Mason Melia central to St Pat’s hopes of producing big European shock against Besiktas

Uefa Conference League third qualifying round, first leg: St Patrick’s Athletic v Besiktas, Tallaght Stadium, 7.45pm – Live, Solid Sport (stream)

Mason Melia’s first media interview briefly took the attention off the enormous task facing St Patrick’s Athletic against Turkish giants Besiktas on Thursday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær brings a star-studded squad to Tallaght with a value of €143 million, according to transfermarkt.com. Stephen Kenny’s side are worth just €4 million, which is a questionable figure considering that Tottenham Hotspur paid an initial €1.9 million transfer fee for Melia.

But the point holds. The visitors’ threat starts with former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who is on loan from Roma having recently made way for Evan Ferguson. Orkun Kokcu was a key figure for Turkey at Euro 2024. As was Czech left back David Jurasek.

There is quality all over the pitch, with Kenny remembering Portuguese pair Joao Mario and Rafa Silva from the Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired 2-1 defeat of his Ireland side in 2021.

Victory over two legs would trump Kenny’s glory days, when he guided Dundalk to the 2016 Europa League group stage.

St Pat’s bring the experience of being narrowly eliminated last season by another Istanbul side, Basaksehir, which was also the moment a 16-year-old convinced Tottenham he was worth his lucrative five-year contract.

“I think that [Basaksehir] game itself, in isolation, transformed how he [Melia] was viewed,” Kenny concurred.

St Pat's manager Stephen Kenny. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Melia moves to north London in January, but the wonder is how much the teenager has developed these past 12 months while commuting from north Wicklow to Inchicore.

“I’ve grown into more of a man,” said the 17-year-old. “I feel like I’ve got a bit bigger.

“I think I’ve always had my football head. Even the little things I’m learning on and off the pitch, I think I’ve grown into myself. I’m feeling more physical and ready for a bigger challenge.”

The concern around Irish teenagers being denied a move to an English club until they turn 18 is countered by Melia’s superb displays in recent European qualifiers.

“I’ve gained so much experience,” he continued. “I’m still only 17 but I’ve played over 80 games in senior football now, and I have nights like tomorrow to look forward to. I think everything has worked out the way I would like it to work out.”

The wizard of Richmond Park gave Melia a compliment recently. “Chris Forrester said to me, ‘how are you so relaxed?’ I just take everything in my stride, it’s what I’m here to do.”

Melia, sounding as confidant as a veteran, continued: “I’ve always been disciplined. I’ve known what I want since I was young. I did my Junior Cert and sat down with my Ma [Pamela] and said ‘this is what I want to do’.

“I think it’s just natural to me now, it’s my job. It’s what I love doing, which helps, and I think I’m really disciplined.

Besiktas head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Photograph: Ahmad Mora/Getty Images

“It’s just always been football, ever since I was young, I think I started when I was about four. My family’s a big football family because of my uncle [former Ireland international Clive Clarke].”

St Pat’s have sold over 7,000 tickets for what they hope can be a famous upset against a Besiktas side still mired in preseason.

“You have to draw on all your experiences,” said Kenny. “They come into play. But, equally, it is a different challenge. We obviously did play Istanbul Başakşehir last year so the players have experience of playing a top Turkish team.

“It would be one of the great victories in Irish football history if we could do it. But obviously it’s a big challenge, and Besiktas have a tremendous tradition and are in institution in Turkey, a big club. So we’re looking forward to the game.”

St Pat’s must plan without injured pair Zach Elbouzedi (shoulder) and Aidan Keena for the foreseeable future, but a new signing, Jamaican winger Jordan Garrick, could feature in place of Elbouzedi.

The nature of Turkish football sees Solskjær under pressure to keep his job following last week’s elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk, 6-2 on aggregate.

“I’ve been lucky to manage against some really tough international coaches but I don’t tend not to get hung up on them,” Kenny added. “It’s more about the teams you play.

“I’m always fascinated by the teams, tactically how they are. They’ve got a lot of good players and can change tactically.

“Rather than focus on personalities, we’re focusing on the team – how it operates, how it plays, attack and defend. Those are the main facets and how we deal with that.”

Click here to read article