BOLGER RETURN BAD NEWS FOR STRUGGLING SAINTS

THE fate of St Patrick’s Athletic in the Premier Division could take a turn for the worst if they come up against 17-year-old Aaron Bolger at Richmond Park this evening (7.45). Bolger (pictured), a Leaving Cert student, is rapidly progressing as a footballer in the green and white of Shamrock Rovers, and manager Stephen Bradley believes he can play a key part in the Hoops’ push for a European place. ‘As a 17-year-old, I have never seen a talent like him,’ said Bradley. ‘He plays like a 30-yearold. He doesn’t run around like a headless chicken, like I would have done when I was his age. He’s got a lot more knowledge of the game. ‘Paul Scholes was a small midfielder and Aaron has a low centre of gravity. He manipulates his body well to protect the ball.’ Bradley also praised his young charge’s physical and mental strength, and hailed his ability to keep hold of the ball. ‘You never see him getting pushed off the ball. He has good core strength. He has broken the norm,’ he said. ‘I have honestly never played with a player of his age that can be relaxed on the ball like he is. ‘He just doesn’t get fazed, he doesn’t panic on the ball, he remains calm. ‘I just can’t talk highly enough about him, on the field and off the field.’ Bolger returns from suspension to a Rovers team that has found decent autumnal form and is gunning for Europe in both the league and the FAI Cup. For the Saints, the situation is alarming, if not yet critical, as they seek to preserve their unbroken membership of the top division. With four out of their remaining six games in Richmond Park, they have the opportunity to pull clear of the relegation mire. But if Bolger is on form this evening, the Saints will almost certainly run out of wriggle room.