City didn’t hide away from Shels, says Farrell
SOCCER
Daire Walsh
THE result may not have gone their way in the end, but Cork City Women’s boss Paul Farrell was pleased with his side’s performance in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Shelbourne in the FAI Cup quarter-final.
Following a 78th-minute goal from former City attacker Saoirse Noonan, Shels pushed on to record a 1-0 win over the Leesiders at Tolka Park.
Despite being seven places and 36 points behind their Dublin counterparts in the Women’s National League table, Farrell’s charges made the much-fancied hosts fight tooth and nail for a spot in the last-four.
Farrell said after the game: “When the goal went in, I looked at the clock and you’re going: ‘It’s very late to be twisting it’.
“We’re very disappointed with the result, but hugely happy with the performance. The quality that the girls put in today, both in attacking and defending, was immense.
“They got up for the occasion and they showed that they didn’t hide away from it. They [Shelbourne] are one of the best footballing clubs in the country, and they went toe-to-toe with them today.”
While Noonan – a key figure in City’s march to the FAI Cup decider last December – was the match-winner, most of the plaudits on the day went to her former team-mate Abby McCarthy.
The Cork netminder produced a series of outstanding stops to keep her side in contention – no mean feat when you consider the lead-in she had to the contest.
“She got her Leaving Cert results yesterday and comes and puts a performance like that in today,” said Farrell.
“She was over the moon with her results, and she showed it on the pitch today, she was fantastic.
“Abby is developing rapidly this year. She has really stepped into the number one since Maria [O’Sullivan] left, and she put in a huge performance again today.”
Saturday’s performance (and some other notable displays against the WNL’s pace-setters) provides Farrell with considerable hope for the future of Cork City.
However, his main priority when assuming the role of head coach on a temporary basis in mid-June was to make the team competitive in all fixtures – regardless of who the opposition might be.
“Every game we try to make competitive,” he said.
“No matter if it’s down here around us or it’s the top teams, we just want to be competitive. Our performances are definitely upping every week and the girls are putting in a great shift. The girls get up for every game, they prepare for every game.
“They learn every week and we can see that.”