Jessica Fitzgerald re-signs for Peamount United

Seventeen-year-old sensation Jessica Fitzgerald managed to successfully balance the books with her boots in her second senior WNL season with Peamount United, obtaining full marks and a new contract for her efforts.

The Ireland international's re-signing will come as no surprise to those who have followed her progress as a member of the WU17 Peamount United squad in 2021 and the club's WU19 side in 2022 - in fact, had the Greenogue faithful let such a raw talent go, this would have made for the more catching headline.

In 2023, under James O'Callaghan's tutelage, and with the support of veterans Karen Duggan and Niamh Reid Burke, the soft-spoken Fitzgerald rose to the occasion, anchoring The Peas' WNL senior squad in the centre of the park as a number of their key players disembarked for lands anew in Dublin 24, securing two goals in twenty-one appearances.

On receiving the spoils of last season (she was named the SSE Airtricity player of the month, pocketed the PFAI Young Player of the Year Award, and picked up a League title winners medal), the fifth-year student revealed her modest nature when she confessed to the FAI media team that while grateful, she was “more shocked than anything” to be nominated for the latter award, due to the “quality players in the league.”

Yet Fitzgerald is the embodiment of quality and can be relied upon to not only keep a cool head under pressure but to strike when an opportunity presents itself - and make it count.

In October of 2023, she demonstrated her love of a green shirt, scoring a brace in the first half of Ireland Women's Under-19s' 4-0 victory over the Faroe Islands in their UEFA European tie.

Leaving those in Newcastle in no doubt of her value to the club before the winter break, Fitzgerald fired on the double in The Peas' final game of last season against Sligo Rovers, the title firmly secured for Peamount United before the 6-0 nullification - and now her signature with it.