CHRIS FORRESTER reckons Mason Melia has the temperament and talent to go all the way to the top. Melia and Forrester both scored on Sunday as St Patrick’s Athletic beat Shelbourne 2-0 to prog…
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PREM CLASS
Chris Forrester hails €2m Tottenham Hotspur-bound Mason Melia as ‘an anomaly’ who has kept his feet on the ground
Forrester says League of Ireland fans should savour Melia while they can after another dazzling display in the FAI Cup win over Shelbourne
- Published: 6:00, 19 Aug 2025
CHRIS FORRESTER reckons Mason Melia has the temperament and talent to go all the way to the top.
Melia and Forrester both scored on Sunday as
St Patrick’s Athletic beat
Shelbourne 2-0 to progress to the last eight of the FAI Cup.
And 17-year-old Melia’s goal was one for the highlight reel and showed just why Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to sign him in January for a
League of Ireland record €2 million fee.
He got up after being fouled to run onto a pass on the edge of the area where his sublime first touch took two Shels men out of the game as he then finished with a cool side-foot.
Boss
Stephen Kenny said: “He got fouled, the referee played a very good advantage, Simon Power is faced up with five players.
“So he does the intelligent thing, he plays it back to Mason who somehow with his first touch manoeuvres the situation that allows him to get the shot off. It was a high quality finish.”
And Forrester admitted Melia is like no one he has ever seen before as he credited him with keeping his feet on the ground as well.
Forrester said: “He's a bit of an anomaly. But I think he's set the trend for the whole league.
“I know there's a lot more young lads coming through at the clubs as well and I think he's been the trendsetter for everyone.
“He's a perfect example for the other kids that are coming through - the world’s your oyster, when you're getting in, you'll really enjoy it.
He takes everything into his stride. I kind of like that about him. Obviously if I'm coming in here and I'm a €2 million man, I might have a bit of an ego.
“But he doesn't have any of that. I think it would send me the wrong way, personally. But he doesn't have any of that and I like his character.
“His character's good, his family are lovely, they're all supportive of him. I just like his attitude.
“He's laid back enough but he still puts in the shift and he does what he needs to do. He's always working on stuff and he's eager to learn.
“It's probably easy to be eager to learn when you know where you're going - to Tottenham - but he still doesn't shy away from anything.
“He needs to work on some things and I think he's trying to work on everything. I really like his attitude and I'm really pleased with the way it's been going.
“I do often forget how young he is. I look at him sometimes and I’d be moaning at him about some things. But he's still just a kid.
“His progression has been nice, it's been nice to be a part of it. We all know where he's going so he's going to have a good future in the game.
“We're actually privileged just to have him here at the moment and he's playing really well.
“Hopefully he keeps progressing the way he's going and keeps playing with a smile on his face. That’s the most important thing.”
But while Forrester has told
League of Ireland fans to enjoy watching Melia while they still can, Saints fans were lapping up another masterclass from Forrester on Sunday.
CUP FEVER
The 32-year-old scored a penalty and was central to so much of St Pat’s control against Shelbourne before he went off with a slight hamstring strain with seven minutes to go.
But Forrester insisted it is nothing serious, jokingly suggesting he only wanted a round applause for a little cameo just before it; a drag back to get away from Kerr McInroy before a nutmeg of Harry Wood.
He said: “I'm okay, it was just a little bit of a niggle on the hamstring. I thought I'd best come off after that piece of skill so I'd get a little victory lap!
“It’s been a stop-start season, getting a couple of injuries, which is uncharacteristic for myself, which I found tough to mentally get back from.
“I'm back now, feeling good, back in the team. That's all in the past and I'm just happy to be out there.”
And his focus now is on securing European football for the Saints next season, with the FAI Cup being another chance as they are currently sixth in the league.
He added: “We’re fully focused on getting through the league as well, not just hanging a hat on the Cup but we’re progressing well, we’re playing well at the moment.
“The carrot is there with the Cup, but the league is our bread and butter and you want to keep progressing in that. We are on the coattails of everyone. We need to keep pushing."