Ronan Collins: 'We want to be known as the hardest working team in the league'

Cork City Women will play their first ever home game at Turner’s Cross Stadium this weekend, a historic move for football down south. 

They will join City’s men’s team at the infamous ground, which has held football matches for over one hundred years. 

Their opponents on Saturday will be high-flying Shelbourne and City Women’s manager Rónán Collins who is buzzing ahead of the game, is expecting a battle at the club’s new home. 

‘Shelbourne are always going to be a tough opposition,” he explained, “We always want to play these teams. One thing about the Women’s National League, the standard has definitely risen over the last few seasons. Games have become more competitive, for us and teams we play against. This weekend will be no different.”

The game comes just a week after the club’s heart stopping 3-3 draw with Galway Women’s at Eamonn Deacy Park. 

“There were a lot of things we did well and there are a lot of things we have to work on,” the boss said as he reflected on last week’s curtain raiser.

“We had some very good individual moments and performances, but as a team there is a lot we could have done better. We showed great bravery and we stuck with what we were trying to do. In the end, that bravery came with its own reward. We definitely rode our luck at times, but fortune favours the brave.”

The reward came in the form of a stunning strike from club captain Becky Cassin. The 24-year-old midfielder fired home a volley from twenty yards out which recused a point for her side out west. 

“It was a great hit. I was telling her I would be battling with Colin Healy to keep her in the women’s squad,” Collins laughed, “Becky was delighted. The goal was a goal for the team. It was just a superb strike. Between that, Abby McCarthy made a double save at the end of the game. Sometimes it takes magic moments to get results.” 

City will play this season with one of the youngest squads in the Women’s National League. This is something the club are quite used too and Collins believes that the youth can be easily molded into experience. 

 “We’ve always had a young squad, who have been getting younger every season. We’re more experienced this season.

“We were actually missing our three most experienced players last weekend for the Galway game. That meant that we had our youngest ever squad as seven or eight teenagers started the game. Our oldest player was Becky, who is twenty four. That gives an idea on how young our squad is.

“The girls though, they are talented. They are willing to work. We want to be known as the hardest working team in the league. They showed that hunger and work rate. We got push on now and learn from our mistakes. The squad are at an age where they can, but they are also playing senior football, so they have to learn quickly.”

The club hopes to push on both on and off the field. One of the key ambitions going forward is solidifying the one club mentality between City’s male and female teams.

Key to this has been Content Creator Aaron Howey, who has been working tirelessly with both squads. 

“Aaron spends all his time with both teams in Cork. He provides the same graphics for both. Nobody has to ask him to do that. That is his mentality and it is great.  It is great to see that that is the mentality around the club. They see us all as Cork City. Being the club and family that it is, we want everyone to push on and be the best that they can be. That is what the club are doing.”

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— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) April 2, 2021