Paul Corry: Stephen Kenny needs time and new recruits at Pat's

Stephen Kenny will need to add substantially to his St Pat's squad if they're to match up to the club's ambitions and become title challengers, according to RTÉ soccer analyst Paul Corry.

The former Republic of Ireland manager has had a bracing return to life in the League of Ireland, with successive home defeats to Derry City and Shelbourne - still the top two in the Premier Division - in the past four days.

The reigning FAI Cup holders are currently seventh in the table following a stodgy opening third of the campaign, the club struggling to adapt after losing a host of players in the off-season.

For Corry, the foundations are strong at Pat's - who have won two Cups in the past three years and last won the league in 2013 - but in the short term, the squad is a bit lacking in 2024.

"The set-up of the team has been a bit of an issue since the beginning of the year," Corry said on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.

"Any time I've seen them play, (Ruairí) Keating or whoever might be at the top end of the pitch is very, very isolated when the ball goes up.

"When you look at the way Stephen has played previously, width and pace in wide areas is something that he looks for.

"Somebody like Jake Mulraney is probably a player who will thrive under Stephen's guidance. You'd imagine he'd be a forefront of Stephen's team and how he would look to play.

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"You throw in the likes of Jamie Lennon, a (Chris) Forrester, a (Kian) Leavy, these are the type of players he'll be expecting to step up.

"I always go back to the FAI Cup final last year, if you look at the number of players that have left the Pat's squad since then, I never felt they replaced those players.