Stephen Kenny Summons St Patrick Athletic’s Enthusiasm

Stephen Kenny, former Irish footballer and now, the manager of St Patrick Athlete, urges his team to keep their enthusiasm strong and struggle hard to reach the group stages. The team must advance to the UEFA Conference League group rounds.

The Dublin players have made their progress with a play-off after the Thursday night victory against Azerbaijan, Sabah. It was after they beat FC Vaduz in the qualifying round, the second game.

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Stephen Kenny wants his team to perform well in the upcoming match against Istanbul Basaksehir. This match would be the first ever that St Patrick Athlete would be playing against a Turkish side.

The win in this match would help St Pat’s team to secure a confirmed place in the extended season of the League of Ireland campaign coming in December, this year.

Shamrock Rovers has made its fifth place in the Ireland league this season. The team made it after winning over Celje in Thursday’s match. Stephen Kenny wants the same victory for his team to become the second Irish team in the same league, securing a fixed place and becoming the first one to make it to the next stage matches of the league.

Stephen Kenny’s outlook for future matches

Stephen Kenny marked it as a “life-changing” experience when they won over Baku, gaining success both at home and away against a team that eliminated Maccabi Haifa in the previous round.

Kenny said, “I am delighted, really thrilled with the performance, the players were excellent. I am proud of my players. Sabah are a very strong team and for us to win home and away speaks volumes for the efforts of my players, and I applaud them”.

Kenny was hopeful that if his team had been able to get six goals against Maccabi Haifa, they still have the ability to do it again. He was satisfied that St Patrick Athlete’s team had great attacking players who would lead the team to become one of the best attacking teams in the League.

He confessed that they were under pressure when the game started. But with the amazing prowess and calmness of the players on the defending side, the team made it clean and gave the other team a tough time, he said delightfully.

Stephen Kenny explained that Tom Grivosti and Anto Breslin’s duo helped the team to open up on the left and Romal along with Jake came up with a strong support later. The linking of these four players created a confidence boost for the team that helped them get a “foothold in the game”.

He was content that it was that part of the game when they became powerful as that was the most important part. He further added that he keeps learning from his players each day and they learn from him; it’s an ongoing process. Kenny is happy that they are improving altogether.

They are positively looking forward to the next round, a two-legged shoot-out for the group places with the Istanbul side. Kenny expects a shocker that would guarantee another six games in the European League till the year finishes.

Stephen Kenny expects a hostile footballing climate in Turkey but he believes in his team’s capabilities with a strong defence and opening side. He was sure that he would face challenges but his team was ready to take them all.

“The players are in for it, and the next round is really a gateway for a series of brilliant occasions, so we have to prepare for that next week”, he added.

He is all up for “fighting the fire” in Istanbul as it would be a bigger club. Kenny is excited to “come up with a plan to cause them problems”.