Kelleher pleased with City’s big improvement
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Daire Walsh
AFTER shipping a heavy defeat to UCD Waves in their previous league encounter, Cork City WFC manager Frank Kelleher was pleased to see a much-improved from his side against Shelbourne LFC at Tolka Park last Saturday.
An opening half goal from Christina Dring ensured that City were in the ascendancy at the break, and even though Shels eventually secured a 2-1 win thanks to strikes from Kate Mooney and Alexandra Kavanagh, Kelleher felt his team responded in the right manner.
“I think that we had a bad day at the office against UCD on Wednesday.
“What I wanted was a performance, and a response from the team.
“I’m so proud of them really, because they put in a fantastic performance to bounce back,” Kelleher remarked.
“There is huge quality in this group. We keep telling them that. We got a hiding against UCD, no doubt about it, but we re-grouped. We talked about it and we put it right today. Well, we nearly did.”
Dring made her debut in the UCD game, and in addition to opening her City account in the 40th minute, she was a constant threat in the final-third for the visitors.
Kelleher is delighted to have the pacy winger on board for the rest of the season, and has been pleasantly surprised by her rapid progression in recent weeks.
“I think she’s surprised us how quickly she’s adapted to it. I think she’s still a raw talent, and I think the nuances of the game she’s going to have to learn, but I think she’s a very direct player and has a turn of pace. I said to her at half-time, well done for following in on on the one that was palmed by Amanda McQuillan.
“She’s a player that we’re delighted to have signed, because she’s a local girl in Cork, and we’re really pleased to have her in the squad.”
While there were a number of positives in the City performance, Kelleher was understandably disappointed to have lost out to the north Dubliners.
He stressed that there was little to separate the teams in terms of quality, and with a bit of luck, they could have gotten something from the game.
“I think it was 50-50 for the whole game. In the last 15 minutes, we went for it. We changed to a 3-5-2, and I think they couldn’t get out. We had a lot of chances, and on another day, they go in for you. We’re not having a lot of luck this season. We’d a couple of chances, hit the post. You kind of think, on another day they go in,” Kelleher added.