Defeat to Shels gave Rovers women a renewed purpose
Forward Aoife Brennan says team are hoping to earn first home win of the season this Saturday against WNL strugglers Treaty United
FIVE games into the SSE Airtricity Women’s National League season, Sligo Rovers found themselves leaving Tolka Park – the home of reigning champions Shelbourne – disappointed that they lost 1-0.
This reaction speaks volumes of the standards this newly-established senior women’s team has set for themselves in what is their debut campaign in the Women’s National League.
Rovers are in sixth place with six points, having beaten Cork City
2-1 and having had a 6-0 loss to Peamount United overturned into a 3-0 victory due to Peamount fielding an ineligible player.
There have been a number of standout performances up and down the pitch, among them Mayo native Aoife Brennan.
The former Castlebar Celtic and Galway WFC player has been a constant threat in attack who, like her teammates, felt the heartbreak of the Shels defeat but now looks at it as a catalyst for better results.
Brennan said: “We went up to Shels knowing we were not going to have a lot of possession and we were able to frustrate them for 90 minutes so it was sickening when that goal went in in injury time. “Everyone was disappointed but once the dust settled we realised that we proved we aren’t pushovers and we have a lot of positives to take into the game with Treaty [United] on Saturday.” Rovers may be the new team in the Women’s National League, but they aren’t viewing themselves as the block that will prop up the rest of the table – they fully intend to be battling for a respectable mid-table finish.
“To beat Cork after three games was unexpected for everyone – bar us,” Brennan maintained.
“We know we are good enough to be in this league, we were being written off and we have made strides since that first game against Peamount. “We won’t be looking at ourselves as a team at the bottom of the table come the end of the season, we know we can make that push to surprise a few people and get a good mid-table finish.”
Reflecting on their first five games as the competition paused for an international break, Brennan, a former Mayo Ladies Footballer, feels the team can be happy with the promise they’ve shown but the hard work will continue to turn performances into results.
“There are a lot more positives than negatives, but we still have plenty to work on too.
“Everyone is buying into what manager Steve [Feeney] is trying to do and if we keep working hard the more it will come together for us.
“There is a great buzz at training every week and a lot of girls travel a big distance to be there, but everyone is happy to be there.”
At the other end of the pitch, Brennan is full of praise for the Rovers rearguard who’ve had to absorb a lot of pressure in their opening games.
“The defence has had a lot of work to do, we haven’t been dominating possession in any games but there have been some great performances at the back.
“You only have to look at the amount of headers and interceptions that Amy Doddy and Ruth Monaghan were getting in against Shelbourne and then in the last line of defence you have [goalkeeper] Kristen Sample who is just unbelievable.”
This Saturday Rovers host bottom side Treaty United at The Showgrounds (2pm start).
On paper, this is a tremendous opportunity for the Bit O’Red women to win their first home game against a winless side, but Rovers themselves know full well from personal experience that a team can’t be underestimated based on results alone. Brennan stated: “There is a great opportunity for a first home result and a clean sheet. Treaty are no pushovers, Galway struggled to a win against them recently.
“We can’t rest on our laurels and expect to get a result just because of how well we played against Shelbourne, the league is extremely competitive and we’ll work hard to get on the front foot in this game.” Praising the fans, Brennan said the players have been blown away by the support shown to them and hope it is something that will continue to grow.
She added: “There was nearly a 1,000 people at that first home game and even just when we were warming up you could feel the buzz around the place.
“We have to work on making The Showgrounds a difficult trip for teams and a big crowd will help us in achieving that.”
AOIFE BRENNAN ON HOW THE TEAM IS REFOCUSED: