- Macdara Ferris
- Sat, Mar 18 2023
SHELBOURNE
Shels are running a 'Bring A Friend For Free’ initiative with their season ticket holders for the clash with Shamrock Rovers (kick off 2pm) but it is the fact that the Reds lost six of their players to Rovers who brought Amanda Budden, Shauna Fox, Jess Gargan, Aoife Kelly, Abbie Larkin and Lia O’Leary from Tolka to Tallaght ‘on a free’ that made the headlines in the run-up to Saturday’s match.
Last season’s double winners welcome Shamrock Rovers to Tolka Park on Saturday afternoon with plenty of familiar faces in the opposition lineup and that will add a certain spice to the game on the banks of the Tolka.
That and the fact that both teams won their opening two matches and so this game is first (Shels) versus second (Hoops).
this winter and Shels midfielder Alex Kavanagh admitted the moves were “a little bit of a shock”.
Kavanagh was speaking at the launch event during the week for TG4’s live League of Ireland Women’s football coverage – which begins on Sunday with this match.
“I was chatting to Pearl (Slattery – the Shels skipper) and that's football, players come and go. It's just about sticking together as a team. There is a lot of stuff about players going out, but we have brought a lot of players in also.
“There has been a lot of stuff on social media, but a few of us have spoken to the girls (who left) and they have spoken to us. You just have to do what makes you happy in football and maybe that was the best decision for them. There is no bitterness or anything like that.”
Shels began their season with a 6-0 win over Cork City in Tolka Park before winning 2-0 in Dalymount Park against Bohs last week. So what would a victory mean for Kavanagh against the Hoops?
"For me personally and a lot of the girls, we would absolutely love to win it.”
SHAMROCK ROVERS
The Hoops travel to Tolka Park on Saturday looking to make it three wins from three in the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division.
There will be plenty of eyes on this match because of the volume of Shels player’s Collie O’Neill signed from Noel King’s Shels squad over the winter but doesn’t faze O’Neill.
"I'm sure there's plenty of people going to be making plenty of comments about it but it doesn't make any difference to us,” said the Hoops Head Coach when speaking to shamrockrovers.ie ahead of the match.
“It's still a normal game and you still only get three points for it, the same as we got for Treaty last week (after 6-0 home win). We're not making it up to any bigger than what it normally is, we're just looking forward to testing ourselves and see where we are.
“Shels aren’t the champions for nothing. They've been very good at Tolka, not just last season but the season before too. Even though I know people will look to highlight the players that have moved to Shamrock Rovers, the recruitment that Noel (King) has done has been fantastic.
“He's brought in some really good, quality players and also what they have there is top quality when you look at Jessie Stapleton, Megan Smyth and Noel Murray. So, they've great strength up and down the pitch and it's going to be a tough one.”
“We're constantly trying to raise standards so that's why we look to play against the Shamrock Rovers boys' teams, because they play at a much quicker and faster tempo than the girls are used to.
That's the level that we want to try and live at constantly so when you come to these games, like playing the champions (Shels) in their own ground, those kind of training matches pay off.
Referee: Alan Carey
MATCH STATS
This is the first League of Ireland clash between the sides as when the Hoops were last playing women’s top flight football in Ireland back in 2013/14, it was Raheny who were the league team they faced as the club didn’t merge with Shelbourne until 2015.
Rovers lost 9-1 to Raheny in the final game they played that year in a season when the northside Dublin team went on to become champions. In that game played in the AUL Complex in November 2013, there were hat-tricks for future Ireland skipper Katie McCabe while current Shels striker Noelle Murray scored four.
PREDICTION
1-1
Shelbourne
Injured: n/a
Suspended: None
Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Savannah McCarthy, Maria Reynolds
Doubtful: Stephanie Zambra
Suspended: None
