Almost exactly a year on, there was a sense of redemption for St Patrick's Athletic. In October 2012, St Pat's travelled to The Showgrounds where they lost to Sligo Rovers - a result which confirmed the Bit O'Red as Airtricity League champions.
On Sunday, the tables were turned. It was Sligo's turn to travel to Richmond Park and it also turned out to be St Pat's moment to end a 14-year wait for a league title with a 2 - 0 win.
Manager Liam Buckley was on Off The Ball last night and he explained what had changed in the period between last year's heartbreak and the renewal of a winning pulse.
"Initially when I got the job [in December 2011], we kept half a dozen players and we brought in quite a few last season. We did okay last season, finished third and reached the Cup final," said Buckley.
"Unfortunately we lost some of our players and staff in the off-season but the people we brought in were highly-qualified from a staff point of view and the playing pool was strengthened. I felt we markedly strengthened from last season and that culminated with winning the league this season."
Key players that left before the new season included Barry Murphy, James Chambers and Sean O'Connor. But the likes of Conan Byrne and Killian Brennan came in to fill the gap and Buckley felt the squad was stronger than when he started.
Buckley also felt the team's response to the 3 - 0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers in the second game of the season was key to their success.
A tough night in Tallaght ©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan
"There wasn't any roaring. We all got together and everybody understood that we didn't close down hard enough or play well enough - all the things that have made us successful this season. We just did very poorly on the day. But from that result we picked up and went on," said Buckley of that early setback.
And one key aspect of St Pat's run to the title was the fact that they play with a passing, philosophy encouraged by Buckley.
He believes it is a sign that accusations that the league lacks technical players is wide of the mark.
"We're not Brazil but we do encourage the players to play. Technically, we've got a very good group and if we don't use that technique as part of our game plan there's no point in having them. If you don't hold on to the ball in the modern game, you're in trouble especially at European level."
But where do St Pat's go from here in terms of building towards the future especially with an alleged €500,000 coming from UEFA?
Buckley explained that that figure might not be accurate but any prize money will be used to improve the way the club is run.
Listen to the full interview below or download the podcast on iTunes:
©INPHO/Donall Farmer
