Graham Cummins: The trouble with returning to the League of Ireland from across the water...

TARGET MAN: St Pat's striker Eoin Doyle tussles with Sam Todd of UCD in Belfield. 

THOUGH they are third in the Premier Division table, it's been a disappointing start to the season for St Patrick’s Athletic. I would have thought that winning the FAI Cup last season would have been a platform for the club to build on and really push for the league title, but they are under-achieving this campaign. 

Of course, their cause was not helped by the fact that they have lost a host of players as well as their manager, but apart from one impressive result against Shamrock Rovers, Tim Clancy’s side have failed against the top teams. Tonight third-placed St Pat's entertain leaders Derry City and the home side will be expected to deliver a winning performance, otherwise the second-best supported club in the country will find themselves slipping down the attendances table as well as the league table.

It seems the Richmond Park fans are still enjoying the celebrations from their FAI Cup victory and have been patient with some of their sides’ performances this campaign. But that patience will run out as fans realise that the club is going backwards rather than forwards.

The departure of a host of players has really affected the Inchicore men. Not just the quality of the players but the characters. Lee Desmond was a player that was always improving and had a growing influence in the team through his leadership skills. Matty Smith has been a huge loss to the Dubliners, as well as players like Sam Bone and Robbie Benson.

The replacements have not hit the ground running. When clubs in the league bring back players from the UK there is a huge expectation on that player that he will deliver. The capture of Eoin Doyle was one that caught the attention of everyone in the league and he was expected to end the curse of the striking position at the club – a position Pats have struggled with since Christy Fagan led the line. He would have been a relieved man after his two goals in Pats’ last outing against Finn Harps, but with only four goals this season – his other two were against Harps and UCD - it’s not been the start from Doyle that many expected.

Sometimes when players return from the UK towards the end of their career, they can be accused of taking early retirement. As a player who was in a similar situation, I don’t think any player who returns has the mindset that the league is going to be easy - but there are reasons beyond football for returning to Ireland. 

If you are an older player, you are thinking about life after the game and knowing that you have the security of a healthy contract that has good pay and longevity does help. Coming back you are more concerned with getting a mortgage and getting your personal life in place for life after football, and having a decent-term contract gives you the time to do this. Perhaps Doyle is a little bit distracted by trying to get his personal life in order.

In his defence, at the beginning of the season St Pats were a side creating very few chances for the former Bolton player. Striker is a position where you are heavily reliant on your teammates. If he isn’t getting good service then he isn’t going to perform well. Strikers are expected to stay high up the pitch to lead the line even if the ball isn’t coming into them. Unlike other players, they can’t drop deep to get a few touches of the ball to get them involved in the game. It’s frustrating relying on others but some supporters don’t realise this and are quick to point out that a striker is having a poor game rather than notice he is getting limited service.

However in recent games, Pats have become more creative. Doyle has been given more opportunities to get on the scoresheet that he has failed to take. Perhaps the fact that he has been starved of good service for so long has surprised Doyle when chances have come his way, which is one of the reasons he has failed to take them - but it won't be long before he becomes the brunt of the Pats’ fans anger because they will target those they believe to be the highest earners in the team first.

Doyle cannot be criticised for his work-rate. He works tirelessly for the team and doesn’t give opposition defenders a moment's peace. They would probably admit Doyle is the striker they dislike the most playing against because of his persistence, but strikers get judged on goals and scoring against the bottom two clubs in the division will not be deemed good enough.

In my first season returning from the UK, I managed to get 14 league goals as well as a number of assists but I felt I was deemed a failure by a lot of supporters. Although I believe that was an acceptable return, what did let me down was my inability to score in the big games. I never managed to score against Dundalk and Rovers and in that sense I was a failure because the best strikers score in the most important game.

A goal against Derry would really give Doyle a feeling that he is earning his keep and could kick-start his season. As important a game as it is for the Candystrips, the game could have more impacting factors for Pats in terms of where their season goes from here. Will they be looking up or down the table? 

And just as importantly, will the healthy attendances at Richmond Park this season hold firm if St Pats were to fail again against a top side?