St Patrick's Athletic F.C. is a Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1929, hails from the Dublin suburb of Inchicore and play their home matches at Richmond Park . Club colours are Red and White, and the club goes by the nickname The Saints. The current manager is John McDonnell .

History

St Patrick's Athletic F.C. were founded in 1929. Known as the Saints or simply as 'Pats' the club joined the senior ranks of the League of Ireland in 1951 - and at their first attempt they won the league championship! Two more league championship successes followed in 1954/55 and 1955/56. The club had to wait until 1959 before their first FAI Cup success, repeating the feat in 1961. Despite several appearances in the final since 1961 the saints have so far failed to secure a third Cup win.

Pats made their presence felt in Irish Football in the fifties and enjoyed a golden era of sorts in their first decade in the top flight. Many of the Pats players of that golden era are still recalled fondly today - Ginger O'Rourke , Harry Boland ('The Legend', 1926-2000), Irish international Shay Gibbons , Ronnie Whelan Snr. and Willie Peyton are players who contributed greatly during this era.

The early years of the club saw much movement as Pats played "home games" in venues such as Milltown, Chaplelizod and Dalymount Park. The club returned to its original home of Richmond Park, Inchicore in 1960 and stayed there until 1989. Another period in "exile" in the greyhound stadium in Harolds Cross followed before the club finally returned to Richmond Park in 1993.

The appointment of Brian Kerr as manager in 1986 was a major turning point in the fortunes of the club. Kerr worked on limited resources to create team capable of challenging the best. The championship was denied his team in 1988 on the final day of that season but two years later they were finally crowned Champions of Ireland and thus began a magical era of success which made Saint Pats the undisputed 'Team of the Nineties' in Irish Football.

Having spent four years in Harold's Cross the club returned to a new look Richmond Park in 1993, their spiritual home in Dublin's Inchicore. Brian Kerr began the task of creating a winning setup. With the aid of a newly appointed Chief Executive, ex Arsenal reserve player, Patrick Dolan and by the club's new Chairman, Tim O'Flaherty. The league trophy returned to Richmond Park in 1996.

A new generation of footballing heroes emerged in Pats colours with greats such as Eddie Gormley , Paul Osam , and exciting young stars such as Colin Hawkins and Trevor Molloy thousands flocked to Inchicore for magical Friday nights under the fllodlights in Richmond Park. With Pat Dolan and than Liam Buckley at the helm the glory continued as further league championships were secured in 1998 and 1999 which led to European qualification and a creditable 0-0 draw with the famous Glasgow Celtic at Parkhead, the club lost the return leg in Dublin but the away draw was a major boost for Irish football against such a famous club in the world game.

Into the new millennium the success has continued. Crowned League Cup Champions and Leinster Senior Cup winners in 2000/01. Controversy dogged the club in the 2001/02 season as player registration irregularities, the club had 9 points deducted due to fielding an ineligible player (Paul Marney) in their first 3 games of the season, but this decision has was revoked revoked upon arbitration, on March 22 2002, they had 15 points deducted for playing Charles Mbabazi Livingstone in the first 5 matches of the season in spite of not having registered him until September 12, 2001. Shelbourne FC would end up being awarded the league title after the title was striped from the Saints, a FAI arbitration panel would rejected the Saints appeal of the point deduction and to this they the Saint still contest that they are the rightful league champs.

New Club Chairman Andrew O'Callaghan was appointed in the summer of 2002 and has worked to modernize the club and face the new challenges of UEFA licensing and ground development. Saint Pats made Irish footballing history in 2002 by becoming the first club to progress in the Intertoto Cup with a victory over Croatian team HNK Rijecka over two legs - the club were eventually knocked out of the competition only on goal difference to KAA Gent of Belgium.

The club marked its 75th anniversary in 2004. The influence of Saint Patrick's Athletic FC on Irish football is self evident with ex Pats boss Brian Kerr now installed as manager of the Irish national soccer team.

Current squad

(as of March 23 2005)

Honours

• League titles 1951-52, 1954-55, 1955-56, 1989-90, 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99
• FAI Cups 1959, 1961
• League Cups 2000-01, 2003

Hall of Fame

Irish international Paul McGrath spent one season with Saint Patrick's before his move to Manchester United. Curtis Fleming also moved to top flight football in England with Premiership Middlesbrough having graduated from Saint Pats. He was a member of the team when Brian Kerr was in charge. More recently Ugandan international skipper Charles Livingstone Mbabazi thrilled Saints fans before his untimely retirement due to heart illness in 2005. Paul Osam is one of the most decorated Saints with a distinguished league winning career which ended in 2004. Eddie Gormley and Ricky O'Flaherty are also names which have starred for the Inchicore team in the recent past.

External Links

• St Patricks Athletic FC Website
• The Pats Fans Online Discussion Forum
• The website of the S.E.I. - Saints Ultras
• St Pats Athletic on FAI.ie