Osam at centre of another title bid

Height is not the only advantage Paul Osam will hold when he runs out with St Patrick's Athletic for tomorrow's Premier Division championship meeting with Cork City at Richmond Park.

At 6 ft 3 ins, Osam is one of the tallest players in the National League an asset he has exploited with impressive consistency in set-piece situations over the years.

The more relevant statistic, perhaps, is that in terms of championship fulfilment he towers above friend and foe going into a game which now looks almost certain to establish the new titleholders in a fortnight's time.

At 22, he was already a mature campaigner when he helped St Patrick's to their first championship success in 34 years in 1990. And when the Inchicore club reclaimed the title last season, he was again deployed in a critical role in midfield.

Add in his victory with Shamrock Rovers in 1994 after he had departed Richmond Park for a brief period and it puts him among an elite group who have won three or more championship medals.

Yet, if that triple success has sated his appetite it's not immediately discernible. And the sense of commitment which has driven him over the years promises to be as precious as ever for St Patrick's when they seek to build on two earlier wins this season over the Cork club.

"In football, the next win is the one that excites you most and, nice as it is to have three medals, the only thing that matters to me now is to get my hands on a fourth," he says.

"The hunger for success doesn't decrease with experience and that's the secret of all players who stay involved over a long number of years.

He says that victory now for St Patrick's would be no more than they deserve. The club is currently stronger and better organised than it's ever been. "The attitude here is more professional and for that, the credit is down to people like Pat Dolan."

Together with Brian Kerr, Dolan has been largely responsible for transforming the face of a club which had built its reputation on integrity but strove in vain to achieve the standards which made them an instant success on their elevation to senior status in 1951.

That was the beginning of a golden decade for St Patrick's, but if they go all the way with their title challenge now, the '90s will be recalled as the era when the club once regarded as unfashionable outsmarted all others in the changed and changing priorities of the game.

Dolan's expertise on and off the park has been significant in that evolution. And Osam is quick to acknowledge the influence he's had on his career in recent years.

"It was Pat who, in his time in charge of the team, moved me from the left side of midfield to a central role. I think the only reason he did so was that I hadn't a hope of getting past defenders any more.

"Seriously, the move has, I believe, helped my game. You tend to be more involved when playing in the middle and that kind of challenge appeals to me."

Dolan, upbeat as ever, remains confident they can win. He says the situation is not dissimilar to the one last season. "When we went to Kilkenny for our last game, even some of our supporters doubted our ability to clinch the title there.

"But I always believed we were going to do it and, I tell you something, I have exactly the same feeling now."