2021 Season Preview: Peamount United
Aine O'Gorman with the trophy Credit: Peter Fitzpatrick (ETPhotos)
Manager: James O’Callaghan
Stadium: PRL Park, Greenogue
Players in: Chloe Smullen, Orla Fitzpatrick (promoted from under-17s)
Players out: Niamh Farrelly (Glasgow City), Niamh Barnes, Louise Corrigan (DLR Waves), Chloe Moloney (Galway), Naima Chemaou (Bohemians), Sarah McKevitt (Cork City).
Extratime.ie Key Player: Aine O’Gorman
It’s difficult to pick just one player in a star-studded outfit but there have been few more consistent players in the league over the past decade as the captain O’Gorman.
As well as picking up more than 100 caps for her country, the Enniskerry native has won the league’s golden boot on three occasions, including 2020.
Despite now being deployed at left-back for Vera Pauw’s international side, she continues to be the league’s most-feared winger and provides countless assists to go with her goal tally.
Extratime.ie One to Watch: Della O’Doherty
Amid the flurry of goals in the second half of the FAI Cup final, it would be easy to miss the introduction of 17-year-old Doherty for Farrelly for the final seven minutes.
It would be a bit trite to suggest it was a passing of the baton, so to speak, but there are high hopes that O’Doherty can fill Farrelly’s big boots following her departure for Scotland.
The Laois native has spent the past three years as captain of Peas’ under-17s and has also captained Ireland at the same level.
Doherty is a technically-gifted, passing defender in the Farrelly mode who is physically built for senior football and will look to make her stamp on the league in 2021.
How they did last season: League and cup double winners
League: 1st
Peamount retained their title for a second year following a tense battle with Shelbourne, who topped the table for much of the season.
The league was clinched, fittingly, with a 3-1 home win over Shelbourne in the penultimate game thanks to three goals in the final 20 minutes courtesy of captain Aine O’Gorman and Karen Duggan.
Shels had led thanks to Emily Whelan’s strike just after the restart and a win would have sealed the title for the Reds, but O’Gorman’s free-kick began a frantic comeback.
The Peas finished the season with 11 wins from their 12 league games, the sole defeat a 3-0 reverse to longtime rivals Wexford Youths at Ferrycarrig Park in September.
40 goals scored in those 12 games – an average of 3.33 a game – saw Peamount top the scoring charts, with O’Gorman (14) and Eleanor Ryan Doyle (10) leading the charts.
FAI Cup: Winners
Peamount sealed the FAI Cup for the first time in eight years with a 6-0 thrashing of Cork City, reversing the heartbreak suffered a year earlier when Wexford ran out 3-2 winners.
All six of the final goals came in the second half, with Steph Roche’s brace kicking things off before O’Gorman, Duggan, plus subs Becky Watkins and Tiegan Ruddy brought home the emphatic win.
The Peas had seen off Shelbourne and Wexford Youths, by identical 1-0 scorelines, to reach the final in Tallaght.
Europe: Champions League first qualifying round
With the Champions League format reduced to one-legged ties for the early rounds due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Peas were unlucky to draw last season’s last 16 outfit Glasgow City away.
In spite of facing a mostly professional side, Peamount kept them scoreless for 120 minutes only to be cruelly denied in sudden death penalties.
What to expect this season:
More of the same is the simple and short answer. There have been key departures in defence as Louise Corrigan, who missed last season with injury, and her replacement Niamh Farrelly have moved on.
Corrigan has gone down the road to DLR Waves, while Farrelly impressed so much in the Champions League penalty shoot-out defeat to Glasgow that she earned a pro deal in Scotland.
The fearsome attacking line-up that backed the last two title wins remains, however, with O’Gorman showing no signs of slowing down and Ryan Doyle an immense, if underrated, presence.
With Steph Roche now back to full fitness after a stop-start 2020, and Alannah McEvoy growing in stature by the game, Peamount will take some stopping in 2021.
Title Odds: 4/9
First game: Away v Wexford Youths, Saturday, March 27th (kick-off 4pm).
