DUAL IN GYPSIES’ CROWN
Bohs ace Darby’s double aim
BOHEMIANS midfielder Chloe Darby is gearing up for a busy day today.
She has a semi-final at 2pm and a final at 5.30pm — in two different sports!
The Ireland underage star will face Dublin rivals Shelbourne at Tolka Park for a spot in the Women’s FAI Cup final.
And then she’ll hop in a car and head to Lawless Park in Swords for the Dublin Ladies’ Intermediate Gaelic Football final between Parnell’s and Castleknock.
Asked if she’d played twice in one day before, Darby replied: “I used to when I was younger and I had it in the legs. But the last two years I’d stopped the Gaelic, but this year the new manager got me back into it.”
She was quick to assure Bohs fans: “I’m more focused on the semi for now. It (the Intermediate final) is on Saturday night. I’m not really focused on the Gaelic, it’s more about the football and getting into the final.”
Darby was at last weekend’s men’s FAI Cup quarter-final as a fan when Shelbourne beat Bohs 3-0 — so she is hoping for a better outcome this time around.
“It wouldn’t be nice to see two Bohs going teams going out in Tolka in a week. Hopefully we can do something against Shels for the fans,” she said. “I was a fan myself before I started playing for Bohs.
“It was (a tough watch) but we are focused on the girls now, hopefully we can do something.”
Club
She hails from a Bohs-mad family. Dad Frank helped with the formation of the
Bohs Under-17 side, while mum Rosemary has also helped out at the club.
“My dad helped set it up and then I was straight in there,” she said. “Any chance to play for Bohs.
“He helped get the senior team into the league.
“My dad played for Longford and Athlone in the 90s. We’re quite a sporting family. That is something my mam and dad always put us into to try and keep us off the streets and keep us busy.”
Darby also works part-time in a pub and is in the middle of her studies in DCU.
“I’ve two more years left so I wouldn’t look too far ahead,” she said, when asked if she was looking at a move into full-time football abroad.
“I’m doing teaching. It’s going well, I’m doing PE and Maths so I can go into a career if you don’t make it as a footballer, it’s something I like and enjoy.”
Shelbourne defender Keeva Keenan, meanwhile, is extra motivated to make the FAI Cup final.
She made the bench last year when the Reds lost the Tallaght Stadium decider to Wexford Youths, but was still on the recovery trail after suffering a broken ankle.
“It was very frustrating. I only moved back (from Celtic) last July and four games in I broke my ankle,” she said. “It was against Bohs at Tolka Park. My studs got stuck in the grass and my body came over it. It snapped straight away.”
Years
The three-time-capped Ireland international is eager to get her hands on the FAI Cup once again.
“It’s been a few years personally since I’ve won it,” she said. “I think it’s going back to Raheny.”