Walsh delight with Raheny opening day win

For a club between managers, Raheny United looked remarkably cohesive in their opening Women's National League match against DLR Waves on Sunday. 

 

They won 4-0, with the team's attacking power plain for all to see. John Walsh, the man in charge on the day, was delighted with the performance.

 

"I think we were good to watch going forward, I hope so anyway," he said.

 

"Casey McQuillan has been with us for the last couple of weeks, and he's been great to get the girls to this level. He's been training them really hard and he was excellent with them up the North for the Champions League," added Walsh.

 

"We just tried to continue that on, we didn't create enough chances in the Champions League and today we were all about creating more chances."

 



Walsh, who previously managed Shamrock Rovers in the WNL, will step in as assistant manager, with Terry Eviston - a man with extensive experience in Irish football - coming in as manager. 

 

"Myself and the goalkeeping coach got involved just before the Champions League started," Walsh explained. "I'd a tough stint at Rovers for a couple of years but it was nice to get the call from Raheny to get on board."

 

"Terry Eviston is going to come in next week as manager, so hopefully I've given him something good to work on - a 4-0 win and a clean sheet. The players played well too, so it's a good one for him to come in to." 

 



Although they scored four goals, it wasn't always easy for Raheny on Sunday - particularly in the first half against a DLR side with high expectations this season.

 

Walsh said: "DLR is always a tough game. The next time we play them won't be the same, they'll create a lot more and be a lot tighter."

 

"You saw last year that as the season went on, the exact same thing will happen this year. They'll be up there near the top of the table."

 

Many are tipping Raheny as a good bet to retain their league title, with perennial rivals Peamount United also reckoned to be likely contenders.

 

For Walsh, though, this season could be more open than many expect. 

 

"Galway seem to have a good set-up, they've signed some good players," he said. "John Flood at Wexford has a really good team, we have them in a couple of weeks and it'll be  a tough game. I couldn't dismiss Wexford being up there and there's a lot more to come from DLR." 

 

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