Season Preview 2008: St Pats
Credit:
Manager
John McDonnell
Director of Football
Brian Kerr
Players In
Joe O’Cearuill (From Barnet),
Damien Lynch (From Drogheda),
Jamie Harris (From Dunfermline),
Gary Dempsey (From Yeovil Town),
Dessie Byrne (From Bohemians),
David Partridge (Brentford),
Bobby Ryan (Dunfermline)
Players Out
Darragh Maguire (Shamrock Rovers)
Sean O'Connor (Shamrock Rovers)
Michael Foley (Waterford Utd)
Michael Macek (End of Loan)
Keith Barker (Released)
Anto Murphy (Sligo Rovers)
Luke Fitzpatrick (Waterford Utd)
Colm Foley (Retired)
Top Scorer 2007
Mark Quigley (18 goals)
Last Season
2nd in Eircom League, Semi-Finals of Setanta Sports Cup, 1st round UEFA Cup, Quarter Finals of FAI Ford Cup.
Key Signing
Joe O’Cearuil – Centre back Joe O’Cearuill honed his trade at Arsenal before signing for Barnet in 2007. The Irish international is sure to stabalise the Saints back four whose defence showed signs of frailty at times last season. With Dave Rogers seeking a transfer, O’Cearuill may be the man to plug the hole.
Biggest Loss
Colm Foley – The long serving rock at the heart of Pat’s defence succumbed to a lingering injury last month and was forced to retire. The former captain was a huge favorite among the Saints faithful and his retiremnt will be lamented by players and spectators alike.
Key Player
PFAI Young player of in 2007 Mark Quigley was instrumental in guiding Saint Pat’s to a 2nd place finish in the league last year. His 18 goals last season, and 3 already this season, make him the key man up front for the Saints.
What do they need?
With off form striker Glen Fitzpatrick on the transfer list, manager John McDonnell is on the look out for a striker to partner the in form Mark Quigley. The signing of a new striker could be the Pat’s key to a successful season.
Season Expectation
Brian Kerr,”We would definatley be looking for some silverware this season especially after the 7 new signings. We would expect to be there or there abouts in the league and the cup by the end of the season. We appreciate that the likes of Drogheda and Cork may be ahead of us but we have sepnt the last two seasons building up structure and standards.”
John McDonnell, “This season we want to win something, be it the Cup, the league or the Setanta. Obviously we are not going to win the UEFA Cup. We have spent a lot on new players this year so expectations are high and hopefully, we can deliver the silverware.”
Verdict
Saint Pat’s will be looking to mount a serious title challenge this year and getting their hands on some silverware will be paramount to a successful season. Wealthy Chariman Garrett Kelleher has invested heavily so far with seven new player joining the squad – players who will all be pushing for a first team place. A welcome headache for manager John McDowell. A good start to the season is imperitive if the Saints are serious about contending for some silver ware and the new signings should not be lauded until good results are recorded but it may be that Dorogheda will prove too powerful once again this season.
Prediction: 2nd Place.
