Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 0 Bohemians 0
Park life. St Patrick’s Athletic turn their attention to European football without a win in six matches.
The 4,919 crowd inside Richmond Park were served everything but a goal to decide in this engrossing Dublin derby.
Dayle Rooney and Ross Tierney went close for Bohemians but far too many St Pat’s players missed the target.
As Richard Ashcroft finished his set in Cardiff with Bitter Sweet Sympathy, Bohs were peacocking their new FAI Cup strip and the iconic Oasis logo around Dublin 8.
RM Block
The Verve lead singer was opening for the seismic return of Noel and Liam Gallagher at The Principality stadium, the first gig of a lucrative second coming for the Manchester band.
This was no cup match though. Bohs made an exception to show off their latest piece of innovative marketing. The sky-blue Oasis gear should help fill the club’s coffers when Dalymount Park is under construction.
Besides the stadium DJ playing Blur tunes at every opportunity, the Brit Pop revival was never going to overshadow the football.
Not around Inchicore, where there was plenty at stake for Stephen Kenny’s men coming off a winless June.
“We cannot believe ourselves that we have had such a poor two weeks,” wrote Kenny in his programme notes after St Pat’s missed an “inordinately high number of chances” to leave them in a comparable situation to last season when the former Republic of Ireland manager was recruited midseason.
Kenny turned the tide in July 2024 as his team embarked on a run to the precipice of the Uefa Conference League group stages. That journey begins again on Thursday with the visit of Hegelmann from Lithuania.
St Pat’s created the better chances in the opening half-hour only for Bohs centre half Rob Cornwall to deny Aidan Keena and Simon Power.
However, the visitors should have taken the lead in the 38th minute when new signing Douglas James-Taylor blazed over a cut back by James Clarke.
James-Taylor arrived from Drogheda United this week to replace French striker Lys Mousset, who was unceremoniously released by Bohemians.
St Pat’s should have led at the break only Power’s effort missed the target before Jason McClelland slammed a shot off the crossbar.
Half-time welcomed dozens of kids on to the Richmond grass to the sound of Blur’s Song 2.
Kenny benched teenager Mason Melia and winger Zach Elbouzedi following last week’s scoreless draw in Cork while their creative force, Chris Forrester, continues to return from injury.
All three eventually arrived but the sight of Jake Mulraney limping off, holding his hamstring, is not what Kenny needs before a European campaign.
The excellent Power put the ball in the Bohs net early in the second-half only for a premature linesman’s flag for offside. Replays confirmed the match official’s error.
With Dawson Devoy being smothered by Barry Baggley in midfield, The Saints seemed certain to break the deadlock.
Somehow Jordan Flores cleared Kian Leavy’s toe poke off the goal line. That did it for Kenny. Melia arrived on the hour for Keena.
The under-21 international showed for every ball, mostly supplied by Leavy, but Cornwall held firm.
Ultimately, the poor quality of St Pat’s final pass summed up their season so far.
Elsewhere, with Shamrock Rovers facing Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds on Saturday night, Derry City closed the gap at the top to eight points with an emphatic 7-2 defeat of Waterford while the post-Damien Duff era at Tolka Park formally began as Joey O’Brien’s Shelbourne beat Cork City 3-1.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; McLaughlin (Kavanagh 75), Redmond, Grivosti, McClelland; Lennon, Baggley (Forrester 80); Power, Leavy (Sjoberg 75), Mulraney (Elbouzedi 80); Keena (Melia 61).
Bohemians: Chorazka; Smith (Mountney 71), Cornwall, Flores, Morahan; Devoy, McDonnell (Buckley 71); Tierney, Clarke, Rooney; James-Taylor (Whelan 71).
Referee: Rob Hennessy.
