SOCCER NEWS:PETE MAHON will tell St Patrick's Athletic players that they are not playing for him but for the club and their futures following the announcement of his appointment as manager until the end of the season yesterday.

Though the club’s “A” Championship manager, Maurice O’Driscoll, again took charge of the side for last night’s Setanta Sports Cup game with Derry City at the Brandywell, Mahon travelled up independently to watch from the stand.

He succeeds Jeff Kenna who resigned from the post last Friday. Former Dundalk manager John Gill will be his assistant while Mahon is hoping to appoint a goalkeeping coach as soon as possible.

“It’s just until the end of the season, because it suits me ideally and it suits them,” said the 62-year-old Dubliner who previously managed the club in a caretaker capacity 11 years ago.

Mahon, who came to prominence when leading non-league St Francis to the 1990 FAI Cup final, also managed Bohemians for six months in 2001 before resigning following fans’ abuse.

He most recently managed UCD for over five years prior to resigning there at the end of last season.

“I am surprised,” said Mahon of the club’s current plight, fourth bottom of the Premier Division table, with nine games to play. “Jeff Kenna was very unlucky, he had a massive injury list. I can’t really assess what was going on there. I have my own opinions and thoughts on what was going on, as to why they are where they are in the league.”

St Patrick’s Athletic have lost 16 of their 27 league games this season, more than any team in the division.

“That’s not good. They haven’t been good at home,” said Mahon. “But why is a team capable of beating Bohemians and then gets beaten four times by Galway? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Friday’s televised league clash with Cork City at Richmond Park will be Mahon’s first game in charge.

“Me being from the old school and tough on discipline, it should be interesting to see how it pans out,” added Mahon. “These players are not playing for me. They are playing for the club and for their futures. They’ve got to realise that there is a big bad world out there. Some of them are in a comfort zone.

“They’ve got to get a reality check and that’s what I hope I’ll be able to give them and get them playing for themselves, for their own pride.

“The match on Friday with Cork is live on TV. If they can’t motivate themselves for that then they should get their boots and throw them in the fire.”