Peas looking to take another step towards WNL ‘three-peat’
By Daire Walsh
FOLLOWING a superb victory over closest rivals Shelbourne last Saturday week, defending champions Peamount United will seek to enhance their prospects of a third straight Women’s National League titles when they face Bohemians at the Oscar Traynor Centre on Saturday (kick-off 2pm).
Second in the table prior to Shels’ visit to Greenogue earlier this month, James O’Callaghan’s charges served up their best performance of the season to date.
Courtesy of goals from Alannah McEvoy, Stephanie Roche, Áine O’Gorman, Lucy McCartan and Lauren Kelly, the Newcastle side emerged with a 5-0 home success over their nearest challengers for WNL supremacy.
As a result, they have moved a point ahead of Shels with a game in hand. Nonetheless, it remains relatively tight at the summit with Wexford Youths only four points adrift having played the same number of fixtures as Peamount (18).
Standing in their way this weekend will be another club from north Dublin – one that has been showing significant improvements in recent months.
The Gypsies had a tough debut campaign in last year’s truncated WNL as they recorded only a solitary win from 11 games.
Yet thanks to some smart recruitment, Sean Byrne’s side have proven a much more formidable in 2021 and, with five victories to their name, Bohs currently occupy sixth place in the table.
Like their Newcastle counterparts, they come into this game on the back of an impressive display in the most recent round of the league.
Thanks to goals from Erica Burke (a gifted ladies footballer with her native Kildare) and Lisa Murphy, the Metropolitans overcame Cork City on a 2-0 scoreline.
However, the hosts will still take to the field in Coolock on Saturday as rank outsiders. Despite losing top-scorer Eleanor Ryan-Doyle to Birmingham City in recent weeks, there should be enough firepower in the likes of McEvoy, Roche, O’Gorman and Sadhbh Doyle to get Peamount over the line.