Ruth Fahy - We promised we'd never let our heads drop

After making the summer move from Galway WFC to Wexford Youths, the midfielder turned central defender got her hands on a first Women’s National League medal after Youths defeated Shelbourne 2-1 at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday afternoon and after the game she spoke to Extratime.ie about finally securing her first league title.

“Yes, it is an unbelievable feeling,” she said when asked about winning a first Women’s National League title in her first season with Wexford Youths.

“This is why I joined Wexford, this is why I put all those miles in. The ups and downs of the season are totally vindicated and that's the word of the today, vindication. I'm absolutely buzzing.”

After having a five point lead heading into their final two outings against Galway and Shelbourne, the Galway native explained that the result against her old club was hard to take, but she knew coming into the rearranged game against Shelbourne it would be an uphill challenge against the inform Dublin outfit.

“That was a really strange day and I think people could see after the match I had a bit of a mini breakdown, it was a difficult day a lot of different emotions. But do you know what in a strange way maybe it was just meant to be today.

“I knew the following game against Shelbourne would be next to impossible - I just knew we wouldn't be physically prepared. By the last game [on Sunday] we were ready and that was it, the ultimate finish to a mad season and I'm just very very happy.”

In the 36th minute played and her side trailing 1-0, defender Jess Gleeson forced off the field with a hamstring injury and moments later, it looked like Fahy would be the next Youths player forced off injured after a crunching challenge with Shels forward Noelle Murray and she explained she was lucky that she could run off the impact injury. 

“Crunching challenges," she laughed. "Yeah, it was very crunching, I was lucky it was an impact challenge. Sometimes an impact [challenge] is nearly better than twisting ligaments when you're by yourself on the pitch so it was just a painful one, I could run it off so that was ok.

“We were unlucky to lose Jess, she has had a tough season with injuries, but when she's in there she does a brilliant job and when she was off I was able to slot into centre half and we brought on Becky Cassin who was superb. She did a man marking job and she pulled it off brilliantly, that's the thing it is a squad game, it's always been about the squad if someone goes off someone steps in. Someone's head goes down, someone lifts them up that's the way it goes and it works for us.”

After playing the large majority of her WNL career with Galway in central midfield, the Youths star has seen her time in the middle of the park limited this season and on Sunday she was enjoying a rare moment away from central defence, but when Gleeson was forced off she revealed she had a chuckle to herself before switching back to her regular position in defence.

“I was so excited to play in midfield and then when I saw Jess go off I thought right, here we go I had to have a little chuckle because in a strange way I've actually enjoyed it [in defence].

“That happens often to centre midfielders, [they] slot back into centre half as the years push on I thought I'd be a bit older before it happened, but I've actually enjoyed playing centre half and to be honest, I'm more used to playing centre half in this team at this stage after playing there the whole season so I was very comfortable going back there today.”

When asked if she thought she was doing herself a discredit by saying she was getting old, Fahy laughed before replying “no I'm old, sure I'm 28 now I'm pushing on now”.

Despite the reshuffle in defence, the Youths back four showed tremendous character as they were forced to withstand a late onslaught from Shelbourne and Fahy was quick to praise her centre-back partner Lauren Dwyer along with defenders Orlaith Conlon and Nicola Sinnott.

“I slotted in beside Lauren Dwyer at centre half and she helped me out a good bit and I really enjoyed playing beside her. We managed to curtail the threat of the fastest striker I've ever played against [Leanne Kiernan], I think we did well today against her, but she's flying, a great little player and I look forward to seeing her develop over the next couple of years as well.

?”We said at the start in the team huddle before the game, whatever happens our heads do not drop and we made that commitment and we managed to actually stick to it throughout the 90 [minutes].

“For once the four at the back worked for us today and credit to our manager, he made a good game plan and it worked, it was effective today. Got to have a shout out to Lolly [Orlaith] Conlon at the back, left full. 18 years of age and not a bother on her, she could deal with anything that comes down her wing and then we have Nicola [Sinnott] on the right. So experienced and between myself and Lauren we were able to stifle the strikers they had so it worked today. Everybody put in a huge shift. Linda Douglas was the best I've ever seen her in my entire life I think everyone will agree with that, I think she was amazing and very brave.”

The defender was also quick to praise goalkeeper Tarma Furlong after the keeper made what proved to be the game winning save deep in injury time when she denied Niamh Walsh from close range. 

“She's superb,” Fahy told Extratime.ie when asked about her goalkeeper’s performance.

“She really is what a season when she came in for Mary Rose [Kelly] another very young player and not a bother to her, keepers can change the game and she did that and kept us in it.”

With the prospect of Champions League football for the second consecutive, the defender revealed she would love to see Wexford hosting a qualifying group in August.

“I love the craic of travelling, but I think I'd enjoy that,” she said when asked about the prospects of Ferrycarrig Park hosting Champions League football.

“I'll never forget playing in 36 degrees heat [in Poland]. I couldn't breathe after five minutes so to bring it back to Wexford we'll take the rain and the wind.”