club as it was announced on 25 September that Buckley had left his post by mutual consent after a 7-year spell in charge of the club. Assistant manager to Buckley and former club captain Ger O'Brien took caretaker charge for the last 5 games of the season, the first of those being the Leinster Senior Cup Final which they lost on penalties against Shelbourne at Tolka Park. He also saw out a draw away to champions Dundalk and had an aggregate score of 9–0 against Limerick and Derry City as the club ended the season on a high note in 5th place. The Harry Kenny months (October 2018 – August 2019) On 24 October 2018 it was announced that Harry Kenny (who had been assistant manager in the 2013 league-winning campaign) would be the new manager of the club, signing a two-year contract. His new signings ahead of the 2019 season were Gary Shaw, David Webster, Ciaran Kelly, Cian Coleman, Georgie Poynton, Brandon Miele, Michael Drennan, Rhys McCabe and old fan favorite Chris Forrester, stating that his aim was to get the club back competing in European competition. Kenny's first competitive game in charge of the Saints was on 15 February 2019, a 1–0 opening-day victory over league runners-up Cork City at Richmond Park, with the game attracting the biggest attendance at a domestic game since October 2010. This was followed by a sell-out against rivals Shamorck Rovers on 8 March. On 25 April 2019 it was announced that the club had been awarded a licence to compete in UEFA Europa League action for the 2019–20 campaign ahead of Waterford, who had finished one place ahead of Pats in fourth place the previous season, but were not awarded a licence due to their club reforming in late 2016 and thus breaking UEFA's 'three-year rule'. Pats drew IFK Norrköping of Sweden and were beaten 2–0 at home and 2–1 away, knocking them out at the first hurdle. With the team scoring just 24 goals in 29 games and attendances steadily dropping, fans became restless with Kenny and after a shock cup exit to UCD on 23 August 2019, Kenny resigned by mutual consent the following day. Stephen O'Donnell reign & FAI Cup win (August 2019 – December 2021) Former Dundalk captain Stephen O'Donnell was announced as the head coach on a two-year contract on 31 August 2019, his first job in