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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).
Irish Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
St Pat's star opens up on injury woes as he caps recent comeback with goal
Kian Leavy feared history was repeating itself when he suffered a dramatic pre-season set-back. No stranger to serious injuries, the St Patrick's Athletic youngster was feeling fitter than ever as he headed off for a training camp in Spain with his Richmond Park teammates. And then disaster happened, as he suffered an ankle injury during a training session - dealing a blow to the player and to his manager Stephen Kenny. Leavy knuckled down and with the help of the Pat's medical team, he slowly built his fitness up again and made his first appearance of the campaign as a substitute against Shelbourne in early April. Three more cameo appearances followed, before he made his first start in the 2-1 defeat to Bohemians. 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 . And he bagged his first goal of the campaign last Friday night, scoring the opener in the Saints' 2-0 win against Galway United, to the delight of his manager and the Pat's fans. Leavy said: 'I'd say this was the best, the fittest I've ever been in pre-season and then to get the injury before the start of the season was a tough blow. 'I have to give credit to the physio team, they got me back way quicker than expected, it was unbelievable. 'It took me a couple of weeks to get going but now I feel back to the level of pre-season and it was great to get off the mark early.' The former Ireland Under-21 international felt last winter that he was coming into his biggest season yet, having impressed during the 2024 campaign both at home and in Europe. 'The whole off season I just worked as hard as I could because I knew this was going to be a big year,' he said. 'We were off in November so it was fitness work to come in and be as fit as possible. 'You can see the intensity that we play with, constantly pressing so you know you have to be fit in this team. 'There is a special team here and you want to be playing every week so you know that you have to work hard. 'It was the best I felt so to get the injury wasn't easy. Look, we're back now and hopefully now I can stay in the team.' Leavy has had even bigger injury set-backs in the past. A former Reading prospect, the Ardee native's dreams of first-team football in England were all but ended by serious injury. He returned home, initially on-loan at Shelbourne, with just two League Cup appearances to his name. 'I've had quite a lot (of injuries), I'm well used to dealing with stuff like that,' he said. 'I tore my ACL, two stress fractures in my back and a stress fracture in the top of my shin. 'I was over in England for five years and missed three years of it, so I'm well used to injuries. 'As soon as you find out the news it's like 'right, how quick can we get back?' 'Sam Rice, Dave and Christy are some of the best physios I've worked with. They were unbelievable from the start. 'I was in the matchday squad seven weeks after an operation so I'll take that every day of the week.' Leavy was delighted to open his account for the 2025 campaign on Friday and help Pat's to a win that moved them above Drogheda United and into first place in the Premier Division table. 'I had a similar one against Shels in my first game back where I was at the same angle and I tried to go near-post,' he said. 'This time I said 'right, try to go across the keeper'. Thankfully it found its way into the net.' He believes Pat's can put together a serious title challenge this year, in Kenny's first full season in charge at Richmond Park. 'You can see the way we finished last season – nine wins in a row,' he said. 'There is a brilliant backroom staff as well, you just felt there was something good happening. Hopefully we can go and make that season special this year. 'When everybody is getting draws, when teams are beating each other, if you can put a run together you can see how quickly we climbed the table last year. 'If you can do that this year, we're top of the league at the minute, if you can go on a run starting tonight you just don't know where it can take you.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
