Peamount gear up for test from the West
By Daire Walsh
CHAMPIONS Peamount United will aim to make it eight wins on the bounce in the Women’s National League when Galway WFC pay a visit to PRL Park on Saturday evening (kick-off 4pm).
Following last weekend’s 2-0 triumph over DLR Waves in the UCD Bowl, the Newcastle club have accumulated the maximum total of 21 points from their opening seven games of the campaign.
The Tribeswomen are the only side James O’Callaghan’s charges are yet to face in this year’s WNL and while 14 points separate them in the table, past experience has taught Peamount to be wary of what their forthcoming opponents can offer.
In last season’s corresponding fixture, the hosts were made to fight for a 2-1 victory in Greenogue. They marginally edged a five-goal thriller on home soil during the 2019 league and shared the spoils with Galway in one of two trips to the West in the same term.
The star performer for the Tribes thus far in 2021 has been Rachel Kearns – the WNL Player of the Month for April.
A great sporting all-rounder, she produced a Player-of-the-Match display for her native Mayo – against Galway, coincidentally – in their Ladies National Football League opener at MacHale Park, Castlebar five days ago.
Mayo are also set to face Donegal in Ballybofey this Saturday at 6pm and though she intends to balance both sports, she will have to choose between the two for a second successive weekend.
Before the most recent round of fixtures, Lucan’s Eleanor Ryan-Doyle was level with Kearns at the top of the scoring charts with six goals.
Her brace against DLR Waves means she is now the clear leader and despite the abundance of talent within the Peamount ranks, she is one player the Galway defence will try to keep close tabs on.