Kelleher delighted with Cork City’s resilience
MATCH REACTION
Daire Walsh
CORK CITY WFC manager Frank Kelleher praised the resilience of his side on Saturday night as they overturned a two-goal half-time deficit to claim maximum points away to Peamount United in the Women’s National League.
Kelleher acknowledged that the first half was a frustrating one for his team, but because of the belief and attitude that they displayed after the restart, they were able to swing the pendulum in their favour. “Yeah, absolutely magnificent second half. The first half again, we just didn’t show up, and there were a few choice words in the dressing room at half-time. They are a super group of players,” Kelleher remarked. “They have it in them, it’s the belief that has been lacking at times this season, and the second-half performance, they believed and the attitude was right.” When the action resumed, Kelleher and his coaching team decided to introduce Barbara O’Connell to the engine room, and the Cork supremo agreed that her presence on the field in the second-half was vital.
He said: “[She was] very significant in the second-half, because Barbara plays in a number of roles for us as the No 10. Her ability to hold the ball up, to see that through pass, to get on it and look for it. Yeah, she made a big difference to us in the second half.”
“She created a lot of problems, because she was playing between the lines, which is what we wanted her to do, but it’s her movement in between the lines that is excellent, and she plays in what I call ‘the half-turn’, where she’s looking to play forward all of the time.”
With back-to-back league triumphs now under their belt, the Leesiders will bring a great deal of confidence into their upcoming fixtures. Kelleher is able to call on a lot of experienced figures in his team this season, but despite the absence of Irish underage star Saoirse Noonan for this encounter, he feels that they have a good blend within the squad.
“I think we’ve had a good blend. I mean, our U17 international Saoirse Noonan, one of our stars, scored for Ireland today against Hungary. She has to come back in. We have a good mix of experienced people, like Barbara O’Connell, Maggie Duncliffe, Angie Carry, Nathalie O’Brien, Trish Fennelly.
“These are players that have been with this club a long time,” Kelleher added.