Season Review 2016 - St Patrick's Athletic

Manager: Liam Buckley.

Top Scorer: Conan Byrne (11).

Highest Attendance: St. Patrick’s Athletic 0-4 Dundalk (2,150).

Lowest Attendance: St. Patrick’s Athletic 3-1 Cork City (369).

Star Player: Christy Fagan. It is undoudtedly a surprise to most supporters that, in fact, it was Conan Byrne who slotted home the most Premier Division goals for St. Pat’s this season. While Byrne rallied in the second half of this season to show the consistent durability of his performances which always concludes with a double-digit goal tally, in a season of underperformers it was once again Fagan who stood above the grade for the Saints.

His two goals in European competition, firstly against Jeunesse Esch and then again against Dinamo Minsk away, almost saw St. Pat’s propelled into the third round of Europa League qualification. The run was put to an end with a dismal 1-0 defeat at home to Minsk when a 0-0 would have seen them through, however Fagan’s quality at the highest level shone through between the four fixtures immensely.

Last season Fagan was held back by consistent injuries which saw the striker score just seven goals in 2015, following a prolific 20 in 2014. This season he managed 10 in the Premier Division (the same number as Dundalk’s Daryl Horgan).

Fagan was not at his most prolific by any means this year, but individual moments of brilliance such as his European exploits and a goal of the season contender versus Wexford Youths proved he may be too high quality a striker to stay another year in Inchicore when title-challengers could be calling the 27-year-old’s name in the off-season.

Best Young Player: Rory Feely. In a year of disappointment for St. Pat’s all looming in the afterthought of a club threading backwards each year from the heights of a 2013 league title and a 2014 FAI Cup, youth provided a constant outlook of hope for the club’s future.

St. Pats’ under-17s were crowned league winners for 2016 with 17 wins from 20 games, with a number of young prospects having filtered into the first team squad over the last two seasons. Sean Hoare and Lee Desmond are now staples of St. Pat’s defence and midfield, with goalkeeper Conor O’Malley too proving to be of incredible quality this as well as last season.

This year, however, saw an opportunity present itself for 19-year-old defender Rory Feely to fill in at centre back following a constant state of change to partner Hoare between Darren Dennehy, Michael Barker and Shane McEleney.

Playing over 1,000 minutes for the Saints in 2016, Feely provided an assured and physical presence in the middle of defence throughout the second half of the season, showing no sign of inexperience despite his young age. With the build and frame of some of the league’s more established defenders, Feely showed his capability to contest battles as well as the know-how to play the ball with his feet, take it out of defence and into midfield.

Best New Signing: Mark Timlin. The undoubted lowlight of 2016 for St. Pat’s was the disappointing transition of new signings to replace key members of its 2013 league and 2014 cup winning sides, including James Chambers, Killian Brennan, Kenny Browne and Greg Bolger, as well as Chris Forrester midway through 2015.

New recruits failed to fill the departed’s boots quickly enough, however former Derry City winger Mark Timlin proved the exception to this principle with repeated performances throughout the beginning and middle of the campaign.

Scoring seven league goals in 24 appearances provided a good return taking into account eight of those appearances were coming off the bench. Timlin totalled 10 goals across all competitions meaning he was the only player outside of Christy Fagan and Conan Byrne to reach double-digits.

A large degree of anger from St. Pat’s supporters with new signings this season was found at a lack of desire and effort during games, particularly in front of home support at Richmond Park. The 22-year-old Timlin, meanwhile, dispelled this feeling with commitment and consistency in his performances every time he took to the pitch.

What we expected they would do: Following just an EA Sports Cup to flaunt in 2015, departures were expected. The aforementioned Bolger, Chambers, Browne and Brennan all left and in their place came Graham Kelly, Keith Treacy, David Cawley, Darren Dennehy and his brother Billy.

Among others which offered optimism was Shelbourne’s Young Player of the Year for 2015 Dylan McGlade as well as Sligo Rovers striker Dinny Corcoran who put two past the Saints in Richmond Park on the final day of last season.

Like in 2015, many expected St. Pat’s to reclaim the lost ground and, at the very least, match or out-position Shamrock Rovers to stake a very outside claim for the title. This was quickly quashed as it became evident that the stalwarts of the club’s recent glory could not be replaced overnight.

What they actually did: It is a testament to the high standards which St. Pat’s supporters hold their club accountable, that this season will go down in history as bitterly disappointing. Disappointment came in weekly packages, with the frustration of the club missing out on Europe —unthinkable two years ago — added to by lacklustre and often completely uncaring and dispassionate displays on the field each week.

Looking to positives however, there were undoubtedly more than a few for St. Pat’s. The club won a round in Europe with two professional displays versus Luxembourg Jeunesse Esch in the Europa League, with the team perhaps unlucky not to get through to the third round of qualification thanks to a 1-0 loss at home to Dinamo Minsk following a steely 1-1 draw in Belarus.

The Saints too succeeded in winning back-to-back League Cup titles with an outstanding second half display versus First Division champions Limerick at the Market’s Field to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 victory.

Liam Buckley faced criticism this season for his failure to bring St. Pat’s up to the quality of the top three teams in Ireland, with further frustration lying in Kenny Shiels’ Derry City pipping the Saints to a place in Europe for next season to the surprise of most.

However he too steered St. Pat’s in an FAI Cup semi-final in which eventual winners Cork City taught them a lesson with a Sean Maguire inspired 3-1 win, meaning a league cup, FAI Cup semi-final and the financial reward of progressing through a round in Europe was the total sum of a below-par season in Richmond Park which, as poor seasons go, is not as bad as it may seem on first glance.

What they need to improve on for next year: Liam Buckley will be under no illusions that it will be an ardent and thankless upward battle over the next season to try and bridge the gap which saw St. Pat’s finish in a bitterly disappointing 7th position this year.

With no European football to offer players, both prestige and finances will be depleted significantly. St. Pat’s have no doubt relied their budget on the guarantee of European football for nine out of the last ten seasons and will struggle comparatively with the riches which Dundalk and, to a significantly lesser extent, Cork City, Shamrock Rovers and Derry City will benefit from because of it.

However Buckley has proven himself to be a man capable of restructuring a winning side on repeated occasions. He listened to his critics in moving on a large portion of a stale squad this time 12 months ago but in doing so lost an exceptional wealth of experience and quality.

Where this decision should have seen St. Pat’s progress, the opposite has occurred and the club are in a significantly worse position than they were this time last year. The introduction of players like Dinny Corcoran, Billy Dennehy and former Ireland international Keith Treacy set hopes high for a rejuvenation.

However new signings fell short way beyond what was expected and the team suffered in their league standing as a result. Expectations will have to be curtained back to a large degree this season. 2017 should not by any realistic bearing see the Saints compete for the title, and even a push for Europe will be optimistic at the head of the agenda.

It is not now or never for a club which has seen its attendances fall significantly over the last year reflective of a wider decay on the field of play, however the club cannot afford to spend another season regressing more from the heights of 2013 further and further into the oblivion of mid-table.

#GreatestLeagueInTheWorld moment of season: The two scathing statements released by the club during the summer in response to the FAI’s proposed €5,000 investment for a five-year strategic plan was both brave and unprecedented. St. Pat’s followed Derry City in rejecting the Association's offer, which broke down to less than €20 per week over the five year period, with the words capturing so poignantly the anger and frustration of clubs which have been abandoned by the people who govern their league over the course of the last ten years.

The first read:

“What prevails with the FAI is an approach whereby it decides everything and where it dictates policy with the occasional PR flurry to try and create a public image that its senior executives are committed to change and to improvement.”

The second:

“The board of SPAFC is committed to the establishment of a strong PCA which must be focused on rooting out the culture of disinterest that has prevailed throughout the FAI's management of our League for too many years. Offering the proverbial "crumbs from the rich man's table" will not shift the resolve of those clubs and those individuals determined to create a properly funded and professionally managed league in Ireland.”