The magic of the cup has heaped enormous pressure on St Patrick’s Athletic to deny Shamrock Rovers a fifth league title in six seasons at Richmond Park on Friday.
The stars seemed to be aligned for an all-Dublin FAI Cup decider between St Pat’s and Rovers on November 9th. Demand for tickets to pack the Aviva Stadium was heating up.
There would be subplots galore: Stephen Bradley versus Stephen Kenny, a possible future Republic of Ireland manager versus the last one. Mason Melia versus Michael Noonan, two teenage strikers tipped for superstardom.
It would have been Melia’s final game for St Pat’s before his record-breaking move to Tottenham Hotspur in January.
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The reward for beating Rovers in the final is a place in next summer’s Europa League qualifiers.
The bunting was ready. St Pat’s were primed to mark Kenny’s 1,000th game as a club manager by blitzing Cork City at Turner’s Cross in the semi-final earlier this month.
The stage seemed set for a routine victory over the worst team in the Premier Division, as confirmed by Ger Nash’s side being relegated last Monday, before a hugely anticipated afternoon at the Aviva to bring the curtain down on a solid season.
Cork surely had no hope without their teenage sensation Cathal O’Sullivan and the prolific Ruairi Keating, who were laid out by injuries.
“Forget about top class, this is world class,” said Kenny Cunningham on RTÉ commentary after Seani Maguire evaded St Pat’s goalkeeper James Anang before sending both centre halves, Joe Redmond and Tom Grivosti sliding past, to make it 1-0 to Cork.
No panic. Eighty minutes to play and St Pat’s would not be long silencing the Shed End. Or so we told ourselves.
On their best days this season, Kenny’s team have been irresistible. Only for a tough draw against Turkish club Beşiktaş, they would have joined Shelbourne and Rovers in the Uefa Conference League group stages. With a support cast of Simon Power, Kian Leavy and the evergreen Chris Forrester, every week Melia was looking more like a Spurs player.
But the Dublin-derby narrative was shattered by Evan McLaughlin’s two goals in two minutes. Cork City’s 3-0 win at the Cross means that Irish football could be represented in next season’s Europa League by a first-division club.
Now, if St Pat’s fail to beat Rovers on Friday, and lose ground on Drogheda United, Bohemians and Shelbourne, the Kenny project will probably enter season three without European football.
Rovers will secure another title even if they lose to St Pat’s in Inchicore and Derry City fail to beat Waterford at the RSC.
If the Hoops complete a league and cup double, the runners-up in the Premier Division get the Europa spot reserved for the cup winners. This would mean that fourth place in the league would earn the second Conference League place in 2026.
That alone is worth about €600,000 in Uefa prize money.
As it stands, Rovers are on the Champions League route and Tiernan Lynch’s revamped Derry City squad are set to enter the Europa League by finishing second in the league.
If Rovers beat Cork in the cup final, Shelbourne and Bohemians would fill the remaining Conference League spots. If Cork shock Rovers, only third place Shels would make the cut.
Nothing is certain, yet, though.
Drogheda United was the story of last season after they won the cup, only to be disqualified from Europe by Uefa due to the multi-club ownership of Trivela, who had a Swedish club, Silkeborg IF, that also qualified.
The Drogs’ American owners reacted to their costly administrative error by ensuring that Kevin Doherty’s squad became the last in the Premier Division to turn fully professional. As a result, Drogheda are fifth in the table on 47 points, three points behind Bohs and one clear of St Pat’s.
If they overcome Cork City at United Park and Shels slip up against Sligo Rovers or Bohs struggle away to Galway United, Doherty will be on the cusp of masterminding another successful campaign.
Every game matters to every club on Friday, with Waterford and Sligo locked on 37 points, three clear of Galway in the relegation play-off slot.
Whatever way it shakes out, come Monday, St Pat’s face Bohs at Dalymount Park in what amounts to a cup final for both clubs. Just without the bunting.
Up Next
There is a tight race for top goal scorer in the Premier Division, with the 37-year-old Pádraig Amond’s 13 strikes leaving him one goal clear of 18-year-old Mason Melia. Derry City’s Michael Duffy and Sligo Rovers teenager Owen Elding remain in contention on 10 goals each.
