Uefa Conference League, first-leg play-off: St Patrick’s Athletic v İstanbul Başakşehir, Tallaght stadium, 7.45pm on Thursday – Live on SolidSport.com (€10 to stream)
“Insane” and “crazy” is how former Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny labelled the FAI’s decision to schedule an important St Patrick’s Athletic Premier Division fixture in between hosting Başakşehir in Tallaght on Thursday and the second leg next Wednesday in Istanbul as the Dublin club bid to reach the lucrative Uefa Conference League group stages.
Progress would be worth at least €3.17 million to the Inchicore club.
Kenny’s squad must travel to Oriel Park on Sunday to play a Dundalk side that sit in the relegation play-off spot, eight points behind St Pat’s.
“This is one of the biggest games in St Patrick’s Athletic’s history, the opportunity to get to the group stages,” said Kenny. “Two games in 5½ days is tight enough, but the fact we’ve actually had a third game inserted into the middle of that against Dundalk is insane.
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“To expect the players to put in the greatest performance of their lives in Turkey on Wednesday having already played two games in such a short period is hard to fathom. We’re looking for a decision from the FAI to sort it out, because the provision is there.”
No Turkish team in European competition has a domestic fixture this weekend. Dundalk refused a request to postpone Sunday’s match.
“We are trying to peak,” Kenny continued. “You have to make sure fatigue does not set in, so the introduction of the Dundalk game, how crazy that is.”
Only two Irish clubs, Shamrock Rovers in 2011, 2022 and this year, and Kenny’s Dundalk side in 2016, have reached the group stages of European football. Considering the current funding model for Irish football and the state of prevailing facilities – Richmond Park falls short of Uefa criteria to hold this match – it would be a monumental achievement by St Pat’s to make it three.
Arguably, Kenny finds himself in the most challenging situation of his storied managerial career. After an unsuccessful 40 game period as Ireland manager ended last November, he signed a five-year contract in August to return to the League of Ireland, immediately conceding that St Pat’s do not have a strong enough squad to challenge for domestic honours.
St Pat’s qualified for Europe as the 2023 FAI Cup winners, a feat achieved under current Dundalk manager Jon Daly. The notable 1-0 win over Sabah in Azerbaijan last week brings them to the precipice of six unforgettable European nights with the likes of Fiorentina and Chelsea both potential opposition.
“Only two Irish clubs have ever done this and mainly through winning the league,” Kenny added. “It we do it we will be doing it the hard way. European wins are really, really special and nothing would be more special if the players can go and achieve it.”
Romal Palmer has impressed since arriving on loan from Turkish side Göztepe but Ruairí Keating’s return to Cork City heaps unrealistic expectation on 16-year-old centre forward Mason Melia, who has scored three goals in 26 league appearances.
On paper, St Pat’s have only a slim chance of overcoming Çağdaş Atan’s talented multinational outfit Basaksehir, a club that marked their Champions League debut in 2020 by beating Manchester United.
The Joe Redmond-marshalled defence will struggle to contain Brazilian João Figueiredo and Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek as the pair have combined for nine goals in 12 matches so far this season.
St Pat’s have a medium term ambition of becoming perennial competitors in the group stages of Uefa’s third tier competition but they are unlikely to attain European football in 2025. Derry City knocked them out of the FAI Cup and their current league standing is eight points adrift of third-placed Waterford, in the last Conference qualifier spot.
Tickets for Tallaght’s north stand are still available via St Pat’s website or at the stadium.
