There are a host of talented players on the books at St. Patrick’s Athletic in 2025, and the club appears set to be a major contender in the title race, but one player is proving to be a key figure in that quest.
Pats sit second in the Premier Division table after playing out a scoreless draw with champions Shelbourne on Friday night at Richmond Park.
The team have clicked into gear in recent weeks, picking up 13 points from the last 18 available after a winless start in their opening two matches of the 2025 season.
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The appointment of Stephen Kenny in May 2024 took a bit of time to pay off, but once the manager settled into his new role, he went on to create a team that appears capable of lifting the title.
A 13-match domestic unbeaten run was the perfect way to finish the 2024 campaign and a run to the final qualifying play-off round of the UEFA Conference League was a morale booster for Pats.
The club added quality over quantity in the summer of 2024 with Aidan Keena joining alongside goalkeeper Joseph Anang.
Keena is the current leading scorer in the division but the displays of Anang are a key reason St. Patrick’s Athletic have been on an upward trajectory over the last nine months.
The 24-year-old had a successful loan spell at the club in 2022, and the former West Ham United academy graduate rejoined permanently last summer.
Anang has been instrumental in reviving the team’s fortunes, playing every minute in the nine-match winning run to end the campaign. He kept four clean sheets in the final seven league outings, and his ability on the ball is second to none in the Irish top-flight.
Anang Continues to Impress in 2025
The goalkeeper has arguably been the most important player available to Kenny in the opening eight Premier Division matchdays.
No other player in his position can come anywhere close to his 190 accurate passes and with a pass completion rate above 80%, there is not a single ‘keeper in the country that can match his talent on the ball.
Only two goalkeepers in struggling sides have made more saves inside the penalty area and Anang put in an inspired showing in the scoreless draw with Shelbourne on Friday.
The former Derby County loanee made some routine saves but was at his very best to keep out Shels’ attacker, Mipo Odubeko, in the second half.
The forward found himself one-on-one with Pats’ number one, but Anang displayed excellent agility to keep out his effort.
In the past three Premier Division matches, the goalkeeper has only been beaten by an extraordinary header from Waterford’s Padraig Amond and any success that Pats achieve this season may come down to the fitness of their exceptional number one.
The former England under-20 international is eligible to represent his county of birth in Ghana. If he continues his inspirational displays, he could become a regular at international level, a rarity among League of Ireland players.
The sky appears to be the limit for the former West Ham player, and should he stay fit, St. Patrick’s Athletic have the best goalkeeper in the League of Ireland as a solid base at the heart of their defence.
Picking up a player of this quality on a free transfer is one of the great deals in recent League of Ireland history.