SOCCER: SSE AIRTRICITY WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
Moment of Molloy magic proves enough to seal Athlone victory
DLR Waves 0
Athlone Town 1
DAIRE WALSH
ATHLONE Town manager Ciaran Kilduff sang the praises of Roisin Molloy after her superb 55th-minute goal helped Athlone Town to overcome a tricky challenge from DLR Waves in this Women’s Premier Division clash at the UCD Bowl last Saturday.
Holding a slender lead over Shelbourne at the summit of the competition’s table in advance of this contest, the Midlanders were looking for a moment of inspiration that might help them to maintain their excellent run of form in the opening half of the season. In this regard, it was Molloy who ultimately came up trumps as she unleashed a magnificent shot into the top left-hand corner of the net from the most acute of angles.
This was enough to get Athlone over the line in the end and with Shels being held to a scoreless draw by Wexford on the same day, they have now opened up a three-point gap at the top of the Premier Division.
“It probably wasn’t our best performance or anything like that, they’re a very improved team and they’re very good in fairness at what they do. We were expecting a tough game, but we probably said it was going to take a moment of magic and it did,” Kilduff remarked after the game.
“I said to the girls in there, Roisin probably deserves that more than anyone. She’s a real hard-working player and she has that quality. You’re just hoping one of those go in for her, but I’m delighted for her and it was a great win.”
After beginning their campaign on March 9 with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Galway United, Athlone embarked on an unbeaten streak of nine games in the Premier Division. A 2-1 success over Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght the week before Saturday’s tie was their seventh consecutive top-flight victory and this ensured they were brimming with confidence upon their arrival at Belfield on the weekend.
It was almost the perfect start to the action for the visitors, but centre-forward Casey Howe pulled a shot narrowly wide from a cross by Isabel Ryan – who had initially been picked out in a dangerous area by Laurie Ryan.
Howe, a Northern Ireland senior international, subsequently had a low shot saved by DLR custodian Eve Badana on 25 minutes.
Michelle Doonan was also leading the attack to good effect for the hosts and forced a fine stop from Athlone Town goalkeeper Katie Keane after she was released on goal moments after Howe’s effort.
As the action wore on, Isabel Ryan was proving to be a lively presence for Athlone down the right-flank while Madison Gibson was also displaying plenty of industry on the opposite wing. Nonetheless, DLR had showcased their defensive organisation in a stalemate against Bohemians in UCD a week earlier and kept Athlone at bay until the interval.
Their record of conceding just one goal in their previous six league games suggests that Athlone have a watertight rearguard themselves and having registered 10 goals in that particular run block of fixtures, they were confident of somehow finding a way to unlock DLR in this encounter.
There was certainly plenty of intensity to their play on the resumption with both Jesi Lynne Rossman and Kayleigh Shine going close to finding the net off a 50th minute corner. They were starting to force DLR on the back-foot once again and eventually found a way past Badana 10 minutes into the second half.
Whereas most players would have gone for a different option, Molloy didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger from an awkward right-hand angle and she got her just reward with a magnificent finish that Badana was powerless to keep out.
This had Athlone in pole position for the maximum points on offer, but it took some heroic defence moments later to keep their narrow cushion intact. Just minutes after falling behind, DLR looked set to level matters when Doonan took the ball past the advanced Keane off a long delivery, only for the retreating Shine to block her shot towards an empty net.
This was as close as DLR came to snatching a positive result from this game and even though Chloe Singleton and Gibson had opportunities to double their lead, Athlone were a happy side heading back from Belfield on Saturday.
The 2023 FAI Women’s Cup champions are now in a strong position to push on for a genuine Premier Division title challenge with just nine games remaining in the current term, but having experienced plenty of ups and downs during his distinguished playing career in the League of Ireland, Kilduff recognises there could be a number of twists and turns in the weeks to come.
“You’d rather be three points ahead than three points behind, but it doesn’t mean anything. You don’t get a trophy at the halfway point. Three points, it’s a bit early to be looking at it yet. Tell me that with maybe two or three games to go, I’d probably be more excited. I’ve been around long enough to know that it matters for nothing just yet,” Kilduff added.
DLR Waves: Eve Badana; Amber Cosgrove, Jessica Gleeson, Chloe McCarthy, Bronagh Kane; Isobel Finnegan, Keelin Dodd; Abbie Brophy, Cliodhna Donnelly, Nadine Seward; Michelle Doonan. Subs: Rachel Doyle for Donnelly (half-time), Aisling Meehan for Seward (66), Freya Roche for Brophy (78).
Athlone Town: Katie Keane; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Jesi Lynne Rossman, Shauna Brennan; Laurie Ryan, Roisin Molloy; Isabel Ryan, Chloe Singleton, Madison Gibson; Casey Howe. Subs: Hazel Donegan for I Ryan (65), Ciara O’Neill for Molloy (89).
Referee: Oliver Moran.
In A Nutshell
Player of the Match
Roisin Molloy (Athlone Town). Given how important her goal proved to be, it is hard to look beyond Sligo native Molloy when it comes to identifying the outstanding performer from this game.
Aside from her sublime second half finish, she also provided a strong presence in central midfield alongside dynamic team skipper Laurie Ryan throughout her 89 minutes on the field of play.
Kayleigh Shine was also a key performer on the day for Athlone and was one of the main reasons that her side emerged from Belfield with the seventh clean sheet of their league campaign.