STEPHEN KENNY SAYS the standard of coaches in the League of Ireland is helping him improve and that his enthusiasm for the game never diminished after his time in charge of the Republic of Ireland.

The St Patrick’s Athletic boss saw his side beat Shelbourne 3-2 at Tolka Park on Monday night in the game of the season, maintaining their push for European qualification and also an outside chance of a dramatic late title challenge.

The Saints have now won their last five Premier Division games and scored 15 goals in the process, taking them into fifth spot and within three points of second place Derry City.

Shels remain in the driving seat at the top, four clear of the Candystripes, and since taking over at Richmond Park in May things have really started to turn around since they reached the Europa Conference League play-off in late August.

“I’m finding a rhythm myself. Of course, we’d love that [for there to be more games left], but that’s not reality so that’s the way it goes. There are a lot of fine, excellent young coaches in the league now, very enthused. John Russell in Sligo, the way they’re playing, Ruaidhrí [Higgins] in Derry, Stephen Bradley of course at [Shamrock] Rovers, and Damien [Duff] of course here, and I’m leaving people out but there are a lot of very good coaches and it’s exciting to be amongst that,” Kenny said.

“Obviously, you know, I’m at home on the training ground. I like that aspect of preparing a team, I like the challenges that a lot of the young coaches are coming in and you know every week is different, every week the tactical challenge is different.

“I feel I’m improving myself and I feel I’ve gained valuable experience that has helped me, and I want to get better. And I think you’re always looking to improve and that’s the way I feel about that. So there are different tactical challenges, the league is quite tactical now, everyone plays a different way. So it is interesting.”

A year ago Kenny’s tenure as Ireland boss was nearing an end, but that never meant his time in the game would also conclude.

“I was enthusiastic managing Ireland, a tremendous honour and privilege. I loved managing Ireland, it was the best feeling in the world, so I think, so I never lost that enthusiasm. But listen, at the moment, really it’s about the players, it’s not really about me, a lot of the players are showing how good they are, different players adapting.”

Kenny was almost as quick to change the subject of his own journey over these last few months as he was to spot the potential of Brandon Kavanagh in a more central area. The 24-year-old has come to the fore in recent weeks and delivered a precision free kick for Joe Redmond’s opener on Monday before getting in where it hurt to tap home a second goal from close range.

The Dubliner began his league career with Shamrock Rovers in 2018, had a loan spell at Bray Wanderers and was at Derry City before Kenny’s predecessor, Jon Daly, brought him to Inchicore last winter.

“He’s played a high percentage of his games in his career in wide areas but he’s not, for him to play in a big Dublin derby against Rovers or Shels, in a central area, that’s a big change for him,” Kenny said.

“He could always be good playing in teams that maybe you’re better than, but for him, his kilometres and high speed running are off the charts and those are attributes that I wouldn’t have attributed to him before. Certainly, he was always a creative player, he’s certainly doing all that, he’s becoming an all round player, we’ve a lot of competition in that area so I think it’s great to see that.

“I had him briefly in the home-based Under-21 squad that we formulated so spent a week with him,” Kenny added. “I knew he was good but at that stage, he was very good, but his career sort of, you know, he’s still young, he’s just turned 24. He did very well.”

It wasn’t just scoring the goal that pleased Kenny, but making sure he was in the kind of area to capitalise and punish the Shels defence.

“Previously, when the winger got it, he would want to go out with the winger and try and play a one-two with him. As the ball was going wide, he’d always be going to the winger and trying to connect with the winger rather than trying to make those runs.

“We said after the game, ‘you’re deadly, you’re lethal from a yard’, but the fact that he would be in that area rather than traditionally being attracted to those wider areas to link in with the winger, you know play and follow rather than come and get that return in that area. It’s good to have him making those runs.”

Pat’s are on one now but whether it’s enough to keep going for the title is a different question altogether.