St Pat's ace Brandon Kavanagh explains why assists give him a bigger thrill than goals

Assist king Brandon Kavanagh claims he gets a bigger thrill setting up goals than scoring them.

And the playmaker is out to put more balls on a plate for his St Pat’s team-mates in their revenge mission against Waterford tonight.

Kavanagh has chipped in with five assists in 10 league games this season, including two in the Saints’ recent come-from-behind win over Shamrock Rovers.

The 23-year-old is tied with Bohemians’ Dayle Rooney at the top of the Premier Division’s assist charts, with Derry City’s Paul McMullan next best on four.

Shelbourne’s Sean Boyd and Tyreke Wilson, Graham Burke and Darragh Burns of Shamrock Rovers and Derry City duo Michael Duffy and Will Patching are tied on three.

Kavanagh, who had a year to run on his Derry deal when he joined St Pat’s over the winter, said: “I’ve always preferred an assist over a goal, unless it's a 30-yard screamer!

“It's nice to put a ball on a plate for someone to go slot it in. That's my game, to go and score or make as many goals as I can and hopefully I can keep doing that.”

Asked what was so satisfying about setting up someone else, Kavanagh said: “Maybe it's seeing a pass that nobody else can see, or that very few people can see.

“It’s being in those positions when you're going through on goal and you can see 'that' pass. It just looks great. But I don't just do it, it's the right thing to do.

St.Pats' Brandon Kavanagh
(Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher)

“When you look at my assists this season, they have all come from sliding people through or a couple of set pieces. They are things that I work on.”

Watching the Champions League quarter-finals this week, Kavanagh was immediately drawn to the playmakers rather than finishers.

And while holders Manchester City were dumped out by Real Madrid, Kavanagh loves the intricate play of the Premier League side.

“Phil Foden is absolutely amazing,” he said. “The little things he can do, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, there's not many others in the world who can do that.

“You see some of their passes and it just amazes you, compared to Haaland tapping them in at the back stick.

“I like looking at those types of players who can just produce magic. Wes Hoolahan would have been someone I looked up to years ago.

“There are players around the league like Jack Byrne, Graham Burke and Will Patching who play in those positions and play like that.

“The likes of Messi, when you watch them when you’re younger, you try and replicate it out on the road and you get better at it when you do it.

“I’ve grown up to see that pass and play that pass. I’ve been working at it so long that maybe they are the only passes I see now, if that makes sense.

“I try to take little bits out of everyone's game to make myself better.”

St Pat’s lost 3-1 away to Waterford earlier in the season but are unbeaten in four games since returning from their St Patrick’s Day trip to America.

Kavanagh feels the team bonding in Minnesota was invaluable and added: “We needed that break, it came at the right time.

“It brought us together and helped us understand each other a bit more. We’ve come back a better team and that has shown in the results.”

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