remaining from that point and the race for Europe is where the real drama lies – although there was a bit thrown into the mix before kick-off here when it was confirmed Rovers captain Roberto Lopes, who qualified for the World Cup with Cape Verde at the start of the week, was unavailable as his wife gave birth earlier in the afternoon.
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It was at Richmond Park that the Hoops won their fourth league title in a row in 2023 but their aim of becoming the first team in League of Ireland history to make that five was derailed by Damien Duff’s Shelbourne.
A Rovers reaction was always to be expected, but this was also supposed to be a year that clubs who toyed with the idea of challenging would finally show they were the real deal.
Derry had a new manager and recruited like a club new to money. Bohs put their money where their mouth was too.
One of the most exciting plot lines came with Stephen Kenny’s re-emergence in Inchicore. It looked to be the catalyst for the Saints challenging for the ultimate honour in 2025; the first time since they brought the league trophy back in 2013.
An 11-game unbeaten run that included 10 wins ensured qualification for the Uefa Conference League qualifiers whetted the appetite for what was to come.
It brought renewed expectation for this year and helped reinvigorate Kenny, enthused by the possibilities ahead.
They were top of the Premier Division on 2 May after a 2-0 win at home to Galway United but that is where their momentum didn’t just stall, it plummeted.
In the next 12 league games they won just twice, losing six times and drawing on four occasions. That is why their race for Europe will likely go to the wire.
Kenny referenced Rovers’ consistency in his programme notes here, stating it was something “other clubs have struggled to match.”
The prospect of Pat’s putting it up to Rovers and exerting any kind of pressure in the title race ended during the summer.
Their own season looked to be coming off the rails when Cork City resoundingly beat them in the FAI Cup semi-final two weeks ago.
A reaction was needed to save more than just pride. Within 12 minutes they could have been 2-0 up in almost identical circumstances from crosses on both flanks.
Barry Baggley wasted the first opportunity inside the D on the edge of the box when he strode onto a poor clearance from Darragh Nugent but dragged his low shot wide under no pressure.
Moments later and this time it was centre back Cory O’Sullivan who got his feet mixed up to gift Kian Leavy a shot from a similar distance, only his effort rose high onto the terrace beside where 500 or so travelling supporters hoped to celebrate the club’s 22nd title.
When Power cut inside from the left and was invited to shoot from around 20 yards the Rovers faithful were stunned into silence.
Of course, a sense of any real consequence was minimal given the kind of turnaround needed for Rovers not to win the league but by half time they were trailing and Derry led 2-1 down in Waterford.
That remained the case approaching 74 minutes. Pat’s pushed for a second but were understandably not doing so in a manner that would leave them exposed at the other end.
A reminder of the renewed threat the champions-elect posed came when O’Sullivan whipped a cross from the left and substitute Rory Gaffney had a free header eight yards out that was comfortably saved by Joey Anang.
Moments later the striker struck a fierce left foot volley that required the Ghanian goalkeeper – who will be going to the World Cup next summer – into a much better stop.
Bradley had introduced the forward along with Lee Grace and Connor Malley, and as they pushed for that precious point to clinch it before they return to Uefa Conference League action on Thursday it was almost produced in stunning fashion by Graham Burke whose scooped effort grazed the post.
The wait goes on, and surely Derry can’t rein in the Rovers bolters from here.
St Patrick’s Athletic:Joe Anang; Axel Sjoberg, Joe Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti, Al-Amin Kazeem (Jason McClelland 81); Simon Power (Ryan McLaughlin 90+5), Jamie Lennon, Barry Baggley, Chris Forrester (Darren Robinson 81), Kian Leavy (Jordon Garrick 87); Mason Melia (Conor Carty 90+4).
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Daniel Cleary, Adam Mathews (John McGovern 80), Cory O’Sullivan; Darragh Nugent, Dylan Watts, Matt Healy (Lee Grace 64), Danny Mandroiu, Sean Kavanagh (Rory Gaffney 64); Graham Burke (captain), Michael Noonan (Connor Malley 64).
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St Pat's keep Shamrock Rovers waiting for title party with win to get Euro hopes back on track
St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Shamrock Rovers 0
ABOUT ONE HOUR before kick-off two Gardaí from the Mounted Support United trotted down Emmet Road away from Richmond Park.
One hundred yards behind them were three ponies with carts attached, saddled by kids no older than 13. At least two of them had bolted with their dinner from Toni’s chipper.
“Head for the Pheenooo (Phoenix Park),” one of the young lads roared, his voice barely broken.
Two men stood watching this and asked a very understandable question. “Is that a normal thing to see around here?”
Erm…
There was a waft of salt and vinegar and a tinge of something exotic from their accents.
Turns out Patrick and Martin were from Møn, an island in southern Denmark, and were in Dublin for the weekend with their wives. Their better halves remained in Temple Bar and their husbands assured them they would join them as soon as the match was over.
The Shamrock Rovers players will not be venturing into that part of town to celebrate their fifth Premier Division title in six seasons. Simon Power’s stunning strike for St Patrick’s Athletic, combined with Derry City’s win in Waterford, means this title race that is effectively over still limps along.
On a night of such significance for Rovers there was also major potential consequence for St Pat’s.
Victory, along with Bohemians losing 2-0 to Galway United, means Stephen Kenny’s side can leapfrog the Gypsies into fourth spot should they triumph at Dalymount Park on Monday.
There will be three fixtures remaining from that point and the race for Europe is where the real drama lies – although there was a bit thrown into the mix before kick-off here when it was confirmed Rovers captain Roberto Lopes, who qualified for the World Cup with Cape Verde at the start of the week, was unavailable as his wife gave birth earlier in the afternoon.
It was at Richmond Park that the Hoops won their fourth league title in a row in 2023 but their aim of becoming the first team in League of Ireland history to make that five was derailed by Damien Duff’s Shelbourne.
A Rovers reaction was always to be expected, but this was also supposed to be a year that clubs who toyed with the idea of challenging would finally show they were the real deal.
Derry had a new manager and recruited like a club new to money. Bohs put their money where their mouth was too.
One of the most exciting plot lines came with Stephen Kenny’s re-emergence in Inchicore. It looked to be the catalyst for the Saints challenging for the ultimate honour in 2025; the first time since they brought the league trophy back in 2013.
An 11-game unbeaten run that included 10 wins ensured qualification for the Uefa Conference League qualifiers whetted the appetite for what was to come.
It brought renewed expectation for this year and helped reinvigorate Kenny, enthused by the possibilities ahead.
They were top of the Premier Division on 2 May after a 2-0 win at home to Galway United but that is where their momentum didn’t just stall, it plummeted.
In the next 12 league games they won just twice, losing six times and drawing on four occasions. That is why their race for Europe will likely go to the wire.
Kenny referenced Rovers’ consistency in his programme notes here, stating it was something “other clubs have struggled to match.”
The prospect of Pat’s putting it up to Rovers and exerting any kind of pressure in the title race ended during the summer.
Their own season looked to be coming off the rails when Cork City resoundingly beat them in the FAI Cup semi-final two weeks ago.
A reaction was needed to save more than just pride. Within 12 minutes they could have been 2-0 up in almost identical circumstances from crosses on both flanks.
Barry Baggley wasted the first opportunity inside the D on the edge of the box when he strode onto a poor clearance from Darragh Nugent but dragged his low shot wide under no pressure.
Moments later and this time it was centre back Cory O’Sullivan who got his feet mixed up to gift Kian Leavy a shot from a similar distance, only his effort rose high onto the terrace beside where 500 or so travelling supporters hoped to celebrate the club’s 22nd title.
When Power cut inside from the left and was invited to shoot from around 20 yards the Rovers faithful were stunned into silence.
Of course, a sense of any real consequence was minimal given the kind of turnaround needed for Rovers not to win the league but by half time they were trailing and Derry led 2-1 down in Waterford.
That remained the case approaching 74 minutes. Pat’s pushed for a second but were understandably not doing so in a manner that would leave them exposed at the other end.
A reminder of the renewed threat the champions-elect posed came when O’Sullivan whipped a cross from the left and substitute Rory Gaffney had a free header eight yards out that was comfortably saved by Joey Anang.
Moments later the striker struck a fierce left foot volley that required the Ghanian goalkeeper – who will be going to the World Cup next summer – into a much better stop.
Bradley had introduced the forward along with Lee Grace and Connor Malley, and as they pushed for that precious point to clinch it before they return to Uefa Conference League action on Thursday it was almost produced in stunning fashion by Graham Burke whose scooped effort grazed the post.
The wait goes on, and surely Derry can’t rein in the Rovers bolters from here.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joe Anang; Axel Sjoberg, Joe Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti, Al-Amin Kazeem (Jason McClelland 81); Simon Power (Ryan McLaughlin 90+5), Jamie Lennon, Barry Baggley, Chris Forrester (Darren Robinson 81), Kian Leavy (Jordon Garrick 87); Mason Melia (Conor Carty 90+4).
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Daniel Cleary, Adam Mathews (John McGovern 80), Cory O’Sullivan; Darragh Nugent, Dylan Watts, Matt Healy (Lee Grace 64), Danny Mandroiu, Sean Kavanagh (Rory Gaffney 64); Graham Burke (captain), Michael Noonan (Connor Malley 64).
Referee: Neil Doyle.
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