The 2024 Irish football season has started in an unusual way, with previous League of Ireland champions since 2018, Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk, being the only teams yet to claim a win. This is particularly shocking for Dundalk, who now sits at the bottom of the Premier Division, while their former forward, Pat Hoban, scored three times to position Derry City and Shelbourne at the league’s summit.
St Patrick’s Athletic game ended in a 1-0 victory, thanks to Ruairi Keating’s solitary goal, his basket of the season, thirty minutes into the match. With St Pat’s quarterback Ross Munro unable to block Keating’s second attempt after a pass from Brandon Kavanagh, the home supporters’ nerves were calmed.
St Pat’s newly introduced investors from Kenosis Capital drew attention around the club. The firm was started by investment banker Peter J O’Malley in 2012 and has a diverse portfolio of athlete-investors, including Matt Birk from the Baltimore Ravens, who is a vocal supporter of the Republican Party and against same-sex marriage. St Pat’s affiliation with Kenosis is set to be sealed with an exhibition match against MLS team Minnesota United in Saint Paul on the 20th of April.
Meanwhile, Dundalk’s performance stands in stark contrast to that of Shelbourne, which defeated Bohemians 2-0 in the northside derby at Dalymount Park due to goals from Will Jarvis and Shane Farrell in the closing stages of the match. Dundalk’s manager, Stephen O’Donnell, attempted to stem the tide by sidelining four players after ex-Nottingham Forest goalkeeper George Shelvey’s injury during their 4-0 defeat to Sligo Rovers, but he was unsuccessful.
Switching focus to local football, Dundalk’s midfielder Robbie Benson was penalized with a yellow card due to a tough tackle on Kieran Freeman shortly following half-time. This seemed to be a representation of the overall dissatisfaction within O’Donnell’s team. However, this did not guarantee victory for Pats.
Despite 16-year-old Mason Melia’s aggressive charge into the penalty area, Keating mishit a potential goal in the 74th minute. This left them vulnerable to counterattacks. James Gullan nearly took advantage of this opportunity against Jon Daly’s side; however, Luke Turner’s well-timed sliding tackle helped them end their three-match losing streak.
A collective sigh of relief reverberated around Richmond when Ray Matthews, the referee, called an end to the match in the 98th minute. Before the international break, there’s one more round of fixtures, with St Pat’s playing Shelbourne at home, and Dundalk seeking redemption against Waterford at Oriel Park.
St Patrick’s Athletic team: Rogers; Freeman, Redmond, Turner, Breslin; Lennon, Forrester; Kavanagh (Mulraney 70), Leavy (Nolan 87), McClelland (Melia 70); Keating (Kavanagh 87).
Dundalk team: Munro; Davies, Boyle, Annesley (Mahon 84), Muller; Benson, High; McGuckian (O’Kane 70), Bradshaw (Durrant 60), Horgan (Oostenbrink 60); Gullan (Elliott 84).
Referee: Ray Matthews.
Additional results include:
Galway United 0 Drogheda United 0
Bohemians 0 Shelbourne 2
Derry City 3 Waterford 0
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