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The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'That will do wonders for his confidence, the only thing he's lacking has been goals'
STEPHEN KENNY HAILED his side's performance after St Patrick's Athletic beat Hegelmann 2-0 in Lithuania to secure their place in the second qualifying round of the Uefa Conference League and net a minimum of €700,000. Goals in either half from Kian Leavy and Mason Melia, coupled with Aidan Keena's first-leg penalty, ensured the Dublin side secured a convincing 3-0 aggregate win. The second goal on the night was particularly well-worked by a team who had scored just once in six Premier Division matches before this tie. 'It's a brilliant finish by Kian, a good pass by Mason,' Kenny said afterwards. 'We are delighted to win home and away and keep clean sheets back to back in Europe, four clean sheets in a row [overall]. The players are defending well, and to win is a great boost because it's difficult to win home and away in Europe, no matter who you are playing.' 😍 The assist by Melia 🎯 The finish by Leavy ⚽️⚽️ The Saints double their advantage on the night & now lead 3-0 on aggregate Our 2025 Goals are sponsored by @kavanaghspubd8 #StPatsFC 🔴⚪️ — St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) July 17, 2025 Kenny hailed Leavy in particular. The 23-year-old midfielder missed out on a starting XI spot in the first leg, but his performance this evening suggests he will retain his place for the foreseeable future. In addition to his clinical finish to double the Saints' advantage on the night, he had a hand in the opener with a mazy run and clever pass from which Jason McClelland's low shot was poked home by an alert Melia on the rebound. Advertisement 'We hit a barren period, but overall, we are a team that, over the last year, has scored a high number of goals. We have to get back on track now because that was expensive for us, in league terms. 'But tonight is about the European game, and that was a tough game for periods, but we played and controlled it really well. Without doubt, the standout performer — the player who caught the eye most was Kian Leavy — his influence on the night and the goal rounded it off for him, his first European goal. 'I think Kian is a good striker of the ball. Sometimes he's reluctant because he's so fast running with it, he doesn't get it out of his stride to strike it. He keeps his control so close to his feet, but tonight in the second half, he had one brilliant strike from 25 yards, where he got into his stride and connected brilliantly with it, and it's just wide; he missed the top corner. 'After that, he got on the end of Mason's pass and finished really well, that will do wonders for his confidence, the only thing he's lacking has been goals, he scored against Galway earlier in the season. That goal was brilliant for him, and hopefully he'll kick on. 'It's very unusual to get players who can dribble from central areas. He was very effective tonight.' Our opener in Lithuania thanks to Mason Melia's close range finish, a first European goal for the 17-year-old after great work by Leavy & McClelland in the build-up Our 2025 Goals are sponsored by @kavanaghspubd8 #StPatsFC 🔴⚪️ — St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) July 17, 2025 Kenny was similarly pleased with Melia. After Keena came off the bench to score the winner in the first leg, the Dubliner might have been tempted to start the Mullingar man, but the manager's faith in the 17-year-old was ultimately rewarded. 'Every goal doesn't have to be a brilliant finish. There is nothing wrong with finishing in the six-yard box…striker's goals. We've been lacking those types of goals. Jason McClelland did brilliantly, and he was in there to finish it. 'He won't get an easier goal, but it's because he read the situation and he anticipated it, and that's a good sign. There are more goals like that for him if he continues to react like that. 'Aidan Keena has been doing well as well, pushing Mason. It's a collective effort. Aidan got the goal to give us the big win we needed, a pressure goal in Richmond Park last week, and Mason was on hand to get the goal tonight, so it's good to have both strikers contributing.' Kenny also paid tribute to Chris Forrester, after the 32-year-old came off the bench to make a club-record-breaking 25th European appearance. 'It's been a milestone week for him. His 400th appearance for the club last week, and also his 25th today in Europe. '[Former Pat's player] Ian Bermingham, of course, was in Tirana tonight for us as it happens. While he was in Tirana, his record was taken away from him by his good friend, Chris. So it's a great achievement, and hopefully, there's more for him there.' Bermingham, who is Head of Academy Football at Pat's, was in Albania to watch Partizani Tirana play Nõmme Kalju. The Estonian side won 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate after extra time to set up a second-round clash with Pat's.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Teenage star Mason Melia bags first European goal as St Patrick's Athletic progress in Conference League
Mason Melia demonstrated why he is a rising star in Irish football as Saint Patrick's Athletic cantered into the next stage of the UEFA Conference League in Lithuania. The County Wicklow teenager's first goal in Europe early in the first half was bettered by a dazzling half-of-the-pitch sprint early in the second, setting up Kian Leavy to hammer home the second and the reality of a return of self-belief among Stephen Kenny's charges. Estonia's Nomme Kalju or Albanian side Partizani are up next for the Dubliners, who found confidence from their 1-0 home-leg win, despite poor league form, to cruise to victory in the Baltics. It was a first-ever victory by more than a single goal away from home in Europe for the Inchicore outfit. Heglemann's chronic inability to convert decent territory into a goal illustrated their limitations and, while Pat's will not get carried away with this, they will fancy their chance of getting through the next round too. Saints' European record under Stephen Kenny now reads: played eight matches, won five, their only defeat in those matches coming in the Conference League play-off round to smart Turkish outfit İstanbul Başakşehir last August. Pre-game Kenny noted the heat and how his players needed to adapt, Kian Leavy replacing Brandon Kavanagh because of his pace to trouble Hegelmann in the warm conditions, and that proved shrewd. Joe Redmond was calm throughout and, when needed, Joey Anang did the needful. All in all, Kenny will be thrilled. For all of that, Heglemann had a massive chance just over a minute in. A punt down the line saw Donatas Kazlauskas find space and he fed Klaudijus Upstas. Upstas's cross found Njoya Kader whose shot was blocked and Saints were lucky that full-back Carlos Duke lashed the rebound over. If Pat's needed a reminder of the challenge ahead, despite their one-goal lead, they had it. Jay McClelland struggled for that attack but he was central to the Saints opener. Leavy justified his selection by finding McClelland in space on the left and he drove the ball across stopper Vincentas Sarkauskas, whose parry was candy from a baby from a handful of yards for Melia. It was exactly what he and Pat's needed. Duke had a lively opening and he was wayward with a right-footed effort on 13 minutes – Saints had been warned. Still, Hegelmann looked ripe for picking off if Pat's got their press right. Melia was presented with the ball 16 minutes in and, rather than shoot, he got his pass all wrong, but the evening was young. There was no let-up and Leo Ribeiro had Jamie Lennon on the back foot but he blasted over from outside the box. The same scenario presented itself within a few minutes but this time Lennon fashioned a key block on Ribiero, who was causing problems for the Dubliners. Then Upstas crossed for Artem Shchedry but he could not quite connect, when he would have likely scored had he met the cross. Barry Bagley, who has revelled in European combat this year, showed sumptuous skill to find space midway through the half and McClelland teed up Power, whose low effort kept edging just beyond Sarkauskas' post. Melia's ability to create something with his first touch shows why Tottenham Hotspur are taking a chance on him. He burst into space and seemingly put the hitherto quiet Jake Mulraney on ten minutes before the break but Upstas got back to clear for a corner. Mulraney was growing in influence now but would not see the second half on the artificial terrain. The trio playing just off Melia – Mulraney, Power and Leavy – were critically involved six minutes shy of the break, Leavy blocked after a clever flick from Power. Lazar Kojic and Shchedry worked a lovely move early after the restart and Ribeiro's toe-poke may have been covered by Anang, but Saints were stretched. Leavy's end result can disappoint but not so for the second. Melia, having darted at goal from his own half, played a nice soft pass into the Ardee youngster and he was impressively averse to panic, taking control of the ball and blasting into the roof of the net. As the temperatures dropped to around 20 degrees, Saints were able to relax to a large extent thereafter. Substitutes Zach Elbouzedi, introduced for Mulraney at the break, should have done better after being fed by Aidan Keena, whose penalty conversion was massive last week, especially given his goal drought. Hegelmann's fans were tiring too, a faltering play on Homer Simpson's "Where's My Burrito" symptomatic of their malaise. That said, Anang produced an exceptional save from a stinging left-footed drive from substitute Patrick Popescu that would have made things a little more interesting. The stakes will rise for Pat's now with the question of whether they can bring this form back to the League of Ireland and repeat their run of last year in the Conference League. Hegelmann: Vincentas Sarkauskas; Klaudijus Upstas, Nikola Doric, Vilius Armalas, Carlos Duke; Artem Shchedry (Patrick Popescu 63), Lazar Kojic, Domantas Antanavicius (Abdoul Samad Harouna 70); Donatas Kazlauskas (Esmilis Kausinis 70), Njoya Kader (Rasheed Yusuf 63), Leo Ribeiro (Yanis Azouazi 84). Saint Patrick's Athletic: Joseph Anang; Ryan McLaughlin, Tom Grivosti, Joe Redmond, Jason McClelland (Chris Forrester 79); Barry Bagley, Jamie Lennon; Jake Mulraney (Zach Elbouzedi 46), Kian Leavy (Al Amin Kazeem 88), Simon Power (Anthony Breslin 79); Mason Melia (Aidan Keena 72).
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Melia shines as St Pat's ease into second round of Conference League
Uefa Conference League, first round, second leg: FC Hegelmann 0 St Patrick's Athletic 2 (Mason Melia 6', Kian Leavy 56') (St Pat's win 3-0 on aggregate) Mason Melia led St Patrick's Athletic to a facile victory over limited Lithuanian opposition to set up a Conference League second round tie next week. Saints led 1-0 from the first leg in Dublin but the improved Hegelmann side Stephen Kenny predicted his team would face didn't materialise as the hosts suffered a meek home loss in Kaunas. Their European experience was confined to a 5-0 crushing by Macedonian opponents and Pat's could easily have matched that rout over the 180 minutes. A team owned by a freight company was easily sent packing in a primitive stadium dominated by visiting supporters. Melia is on his way to Tottenham Hotspur next January for a transfer fee worth an initial €1.9m to Saints and he'll be central to generating revenue through this European run. Progression through the opening round spikes to €700,000 the prize-money guaranteed for owner Garrett Kelleher. It will enter the seven-figure bracket should they overcome the winner of tonight's tie between Estonians Nõmme Kalju and FK Partizani from Albania in the next round to secure a berth in the third qualifying stage. Having got the nod to spearhead the attack ahead of last week's match-winner Aidan Keena, Melia took just six minutes to open the scoring in the return leg. Jay McClelland worked the opening by dashing into the box from the left, receiving Kian Leavy's square pass on the run, and when his low shot was parried by Vincentas Šarkauskas, Melia was first to the rebound to tap home. Joseph Anang in the Saints goal was rarely worked by the Lithuanians. While their side was composed of several nationalities, there was little international experience among them bar the lowly Lithuanian team. Brazilian Léo Ribeiro fired a warning early in the second half by angling a shot but when his threaded pass failed to find Cameroonian Abdel Kader Njoya ghosting into the box, it was soon punished. Melia triggered the immediate response on 56 minutes, driving at the defence before freeing Kian Leavy, who took one touch and rifled a rising shot into the roof of the net. Routine stuff for Saints who will find the going tougher as they work into the competition, starting next Thursday back at Richmond Park. More to follow…
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
LOI preview: Shamrock Rovers meet injury-hit Saints in Tallaght
The four sides competing in European competitions are in action tonight as matches from later in the domestic campaign are brought forward. Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic, Shelbourne and Drogheda United face a more hectic period now, rather than later summer, with the idea of limited league fixture around pivotal times in qualfying in Europe in July. The scenario will be repeated again on 16 June, again to reduce their fixture list the month after. Shamrock Rovers will be happy to have the games coming thick and fast due to excellent form as they sit two points clear at the top against of the visit of Pat's to Tallaght. The Saints are playing in fits and starts, falling 2-1 behind to Cork City on Friday before winning the game with seconds to spare. Injuries are undoubtedly a factor, and the enormity of the result was not lost on all in Richmond Park amid racous scenes. Kenny will be without several players tonight. Kian Leavy and Joe Redmond picked up injuries against Cork and will have to have late fitness tests while Barry Bagley will be suspended. Chris Forester and Romal Palmer are our injured until mid-summer. Kenny will have to be creative to see who joins Jamie Lennon in midfield. Jay McClelland and Brandon Kavanagh are likely to figure somewhere across the middle of the park. The Pat's boss has brushed away any idea of being defensive, given they are down on numbers. "It's not even halfway through the season, I don't think you can think in those terms and we never really set up like that," Kenny said. "It's not really our style to sit in and defend. We'll have to come up with a strategy to play because Shamrock Rovers over are in great form." The Hoops were 3-1 winners in Waterford and have lost just once in their last 13 matches. Stephen Bradley believes some of the best the League of Ireland has to offer will be on show. "It should be a good game," Bradley predicted. "Two good teams, Pat's have real quality, so it should be a really good game. Our pitch in Tallaght is always incredible, the weather is obviously still nice, so it has the makings to be a really good game. "We've one or two knocks from Friday night, as always, that's quite normal. But other than Seán Kavanagh, everyone else is fit and available which is good. The squad is in a good place." A struggling Shels side will host FAI Cup holders Drogs in Tolka Park having sunk to sixth in the table. Now seven points off the leaders, the match takes added importance for the champions. Damien Duff will return to the sideline after serving a suspension. But Mark Coyle and Ali Coote will be banned after red cards in Friday's loss to Bohemians. Drogheda United are still sore from a late concession to Derry City in the 1-1 draw at Sullivan and Lambe Park. They sit three points against Shels going into this fixture. The teams played out a 2-2 draw last month and have had a host of memorable battles since Duff took over at Tolka Park.
Irish Examiner
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kian Leavy keen to make up for lost time as Saints eye title charge
Three years of injuries at Reading dashed Kian Leavy's English football dreams but just past his 23rd birthday he's making a decent stab at returning there. The attacking midfielder has been instrumental in St Patrick's Athletic rising to the top of the Premier Division, opening the scoring in Friday's 2-0 win over Galway United. His absence may have contributed to their slow start in the opening pair of matches but he's back on form and ready to be unleashed against Derry City in Monday's May day series. 'I tore my ACL, had two stress fractures in my back and a stress fracture in the top of my shin,' the Ardee man explained about his rap sheet of setbacks before his latest in pre-season. 'I was over in England for five years but missed three years of it so I'm well used to injuries.' As the campaign moves towards the halfway mark, no team has made a breakaway at the summit. Stephen Kenny was headhunted by Garrett Kelleher last summer on a five-and-a-half-year contract with the express target of bringing the first league title back to Inchicore since 2013. 'When everybody is getting draws and teams are beating each other, if you can put a run together you can see how quickly we climbed the table last year,' Leavy said, referencing a belated title charge from eight straight wins in the run-in. 'If you can do that this year, we're top of the league at the minute, if you can go on a run, you just don't know where it can take you.' Saints took ownership of the summit from Drogheda United, on foot of the Louthmen losing a two-goal advantage at Sligo Rovers to be left with a point. One consolation from their trip to the Showgrounds was the return of last season's top scorer, Douglas James Taylor, as a substitute and he could be handed his first start of the season when they host Cork City. Josh Thomas continues his recovery from injury, while Paul Doyle misses out after an injury picked up early on in Sligo. Defender Elicha Ahui and midfielder Darragh Markey are also both doubtful after being substituted with injuries on Friday. For Cork City, while Friday's late equaliser against Shamrock Rovers was welcome, manager Tim Clancy outlines he's 'massively down bodies'. Milan Mbeng was the latest addition to the casualty list ahead of the Hoops visit but Kitt Nelson was fortunate to be involved after sustaining a knock in the warm-up. City remain three points ahead of basement side Sligo Rovers, who head to Tallaght to face their fellow Rovers. "There simply just aren't any games that aren't tough and Monday will be the same,' said Sligo boss John Russell. 'Our record up there isn't great but we're using that as motivation to go and give a good account of ourselves. "We've been the architects of our own downfall at times this season and have given other teams headstarts. 'We've been so impressive going forward, creating chances and scoring goals and I'm really happy with that. But what's been killing us is the concession of silly goals. "If you make it easy for the opposition somewhere like Tallaght, then chances are you're not coming back from it so we need to be on our game from the start.' Monday's LOI Fixtures Premier Division (Kick-off 5pm unless stated) Drogheda United v Cork City, Sullivan and Lambe Park Galway United v Bohemians, Eamonn Deacy Park Shelbourne v Waterford, Tolka Park Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers, Tallaght Stadium (7pm) Derry City v St Patrick's Athletic, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium (7.45pm).
