WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE PREVIEW: PEAMOUNT UNITED V TREATY UNITED
By Daire Walsh
Peamount United will look to continue their perfect start to the new Women’s National League season when they welcome Treaty United to PRL Park in Greenogue on Saturday evening (kick-off 6pm).
In their two competitive games to date in 2022, James O’Callaghan’s charges have scored no fewer than 10 goals while also keeping two clean sheets in a brace of dominant displays. Following a 6-0 win at the expense of WNL newcomers Sligo Rovers on the opening weekend of the campaign, they recorded an emphatic 4-0 success over Galway WFC at Eamonn Deacy Park last Saturday.
Having lost out on a third consecutive league title due to a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Tribeswomen in their final game of 2021, the Newcastle club were determined to come out on top in the latter contest. Although it doesn’t fully make amends for missing out on another WNL crown, it was nevertheless a satisfactory evening in the West for the Peas.
They will be overwhelming favourites to record another win on home turf this weekend, given Treaty are still in search of their first point of the current campaign. The 2021 season was a frustrating one for the Limerick side, who finished up in ninth spot with just two victories to their name from a total of 24 games played.
The presence of the vastly-experienced Don O’Riordan in their dugout is a boost – he previously managed Galway United and Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland as well as Galway in the WNL – but they suffered a heavy reversal to DLR Waves in their opening fixture of the year.
The Munster outfit were left idle last weekend due to the postponement of their provincial derby against Cork City and may be ring rusty for their trip to the capital.
Across last year’s WNL and FAI Women’s Cup, Peamount defeated Treaty on no fewer than three occasions. With six players getting their names on the scoresheet in the opening two rounds of this year’s league – including the experienced duo of Aine O’Gorman and Stephanie Roche – it is expected that they will extend this winning sequence against their southern counterparts.3