League Preview: St. Patrick's Athletic -v- Waterford

St Patrick’s Athletic

St Patrick’s Athletic host Waterford FC at Richmond Park on Friday night, and the Saints are finally starting to reap the rewards of Stephen Kenny’s appointment.

The former Ireland manager’s side have been unbeaten in the league since a 3-0 loss to Derry City in July and have lost just one game in all competitions since then, against Istanbul Başakşehir in the Europa Conference Qualifiers.

A victory in Friday's game could see Kenny’s side move a step closer to overtaking Galway United in sixth.

The Saints will still have hopes of securing a spot in Europe before the end of the season, but with the gap to Shamrock Rovers currently standing at seven points, it’s looking unlikely.

Waterford beat Pats in their last encounter at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre, with a goal from former player Ben McCormack proving enough to separate the two sides.

The side from Inchicore are yet to beat the Blues in the League of Ireland this season in their three encounters, so this Friday presents a chance for revenge.

Mason Melia is likely to be key in the game, with the teenager enjoying an impressive run of form at the moment.

Goals in his last two outings against Drogheda United and Dundalk have taken his tally for the season to five goals in twelve starts.

Chris Forrester will be one to watch for the Saints, as will Zack Elbouzedi, who recorded two assists in the match against Drogheda at the start of September.

Stephen Kenny spoke to the club’s official media, expressing hope that the side will put on a strong performance in front of the home crowd.

“We’re in a good run of form, ten points from twelve, but Waterford have had a great season, they have been terrific this year; they are up where they are on merit. We’ll have to be at our best against a strong Waterford team.”

“The players haven’t played in a couple of weeks, and they’re looking forward to getting back into action.”

“We want to keep that winning run going and climb the table. I feel it’s a good opportunity for us. We know Waterford have been excellent, but a lot of our players are really in form, and we want them to carry that form into Friday night’s game, and with a passionate home crowd, see if we can deliver a big performance.”

Waterford FC

Waterford are on a different run of form, losing three of their last five but winning their most recent game against bottom-of-the-league Dundalk by two goals to one.

A win for Waterford would see them move above Shamrock Rovers into third place if Rovers fail to beat Derry City away from home.

Padraig Amond has continued to show his class throughout the season for the Blue Army, taking his tally to twelve for the campaign with the winning goal against Dundalk on 13th September.

Waterford have slowed down as of late after an impressive start under Keith Long, and a win against Pats would go a long way towards cementing their place in the top four by the season’s end.

The manager has a full squad to choose from apart from Kyle White, which will be a welcome boost ahead of a difficult game against a team looking to improve their own standings.

As mentioned earlier, the Blues have two wins over Pats this season, which will give them confidence, but six defeats in their last nine games may weigh on the players' minds, especially after their 3-2 exit in the FAI Cup against Athlone Town recently.

Waterford have the third-best away record in the league, winning six of their 15 away games this season.

By comparison, Pats have the third-best home record, which makes this an extremely enticing clash to watch at Richmond Park on Friday night.

Prediction:
2-1 Pats

Match Stats:

Pats have not lost in the league since July but have failed to beat Waterford this season so far.

Padraig Amond is the joint top scorer in the Premier Division with 12 goals, while Brandon Kavanagh leads the assists chart with 9 assists.

St Patrick’s Athletic
Injured: Romal Palmer (knee), Cian Kavanagh (back), Alex Nolan (knock)
Doubtful: N/A
Suspended: N/A

Waterford
Injured: Kyle White (hamstring)
Doubtful: N/A
Suspended: N/A