Kelleher optimistic despite loss to UCD
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Daire Walsh
DESPITE seeing his side suffering a 1-0 loss to UCD Waves in the Continental Tyres Women’s National League on Sunday, Cork City WFC manager Frank Kelleher was encouraged by the performance of his team.
A goal by Dearbhaile Beirne ultimately decided the contest in the home team’s favour, but given the level of their display at Jackson Park, Kelleher felt they deserved to secure a draw against UCD.
“I’ve three words for you. Performance, performance, performance. This will turn, and we will get results. I’m sure of it now.
“We had two or three chances in the second-half. On another day, they go in and it’s 1-1,” Kelleher remarked after the game.
“If I’m honest with you, we deserved a 1-1. The key with it is, we rode our luck a little bit, but so does every team in the league. For me, it was about the performance again.”
A 70th-minute effort by Saoirse Noonan almost produced an equaliser for City, and although they eventually came away empty-handed from their second trip to Dublin this season, Kelleher identified a number of outstanding players from his side.
“We made a couple of changes [at half-time], where we brought Stacey Paul back from the number 10 role into the number six role. I thought she had a superb game.
“Evelyn Daly played really well, but I thought Ciara McNamara for me, as a centre-back, is just different class.
“She completely marshalled the defence brilliantly today.
‘Aine O’Gorman is a top, top footballer, but every time Aine was there, Ciara McNamara was living with her. Literally on her shoulder all the time. I thought she was outstanding.”
An interested spectator in the Kiltiernan venue on the day was Republic of Ireland senior women’s manager Colin Bell, who had also watched a game between Shelbourne Ladies and Wexford Youths on the previous night.
Kelleher agreed that it was terrific to see Bell in attendance, and he believes he would have been impressed by what he saw on the field of play.
“It’s fantastic that the Irish senior international manager is taking the time to come and watch us, because I know he has a busy schedule.
“I think he saw a good game of football today.
“I also think he saw some very, very good players from both teams, and I stress from both teams.
“We are working as hard as we possibly can in Cork to try and bring this team up to the level we want it to be at, and it was great to see him here today,” Bell added.