Season Preview: St Patrick's Athletic
Credit:
St Patrick’s Athletic
Year Founded: 1929
Stadium: Richmond Park
Manager: Liam Buckley
Key Player: Ian Bermingham
St Patrick’s Athletic will be hoping to be among the contenders for this season's league title after finishing third last year and losing the FAI Cup Final to Derry City.
Last season Pats showed that they are a match for anybody on their day, particularly when they hammered Shamrock Rovers 5-1 at Inchicore. Chris Forrester produced one of the outstanding individual displays of the season during that match. However Forrester and his teammates need to remain consistent over the course of the coming season if they want to win the league.
The Inchicore club conceded the fewest goals in the league during 2012 and Player of the Year Ian Bermingham will be part of a defence which will hope to match that achievement. James Chambers will be a major loss in midfield for the Saints after he left for Shamrock Rovers.
Manager Liam Buckley will be hoping that Conan Byrne and Killian Brennan will be able to make an instant impact at their new club. Brennan will be hoping to rediscover his best form after a disappointing time at Shamrock Rovers. Anthony Flood and Christy Fagan will be expected to get the goals to spearhead the Inchicore club's title challenge.
The Saints’ pre-season form has been mixed. They were eliminated from the Setanta Sports Cup after failing to score over two legs against Glentorn. Pats responded with a 3-1 win over Bangor City in the Leinster Senior Cup.
St Patrick’s Athletic fans will be expecting a challenge for a European place this season at the very least. However if they can remain consistent over the course of the league season and keep their key players fit, then Pats may well be title contenders in the final weeks of the season.
