Stephen Kenny was critical of the FAI after St Pat's 0-0 draw with Istanbul Basaksehir in the first leg of their Conferenence League play-off.
St Pat's are one game away from a place in the group stages of the Conference League with the second leg taking place next Wednesday, but Kenny feels their chances have been compromised.
While the Inchicore side's Turkish opponents have this weekend off to prepare for next Wednesday's tie, Pat's are due travel to Dundalk on Sunday for a League of Ireland game which 'the town' refused to postpone.
Kenny feels the extra game will curtail their preparations for what is one of the biggest games in St Pat's history, given that they've never before qualified for the group stages of a European competition.
"We can't really prepare properly," he said.
The former Republic of Ireland manager pointed out that the Turkish League cleared the schedule for their representatives and is envious now that the same hasn't been done for his side.
Northern Irish side Larne are also in the conference play-offs and they have also had games postponed and Kenny says that if a League is 'serious and ambitious,' then postponing games is what they have to do in such scenarios.
22 August 2024; St Patrick's Athletic manager Stephen Kenny and Anto Breslin after the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off first leg match between St Patrick's Athletic and İstanbul Basaksehir at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
“I have made the point and some people view me as some sort of complainer, but I’m not," Kenny told the Irish Independent.
"Even apart from the game, preparation time is zero. There’s nothing we can do. I know more than anyone because I have been involved in more (Irish European) games than anyone as a manager.
“I have been involved with a team (Dundalk) that came back from St Petersburg on a Friday and played the FAI Cup final on the Sunday (in 2016). I have been involved in all of those things.
“It’s my opinion that we should get support and be able to prepare properly, because we can’t prepare properly.
"But we’ll get on with it.
"We want to go through, we’re desperate to go through. You saw in Northern Ireland, they cancelled (games) for their champions, you saw it in Turkey. We have to get up levels.
“We have to go up levels to perform. Anyone can play three matches in six days, it’s the fact that it’s getting up levels and trying to outperform yourself. It’s extremely difficult.”
22 August 2024; St Patrick's Athletic manager Stephen Kenny before the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off first leg match between St Patrick's Athletic and İstanbul Basaksehir at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The result did come at some cost to The Saints with Romal Palmer now set to be sidelined for 'a few weeks' according to Kenny, after an injury he sustained in the first half.
St Pat's performed well in front of 6,219 at Tallaght Stadium, unlucky not to score having created the better of the game's chances.
Mason Melia and Jake Mulraney both went close to breaking the deadlock for Stephen Kenny's side and while the breakthrough never came, the tie remains finely poised.
