Copyright the42
League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Kian Leavy (right) is tackled by Milan Mbeng.Leah Scholes/INPHO FreeAll over St Patrick's Athletic end with a whimper as Euro hopes go up in smoke against Shelbourne Final evening of the campaign ends with Stephen Kenny looking into a winter of discontent. 6.40pm, 1 Nov 2025 Share options David Sneyd reports from Tolka Park Shelbourne 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 0 EVERY SO OFTEN during this tension-infused Dublin derby the Shelbourne fans would return to a single chant aimed towards those from St Patrick’s Athletic. “Europe again, ole, ole.” It was the only guarantee throughout a season-finale fixture that proved absorbing purely for what was at stake. Shels, the deposed champions, at least had the comfort of knowing they’d be back on their travels in the summer of 2026. They were denied second place due to this goalless draw but the consequences were far greater for St Pat’s. This sorry stalemate, combined with Bohemians’ win in Drogheda, means it will be a long, long winter of discontent. Their season has ended with a drab whimper. A season that began with Stephen Kenny expected to mount a title challenge has instead ended with the Inchicore club desolate and adrift in fifth place. Even fourth would only have been enough provided Shamrock Rovers beat Cork City in the FAI Cup final. Instead they need no favours from anyone. Pat’s finish with the best defence in the league but, yet again, an inability to score has cost them dearly. There was no parting gift from Mason Melia as he heads for Tottenham Hotspur and the concern for Kenny will be that the 18-year-old did so much to carry the attack. He leaves the League of Ireland with 13 goals and for Kenny it’s back to the drawing board. There is no such soul searching for Shels boss Joey O’Brien. He hasn’t got the time. They are back in action on Thursday when they host Drita at Tallaght Stadium in Uefa Conference League action. They have a taste for Europe and will be back for more next year, the substantial sums on offer sure to help them strengthen further. Pat’s owner Garrett Kelleher was here in the Tolka Park directors’ box and like the rest of the visiting contingent departed in silence. There was purpose and confidence to the St Pat’s play in the early exchanges. Twice they played their way into the Shels box with easy before a solid defending stopped them in their tracks. Advertisement Melia raced onto a Chris Forrester pass after Kerr McInroy misjudged a bouncing ball in the middle. The Saints’ striker attempted to chop inside on his left and when he then tried to twist away from Paddy Barrett a second time the sturdy centre back proved too strong. A couple of moments later and Pat’s again worked a good opportunity with relative ease, this time Kian Leavy was fed the ball on the right, he cut inside on his favored left foot and his fierce shot looked to be goal-bound in the opposite corner only for Kameron Ledwidge to stick his head in the way and deflect it wide. Referee Rob Harvey didn’t spot the connection and Shels quickly began to settle. That was due to a combination of increasing their own tempo as well as the visitors dropping off. Perhaps that was in part due to Simon Power being forced off early with a head injury, although as time went on McInroy and Harry Wood grew more influential. Evan Caffrey forced Joey Anang into a high save and two low crosses from Wood and James Norris on either side also made the St Pat’s goalkeeper maintain concenration. He spilled one back into danger but Luke Turner, starting in place of the suspended Tom Grivosti, was there to clear the danger. Melia worked space for another shot in a crowded box and Wessel Speel did well to track it through bodies. Tension was taking hold heading into the second half and O’Brien made sure to substitute Norris for Daniel Kelly after the Liverpudlian was fortunate not to get sent off just before the break for a second yellow card. That change also saw O’Brien switch formation, with skipper Mark Coyle dropping to make it a back three so Shels could attacker higher up the pitch with their wing backs. Turner rose highest to meet a corner in the box four minutes after the re-start but his header was kept out on the line and Shels quickly got on the front foot again. Around the hour mark both sides turned to their benches again with Aidan Keena introduced to support Melia in attack and Mipo Odubeko replacing John Martin with Jack Henry-Francis also introduced in midfield. But it was Leavy providing a rare spark down the right after Anang’s quick kick out. Within seconds Pat’s went from one box to another and with Melia unmarked and screaming for a pull back his teammate instead chose to shoot. All would have been forgiven if the strike found the net but it rose and travelled as far as Ballybough. With Bohs 2-1 up in Drogheda, Pat’s needed a goal going into the final 10 minutes. Shels, though, nearly put the final nail in their coffin when Odubeko struck the crossbar with a rasper of a shot from 30 yards and Henry-Francis missed the target inside the box. Kenny’s season was on the line and it could have had one final ignominy inflicted upon it had Wood’s injury-time strike not hit the post and gone wide. It didn’t matter for Shels as St Pat’s were the ones counting the cost. Shelbourne: Wessel Speel; Milan Mbeng (James Roche 72), Paddy Barrett (Lewis Temple 60), Kameron Ledwidge, James Norris (Dan Kelly HT); Evan Caffrey (Jack Henry-Francis 60), Mark Coyle (captain) (Sean Gannon 87), Kerr McInroy, Ali Coote, Harry Wood; John Martin (Mipo Odubeko 60). St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Axel Sjoberg, Joe Redmond (captain), Luke Turner, Jason McClelland (Jordon Garrick 84)); Kian Leavy (Brandon Kavanagh 73), Chris Forrester, Jamie Lennon (Darren Robinson 84), Barry Baggley (Aidan Keena 58), Simon Power (Jake Mulraney 16 – concussion); Mason Melia. Referee: Rob Harvey. David Sneyd Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “St Patrick's Athletic end with a whimper as Euro hopes go up in smoke against Shelbourne”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “St Patrick's Athletic end with a whimper as Euro hopes go up in smoke against Shelbourne”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion League of Ireland St. Patrick's Athletic News in 60 seconds FreeSinging the Blues Waterford condemned to LOI promotion/relegation playoff as Galway United stay safe 16 mins ago FreeDominant Feinberg-Mngomezulu guides South Africa to big win over Japan 23 mins ago FreeIrish Eye Adam Idah’s strike secures Swansea deserved draw at Charlton FreeImpressive Henry Pollock shines off the bench as England see off Australia FreeMatch Report 2023 All-Ireland finalists St Brigid's dethrone Pádraig Pearses in Roscommon replay FreePace Setters Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts go nine points clear after swatting aside Dundee FreePremier League Viktor Gyokeres on target as Arsenal ease to victory at Burnley Championship Kieffer Moore nets perfect hat-trick as Wrexham end Coventry’s unbeaten record 'You'd probably catch salmonella off me I was so raw' Competition Baird gets another shot to make statement in Ireland 6 jersey Fits and starts Don't call it a comeback: Jack Crowley’s testing year comes full circle with All Blacks rerun Gavan Casey more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
