A fourth successive league victory has put Stephen Kenny’s men right in the mix for Europe, as the Inchicore side sit five points off third with a game in hand coming into the home straight.
With just five games remaining, a huge couple of weeks lie ahead for the Saints, but Mulraney (28) casts his mind back to June and a time when his side found themselves in eighth place.
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“We were written off about three months ago. We were in a relegation battle because of how we were playing,” he explains, ahead of tomorrow’s trip to league leaders Shelbourne.
“We are back in it now and we just have to keep it going over these last five games. That was the aim when it ended in Istanbul (Conference League play-off defeat last month), to go and try to nick it (Europe) at the end of the year.”
With Kenny taking the reins last May, taking the Saints to within one game of European group stage football for the first time in the club’s history, to a run of five wins and a draw in their last six league outings, Mulraney hailed the Dubliner’s impact since arriving at Richmond Park.
“As soon as the gaffer came in, the ideas he set and players he brought in, after the first few games we thought ‘this is going to be good’,” said the winger, who has scored four goals in his last four league starts.
“I say it every time. He is very brave, he doesn’t care who it (opposition) is. He brought us to Tallaght on Friday night expecting us to win, something we should expect every week with the players we have.
“At the start of the season it might have felt a bit different because we weren’t playing very well. Now, we are going out thinking that we can beat anyone. We just have to turn up on the day.
“Collectively, I thought we got it (performance against Shamrock Rovers) spot on. The staff and the gaffer got it spot on too. It was nice to get two goals. Overall, I don’t think it was my best performance. Collectively, I thought we were very, very good.”
Up next is a trip to Tolka Park tomorrow evening to face Damien Duff’s Shelbourne, having lost all three meetings against the Drumcondra outfit so far this term.
“It’s a big game against the league leaders. They’ve a good side and a great gaffer and it should be a good spectacle hopefully for the league,” added Mulraney.
“I think in these Dublin derbies form goes out the window. They are hectic. Especially at Tolka Park, it will be lively. It will be a different kind of game from Friday.”
