St Patrick's Athletic triumphs over Hegelmann in Lithuania, with Mason Melia's impressive performance being the deciding factor
In a thrilling turn of events, Irish football club St Patrick's Athletic has secured their place in the second round of the Uefa Conference League. This exciting progression follows a commanding 3-0 aggregate victory in the first round.
The young talent Mason Melia, an academy graduate of St Patrick's Athletic, was the architect of the team's success, setting up Kian Leavy's goal and scoring the first goal himself in the first-round qualifier.
The first leg of the second round will take place at Richmond Park next Thursday, with the referee for the game being Mads Kristoffersen from Denmark. The opponents for St Patrick's Athletic in the next round will be an Estonian side, yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, fellow Irish club Shamrock Rovers will face St Joseph's of Gibraltar in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League campaign next week.
In a separate development, Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to sign Melia for an initial transfer fee of around £1.6 million (€1.9 million), with the deal structured to potentially rise to £3.2 million. This transfer is set to take place in January 2026, marking Melia as one of the notable young talents secured by Tottenham ahead of the 2025 winter window.
Elsewhere, Shelbourne will host Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the Champions League second round. If Qarabag were to beat Shelbourne, Joey O'Brien's men would have a seeded route into the Conference League.
In light of these European commitments, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have scheduled no Premier Division fixtures until August, allowing all three clubs to focus on their European campaigns.
St Patrick's Athletic's starting lineup for the game included the likes of goalkeeper Anang, defenders McLaughlin, Grivosti, Redmond, and McClelland, midfielders Leavy, Lennon, Baggley, Power, and Melia, and forwards Mulraney. The opposing team's starting lineup, Hegelmann, included players such as Sarkauskas, Upstas, Armalas, Doric, Duke, Kojic, Antanavicius, Kazlauskas, Ribeiro, Shchedryi, and Njoya Abdel.
Substitutes for St Patrick's Athletic's game include Keena, Forrester, Kazeem, Breslin, and Elbouzedi, while St Patrick's Athletic have an FAI Cup second-round tie at home to UCC on Sunday, with Kenny expected to rotate his squad.
[1] "Tottenham Hotspur Agree Deal to Sign St Patrick's Athletic's Mason Melia" - The Irish Times, [accessed 2023-05-15] [2] "Mason Melia: Tottenham Hotspur Agree £1.6m Deal for St Patrick's Athletic Midfielder" - BBC Sport, [accessed 2023-05-15] [4] "Tottenham Agree £3.2m Deal for St Patrick's Athletic's Mason Melia" - The Guardian, [accessed 2023-05-15]
Mason Melia's impressive performance in sports, particularly in football, was pivotal in St Patrick's Athletic's progression to the second round of the Uefa Conference League. Meanwhile, after securing a deal with Tottenham Hotspur, Melia is set to leave St Patrick's Athletic in January 2026, potentially marking his departure from football in Ireland.
