Four goals in September. A Player of the Month award. And St Patrick's Athletic still six points behind Shamrock Rovers with a game in hand. Aidan Keena is doing everything he can — the question now is whether it's enough.
The 27-year-old Mullingar striker has been named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for September, beating out Bohemians' Dawson Devoy and Derry City's Adam O'Reilly in the writers' ballot. It's his fourth time winning the award — twice with Sligo Rovers in 2022, once in January 2025, and now this.
The goals that kept St Pat's in it
Keena didn't just pad stats against soft opposition. He scored against Shamrock Rovers themselves, grabbed a brace against Dundalk, and netted the winner against Sligo Rovers. Four goals, four matches that mattered, four results that kept the Saints within striking distance of the summit.
"After all the hard work this season, it's good to be voted the best player for the month," he said. Modest enough. But there's a quiet confidence in what followed: "We're where we want to be at this stage of the season."
Whether that's genuine belief or well-managed expectation is debatable. Rovers have picked up form again — Keena acknowledged it himself — which makes the Saints' next fixture against Shelbourne on Friday feel like a must-win in all but name.
What the table actually says
Six points is a manageable gap with games remaining, especially with a game in hand. But St Pat's have added pressure beyond the league race: they need their final home match on 30 October against Bohemians — a side they're level with on 59 points — to still mean something for the title. That only happens if they win Friday and keep pressure on Rovers.
European qualification is already secured, which at least takes the safety net away from decision-making. Every point from here is about the title, nothing else. For a betting standpoint, St Pat's game-in-hand makes them worth tracking in the outright market — but Rovers remaining consistent is doing them no favours.
"Three points against Shelbourne on Friday is all we're focusing on at the minute," said Keena. That's the only sentence that really matters right now.
