ST. PATRICK’S Athletic have had an eventful season, runners-up in the league, Semi-finalists in the FAI Cup where they lost to Bohemians, then crashing out in the first stage of the UEFA Cup. The Ballyfermot Press caught up with Pat’s Manager Johnny McDonnell to get his view on an incident packed season.

“I think it’s been long, I think it’s been a difficult season, with the amount of games, it can knock the wind out of your sails, over the season you have to get the right balance”. Pat’s started the season brightly winning four of the first five games including an impressive away victory against eventual champions, Bohemians. As the season wore on injuries began to take their toll. “We have had seven or eight players injured at any given time”, McDonnell said.

Pat’s lost their inspirational skipper Colm Foley to a career ending knee injury as well as losing another mainstay centre-half, Darragh Maguire, to league rivals Shamrock Rovers. After an early exit in the League Cup and while struggling in the league ‘the Saints’ found success in the UEFA Cup qualifying stages. They defeated JFK Olimps 3 - 0 on aggregate. Then, coming from behind and away from home went on to defeat Swedish side Elfsborg 4 - 3 on aggregate to enter the competition proper.

However, the European adventure took its toll on players domestically and they began to slip behind to Bohemians in the league. As injuries began to occurr more and more often, damaging upsets started to happen frequently. They dropped points against relegation battlers Cobh Ramblers and Galway United. They were knocked out of Europe by Hertha Berlin, and then lost 3 - 1 at home to Bohemians in the FAI cup semi final which put an end to their trophy ambitions for another season.

“To come out and finish second, the semi-final of the cup, then obviously the European stuff has been very good. Difficult season but overall for us I think it’s been a very positive and developmental one” he said.

Pat’s have been plagued with off-field problems, most recently the admission by midfielder Gary Dempsey that he put a €20 bet on Pat’s to lose and Manchester City to win in the English Premier League in the past few weeks.

When asked about Dempsey, McDonnell said, “I have to say he’s a good lad, and I don’t think he’s been involved in any of this stuff before, it’s just unfortunate that these things happen. You’ve got to let them take their due course and go through procedures. He’s done very well for me this season I have to say, and it’s just a difficult situation for everybody involved”. “I think we’ve done our job right, the club has pursued it and done their work. I’m going to leave it to Richie Sadlier (CEO) it’s an executive decision in the end”.

Pat’s have been one of few clubs not to be in financial troubles this season, the reasons, according to McDonnell have been down to the structure of the club. “You know there has been a lot of stuff going on all season in the League. There has been a lot of negative stuff but I think in fairness, we’ve built this place up soundly over the last three or four years. I know we have investment at the moment but the support structures around us have been built up over the last three or four years, and I think for any club, that’s the way to do it, build a solid foundation so when it comes on to hard times, then you’re able to sustain what you’ve started into, and past the tough parts, But it’s been a difficult season”, he added, once again, “we have had lots of stuff all season, we have had a lot of stuff off the pitch, we lost Liam O’Brien at the start of the season, Brian Kerr went, the CEO went, and a couple of other situations. Trevor (Croly) has gone and then this situation here, so we have five or six management problems off the pitch but I think we’ve handled it well. I’m delighted with what we’ve done and with the group of players we have. Looking at the group we have for next year, we have a decent squad so overall I’m delighted with the season that we’ve had but I’m looking forward to the holidays”.

Hopefully next year won’t be quite as difficult.