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Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
St Pat's aim to get Estonian job done to prolong Conference League campaign
Uefa Conference League second qualifying round, second leg Nomme Kalju (Est) (0) v St Patrick's Athletic (1), 5.45pm Irish time – Live Solidsport TV Shamrock Rovers (4) v St Joseph's (Gib) (0), Tallaght Stadium, 8pm – Live LOI TV Stephen Kenny's airtight St Patrick's Athletic face a serious challenge in the Estonian capital in the second leg of their Uefa Conference League tie. While a sixth successive clean sheet was very welcome at Richmond Park last week, St Pats needed 32 attempts on goal and two red cards for Kalju players before they were able to find the net. The goal was nice when it finally came, Chris Forrester nonchalantly arriving in the box before taking two delicate touches and poking home a 90th-minute winner. 'Chris is an exceptional footballer,' said Kenny. 'He sees pictures others do not see. Expect the unexpected when Chris plays. 'When I came in last year, he worked extremely hard in all the games. Having eight weeks out injured interrupted his flow this season, but he is an important player for us. You seen that last week.' The local media in Tallinn were keen to emphasise that last Wednesday's loss in Dublin was down to the expulsions of Rommi Siht and Danyl Mashchenko in a disastrous five-minute period in the second half. On closer inspection, the dismissals were caused by their inability to handle the pace of Kian Leavy and Jake Mulraney on counterattacks. With Zach Elbouzedi suffering a dislocated shoulder, Mulraney is expected to return to the starting line-up. 'Kalju fought to the end, as they always do, so we know we are going to have to earn everything we get.' If the Inchicore club do manage to progress, the task of reaching the Conference League proper will get significantly tougher, as they will face the winner of the Shakhtar Donetsk-Besiktas tie. The Ukrainian side take a 4-2 lead into the second leg in Turkey. Either side should have the fire power to eliminate Kenny's men. 'It would be foolish to look too far ahead,' said Kenny. 'The players are playing well in the last couple of weeks and they are starting to take control of games. Our ratio of converted chances needs to improve.' Meanwhile, Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley intends to play a strong team for the second leg against St Joseph's despite winning 4-0 in Gibraltar last week. 'It's important we get the balance right between wanting to win the game, but also for our coefficient,' said Bradley. 'We can't underestimate that going forward. The more games you win, that's really important for the league as a whole.' Rovers are ranked 92nd by Uefa, which reflects their recent form in European competitions, while St Pats are 230th. Connor Malley, the Hoops' loan signing from Sligo Rovers, will be registered in time for the third round that is likely to be against Ballkani, as the Kosovo side take a 4-2 lead to Floriana in Malta.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Good news for St Pat's fans ahead of Euro game as live broadcast is confirmed
Fans of St Patrick's Athletic will be able to tune into Thursday's Europa Conference League second-leg against Nomme Kalju. The League of Ireland side has confirmed that the game will be streamed live, with former Saints boss Johnny McDonnell once again on co-commentary duties. Solidsport, the organisation that streamed the away game against Lithuanian side Hegelmann two weeks ago, have stepped up to the plate once again. As they did in the first qualifying round, St Pat's take a 1-0 lead into the away leg. Veteran midfielder Chris Forrester's 90th minute goal at Richmond Park last week finally broke nine-man Kalju's resistance in a game that the Dublin side dominated from start to finish. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . The Estonians will be without suspended pair Rommi Siht and Danyl Mashchenko, who were red carded within five second-half minutes of each other, both for second yellow card offences. Stephen Kenny's side head into the second-leg knowing that an aggregate win will earn them a tie against either Besiktas or Shakhtar Donetsk. The Turkish giants are managed by former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. Fans can purchase the Nomme Kalju match, which will be played at the A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, here at a cost of €12. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
The 42
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Chris Forrester provides dramatic inspiration to give St Pat's slender lead over nine-man Kalju
Uefa Conference League second qualifying round, first leg St Patrick's Athletic 1 Nomme Kalju 0 COOL HEADS WERE needed and Chris Forrester delivered in the 90th minute for St Patrick's Athletic. After Nomme Kalju had their second man sent off on 69 minutes more and more rows of home supporters simply remained standing as their team attacked in waves. Richmond Park was gripped by a combination of anxiety and anticipation. Forrester provided the delirium with the kind of lethal composure we have come to expect in a lengthy career that has seen him become the record European appearance holder for the club. This was his 26th game on such a night and, sprung from the bench on 79 minutes along with Brandon Kavanagh and Conor Carty, that trio combined entering injury time to break the deadlock. Goalkeeper Maksim Pavlov made a dog's dinner of Carty's shot, spilling into the centre of the box, and Forrester was the one to lap it up. He could have easily smashed a hit and hope first time but instead he took a touch with a roll of his studs over the ball and then just prodded low into the goal with much needed serenity. The previous 25 attempts of the night for Pat's had been anything but. Advertisement Inchicore erupted but with six minutes of injury time and a two-man advantage they continued to pile forward in an attempt to extend their advantage heading over to Estonia for the second leg next week. It proved hard enough to break down a resolute Kalju defence to find one and Pat's will fancy their chances of causing damage should the home side come out to play more adventurously on their own turf. Pat's had all the ball for the opening 45 minutes but there was little in the way of threat in the final third. Kalku made sure to slow the game down when they could and when Zach Elbouzedi saw a rare bit of space open up in front through the middle he was cynically brought down by Danyl Mashchenko who knew he had to act with a man over on the break. The centre back was shown a yellow card but as Elbouzedi hobbled off clutching a damaged right wrist, Pat's were the ones who had to tweak things. Jake Mulraney was introduced as a result and a bit of extra spark followed on 31 and 32 minutes when the substitute cut in from the right and fired a low shot that was well saved, while on the opposite flank Jason McClelland also tested the goalkeeper who now looked a more competent operator. There was a farcical episode before the break when midfielder Oleksandr Musolitin was warned by the referee to cover up his white base socks with the regulation black socks that had been lowered to the middle of the shin. He fiddled with his legs, play resumed, and when the Czech official realised there was no change and it clashed with the Pat's socks he booked the Kalju man and forced him off the pitch to cover up with black tape. Perhaps Musolitin didn't like being dictated to you, but his performance was such he didn't make it back out for the second half and was replaced by Aleksandr Nikolajev. Kalju were content to break up play in the first half but were more aggressive after the interval, showing a little bit more intent in possession while also trying to sustain some pressure. But they were still vulnerable when Pat's could counter and that is what led to the two incidents that saw the visitors playing the last 20 minutes plus stoppage time with nine men. Midfielder Rommi Sihit was the first to get his second yellow for taking down Leavy as he broke on 64 minutes and before the clock struck 70 Mashchenko was also given his marching orders for hauling down Mulraney as he galloped towards the box from the right. Now it was all one way traffic as Pat's sought to make the two-man advantage county. Aidan Keena had already been lined up to come on before the second red card, and he was followed for the last 10 minutes by the trio of Carty, Kavanagh and Forrester. It was the latter who had the final say tonight but whether it proves to be decisive will become clear in a week's time in Estonia. St Patrick's Athletic: Joey Anang; Ryan McLaughlin (Aidan Keena 70), Joe Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti, Jason McClelland; Zach Elbouzedi (Jake Mulraney 24), Barry Baggley, Jamie Lennon (Chris Forrester 79) , Kian Leavy (Brandon Kavanagh 79), Simon Power; Mason Melia (Conor Carty 79). Nomme Kalju: Maksim Pavlov; Daniil Tarassenkov, Danyl Maschchenko, Maksim Podholjuzin (captain) (Uku Korre 45+6), Modou Tambedou; Ivans Patrikejevs (Sander Liit 72), Oleksandr Musolitin (Aleksandr Nikolajev HT), Rommi Siht, Kristjan Kask; Mattias Mannilaan, Nikita Ivanov (Guilhereme Smith 62). Referee: Ladislav Szikszay (Cze).
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
St Patrick's Athletic prove toughest of tests for UCC as they knock in eight goals
FAI Cup second round: St Patrick's Athletic 8 UCC 0 Chris Forrester scored a nonchalant brace as St Patrick's Athletic equalled a club record win to cruise through to the FAI Cup third round with this facile victory over Munster Senior League side UCC at Richmond Park. Having won the cup twice in the last four years, and five times in total, Stephen Kenny's side were never in danger of losing their record of never having lost to a non-league team in the competition. Doubtless with Thursday's Conference League home clash with Estonian side Kalju in mind, manager Kenny opted for a completely different starting XI from last Thursday's rousing 2-0 win away to FC Hegelmann. That meant a full debut for 19-year-old midfielder Matthew O'Hara, captain of the club's under-20 side, who recently signed his first professional contract having been at the club since he was 13. READ MORE UCC needed a play-off victory to retain their top flight status in the MSL which finished two months ago. Not only out of season, they travelled to Dublin missing up to a half a dozen first-team players in what was head coach Noel Healy's final game over a 15-year association with the university club. Unsurprisingly, it was one-way traffic from the off with UCC goalkeeper Kevin Fitzpatrick inspired early on with fine saves to deny Conor Carty and Aidan Keena, before Saints pressure told on 19 minutes, if not from an expected source. Zach Elbouzedi pulled the ball back for defender Axel Sjoberg, whose low cross was knocked past Fitzpatrick by his unfortunate skipper Colm Murphy for an own goal. Fitzpatrick made another terrific save to thwart Elbouzedi one-on-one while Carty bounced a header off the crossbar from Brandon Kavanagh's delivery, all a mere prelude to the floodgates opening with a quick-fire treble before half-time. First, the lively Kavanagh beat Fitzpatrick at his far post with a looping header from Sjoberg's cross on 40 minutes. Two minutes later Kavanagh's shot was deflected into the path of Keena, who cut inside a couple of defenders to drill to the bottom corner. Skipper Forrester then got in on the act to utterly deflate UCC when casually dribbling past three defenders inside the area to tap home. The goal deluge continued into the second half with another three scored inside six minutes of the restart. Scarcely a minute in, Al-Amin Kazeem ghosted in off the left flank to meet Sjoberg's cross and find the top corner for his first goal for the club. Two minutes later it was 6-0 when half-time substitute Jake Mulraney rifled to the bottom corner from the edge of the area. Kazeem then provided the cross for Carty to continue the scoring on 51 minutes with a well-placed header. Forrester completed the rout with his second from a crisp low drive to the net on 68 minutes following debutant substitute Billy Hayes's assist. Daragh Murtagh scored a first half hat-trick as First Division Longford Town had to come from behind twice to see off Mayo League side Castlebar Celtic , 6-3, at the town's Celtic Park. Mark Cunningham and Eoghan Hughes twice put Castlebar in front with Murtagh equalising on each occasion before getting his third, all inside the opening 23 minutes. A penalty from Jordan Loftus levelled for Castlebar to complete a manic first half before a Dean George brace and a goal from substitute Francis Campbell eased Longford to victory. ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Rogers; Sjoberg, Turner, Breslin; Forrester, O'Hara (Grivosti, 63); Elbouzedi (Mulraney, h-t), Kavanagh (Hayes, h-t), Kazeem; Carty, Keena. UCC: Fitzpatrick; Duggan, Murphy, Iyalla, O'Neill (Roberts, 64); McCarthy; Walsh (Connolly, 64), Broderick (Bowdren, 80), Howard (O'Halloran, 69), Loughery; Fahy (Sulleiman, 69). Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin). Attendance: 1,243.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hegelmann v St Patrick's Athletic
Update: Date: 90'+6 Title: Post Content: Match ends, Hegelmann 0, St Patrick's Athletic 2. Update: Date: 90'+6 Title: Full Time Content: Second Half ends, Hegelmann 0, St Patrick's Athletic 2. Update: Date: 90' Title: Post Content: Fourth official has announced 4 minutes of added time. Update: Date: 89' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, St Patrick's Athletic. Al-Amin Kazeem replaces Kian Leavy. Update: Date: 86' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Hegelmann. Yanis Azouazi replaces Léo Ribeiro. Update: Date: 83' Title: Booking Content: Esmilis Kausinis (Hegelmann) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Update: Date: 81' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, St Patrick's Athletic. Anto Breslin replaces Simon Power. Update: Date: 81' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, St Patrick's Athletic. Chris Forrester replaces Jason McClelland. Update: Date: 73' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, St Patrick's Athletic. Aidan Keena replaces Mason Melia. Update: Date: 72' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Hegelmann. Abdoul Harouna replaces Domantas Antanavicius. Update: Date: 71' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Hegelmann. Esmilis Kausinis replaces Donatas Kazlauskas. Update: Date: 68' Title: Booking Content: Klaudijus Upstas (Hegelmann) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Update: Date: 64' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Hegelmann. Patrick Popescu replaces Artem Shchedryi. Update: Date: 64' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Hegelmann. Rasheed Yusuf replaces Njoya Kader. Update: Date: 57' Title: Goal! Content: Goal! Hegelmann 0, St Patrick's Athletic 2. Kian Leavy (St Patrick's Athletic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Mason Melia. Update: Date: 52' Title: Booking Content: Donatas Kazlauskas (Hegelmann) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Update: Date: 46' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, St Patrick's Athletic. Zach Elbouzedi replaces Jake Mulraney. Update: Date: 46' Title: Second Half Content: Second Half begins Hegelmann 0, St Patrick's Athletic 1. Update: Date: 45'+5 Title: Half Time Content: First Half ends, Hegelmann 0, St Patrick's Athletic 1. Update: Date: 45'+1 Title: Booking Content: Lazar Kojic (Hegelmann) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
