Aidan Keena rejoins St Patrick's Athletic from Cheltenham Town

Aidan Keena

Aidan Keena in a previous stint with Sligo Rovers Credit: Peter Fitzpatrick (ETPhotos)

St Patrick's Athletic have announced the return of striker Aidan Keena from Cheltenham Town.

Keena, 25, is making a comeback to St Pat's seven years after leaving for Scottish Premiership side Hearts in 2017.

Initially signing for the club's U19 team in January 2016, he quickly moved up to the first team, debuting in a league match against Bray Wanderers in February 2017 and scoring in a friendly against Bluebell United.

After five senior appearances with St Pat's, Keena joined Heart of Midlothian in August 2017. His career then took him to Queen's Park, Dunfermline Athletic, Hartlepool United, and Falkirk, before he returned to the League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers in January 2022.

He made an immediate impact, scoring the winning goal on his debut against St Pat's at Richmond Park.

During the 2022 Premier Division campaign, Keena scored 18 goals in 32 games and 21 goals in all competitions, finishing as the league's top scorer and earning a spot in the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year.

This performance led to his transfer to Cheltenham Town in January 2023. Keena also previously played under St Pat's Manager Stephen Kenny with the Republic of Ireland U21s, making his debut in November 2019 against Armenia.

Expressing his excitement about the return, Keena said, "I'm buzzing to be back at the club. Everything happened fairly quickly, and it's great to get it done and be back in the League of Ireland. I wasn't sure about staying in the UK or coming home, but after talking to the gaffer, it was clear I wanted to come back and get stuck in with Pat's."

Keena is familiar with several teammates, having played with Jamie Lennon in the Pat's U19s, Jake Mulraney in Scotland, and Zack Elbouzedi with the Ireland U21s.

"I know what the players at Pat's are about, and I think they will help me settle and suit my game. I'm looking forward to getting going in Inchicore and scoring goals to help push us up the table and make an impact in Europe."



Manager Stephen Kenny is pleased with the signing, stating, "Aidan came through our youth system before moving to Hearts. He has a great attitude, works extremely hard, and loves scoring goals. He had an exceptional season at Sligo before his move to England, and now at 25, he's in his prime and ready to make a positive impact."

Keena will don the number 18 shirt at Richmond Park and joins recent signings Joseph Anang, Al-Amin Kazeem, and Zack Elbouzedi as St Pat's.

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