For May 25th I'm going back 10 years to 2011 and a visit to Richmond Park, Dublin to watch St Patrick's Athletic take on Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
I mentioned in my article a couple of days ago that myself and Welsh mate Les were over in Dublin for the Nations Cup tournament but we had a blank Thursday night to fill before the final game of our trip (Northern Ireland v Wales) that Friday. By chance there just happened to be a League of Ireland game scheduled that night in Inchicore, Dublin and what could be better than to go and watch some football for a change?
Of the four matches on our trip, in my opinion this was the most enjoyable one. Disappointingly, the Nations Cup had been a bit of a damp squib with the competing sides using the tournament as an opportunity to blood youngsters and fringe players in a largely empty stadium. This League of Ireland clash was a different affair.
Football seasons in the League of Ireland do not run across the winter months as is the case in England. Rather, in 2003, soccer (as it tends to be referred to) in Ireland became a summer sport, possibly to avoid fixture clashes with Ireland's Gaelic games or even the English Premier League. Ireland's Premier Division contains just ten clubs who meet each other four times each in their 36 game season. The 2011 season saw Shamrock Rovers crowned as Champions, four points clear of runners up Sligo Rovers. St Pats ended the season in fourth place which was good enough for both Sligo and St Pats to enter the following season's Europa League qualifiers.
St Patrick's Athletic come highly recommended by myself (if you go, tell them that I sent you). Before the match we got chatting to a couple of the officials who couldn't do enough for us tourists and, despite not having a programme shop, we were taken into a back office where a handful of old programmes from a premium friendly (against Spurs no less!) and St Pats' recent European campaigns were located for us. Richmond Park is a characterful stadium with a capacity of just 5,350 although that would appear to be more than adequate for most occasions.
It felt like the result mattered. The game was competitive, entertaining and had a dramatic late goal just to round of a perfect night for the neutral. One point of interest for York City fans was a substitute appearance for Sligo by future City fringe player Matthew Blinkhorn (19 appearances and two goals for City). Ex-Grimsby Town player Daniel North, St Pats leading goal scorer, got the evening's proceedings off to an auspicious start with a fourth minute opener hammered home from just outside the area. On the stroke of halftime Sligo equalised with a goal that looked suspiciously like an own goal to me. The second period ebbed and flowed and, just as it looked like the two sides would have to settle for an honourable draw,up stepped that man Daniel North in added time with an absolute rocket into the top bin from just outside the area once again to win the game for St Pats. It was a goal fit to win any match.
CRB Match No. 1821
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