Fennelly - Hard times are a thing of the past

Women’s soccer in Cork has gone through a period of transition in recent seasons, which has seen the Rebel county fail to register a victory during the 2014-15 campaign. With the announcement of Niall O’Regan as the new Cork City Women’s manager Extratime.ie caught up with a key member of the Cork squad in recent seasons Trish Fennelly to speak about the recent hard time for the club and aims for the 2015-16 season.

After finishing third in their inaugural Women’s National League in 2011, Cork Women had hoped to build on their success that would inevitably see them challenge for league honours, but instead the county have seen some of their top players leave the club. Fennelly reflected on the last few years at the club.

“It's definitely been a tough few years for all players and staff involved in the club and has been hard to lose some of our top players, but then again we only wish those players the best of luck and it's great to see them progressing their careers.

“I also think there is huge credit due to the players who have stuck with Cork through some of the hardest times and have worked week in week out to make sure we kept a team in the WNL. With the new management and top players looking to come in and play all the tough times will have been worth it.”

When reflecting back to the dreaded 2014-15 campaign, Trish revealed it was an extremely tough season and on many occasions the shot stopper had evaluated her own position within the side.

“To be honest, it was a very tough season last season, It's not easy to play a whole season without a win and I would be lying if I said I didn't ask myself more than a handful of times why am I doing this.

“I come from a big footballing family with my brother Anthony being assistant manager at Limerick last season and then my fiancé playing with Longford and they reminded me every week, why I do it because I love the game and the challenge.

“It was hard conceding so many goals every week, but it was also hard on the girls playing in front of me and they worked their socks off every week and I just kept playing with the hope things would improve and I think this season will be the turnaround for us.”

When it was announced that Niall O’Regan had taken up the role as manager of Cork City Women, Fennelly revealed “there was a huge buzz around the place” as the new manager had been very successful in the men's game.

“I played under Niall O’Regan before in the WFAI cup when he managed the Cork representative team, so I knew he was a good coach and I knew he would bring the best out of the player within the squad, while also attract the top players from within the county. Something he has done successfully. This makes us very excited to see what we can bring to the pitch this season.”

With the start of the Women’s National League only four weeks away, the Cork outfit are deep into their pre-season campaign and Fennelly explains it’s been tough but the management is filling the players with great confidence.

“Pre-season has been tough, I won't lie. But there is a great feeling amongst the team and the management team. Niall pushes us to the limit and also fills each player with confidence. He is strict and treats us like professionals which in turn makes us work hard.

“With Niall’s ability to attract new players has now meant that there is competition for places which now forces every player to work 100 percent in training. He wants to win and is getting that feeling across so that we believe we can win! I've loved every minute of pre-season so far and I’m happy to be working with Niall and the rest of the management team.”

Having managed just two draws in 2014-15, the Cork keeper reveals their first aim for the coming season is to ensure they are competitive in every game, but they would also like a high league finish.

“Our aim is to be competitive. We want to go out and win every game we can. We will definitely be a lot stronger this season so we will be aiming for top three. We will take each game as it comes and try to win as many of them as possible. The League will be top priority, but we would also like a good cup run.”

On a personal note, while hoping for a good season between the sticks, the experience keeper is also hoping to use her senior status within the squad to help the younger members who may be experiencing the Women’s National league for the first time.

“My aim is to concede as little as possible, while continuing to improve my game I'm a firm believer that you can never stop learning all I've always wanted is a senior cap and I will do everything I can to better myself to give me that opportunity.

“Being one of the senior players I would also like to be able to help the team as much as I can especially players who are experiencing the WNL for the first time it is a big step up so I'm hoping my experience can help the team.”