Women's League Preview: Shamrock Rovers -v- Wexford

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Collie O'Neill's side welcome Wexford to Tallaght Credit: Eddie Lennon (ETPhotos)

The streets of Dublin 24 haven't witnessed the lively spectacle of a St Patrick's Day parade since 2019. However, this weekend, Shamrock Rovers supporters from Tymon to Firhouse will look to celebrate Paddy’s weekend with their team’s first victory of the 2024 campaign when they welcome the women from The Model County to Tallaght Stadium.

SHAMROCK ROVERS

It’s fair to surmise that, given his love of the ‘three-leaved grasse’ (strictly the legal variety), St Patrick would have been an avid attendee at Tallaght Stadium, cloaked in emerald garb amongst the peppering of green, yellow, white, and red seating in Dublin 24.

Like the “Apostle of Ireland”, The Hoops will seek to utilise the shamrock as an educational symbol to all non-believers - non-believers (some would say borderline begrudgers), of their desire and commitment, on a day-to-day basis, to be the best team on the island - when they kick off their second game of the campaign at the later time this season of 4pm this Saturday.

In their opening contest away to DLR Waves, Collie O'Neill's side's play was sharp and fluid, Stephanie Zambra and Áine O’Gorman, who both scored against the women from the South East last season, posing a constant threat.

Shauna Fox and Lia O’Leary were so dangerously in sync on the left-hand side of the park, it was rumoured an Elon Musk neuralink had found its way to the shelves of the Square shopping centre.

O’Neill will be confident that his side can put several past Nicole Nix. However the promising young keeper is sure to have other ideas.

WEXFORD

Given the weekend’s weather forecast, the Youths may need to repeat the wardrobe change made at the break in their 2-0 defeat to Bohemians last weekend when they take on the Hoops in Tallaght Stadium.

Incoming manager Hugh Strong opted to play three at the back in his side’s opening game; however, his formation selection may be scuppered by an injury to wing-back Ciara Rossiter.



Former Hoops defender, the highly rated Abby Tuthill, will undoubtedly make an appearance given her solid performance against The Gypsies, with veteran Kylie Murphy and playmaker Ellen Molloy dead certs to start.

Speaking to the Wexford People on taking the helm at Ferrycarrig, Strong said:

“The women’s league has got so much bigger and so much more coverage over the last number of seasons you can’t help but notice.”

“You can’t help but be aware of the players that are around and who they are.

“I wouldn’t have an expert view on it, but from afar I would know a lot of the players, I’d be very aware of them, I’d know something about them, I might not know all the bits about them but I’d know a fair bit.

"You’d still have an eye on everything else. You are always open to new challenges and this is a massive challenge, one I’m looking forward to.”



MATCH STATS

A curtain of cloud hung over Ferrycarrig Park last year as the sides played out an uneventful 1-1 draw marking an anti-climactic end to the season for both teams.

Clad in dark ink, Wexford were unlucky not to pick up three points from the fixture, an own goal from Lauren Dwyer in the 90th minute cruelly denying the Youths the full complement.

The teams were separated by a 17-point goal difference by the end of 2023, a misleading statistic given their evenly matched performances.

The start of the season had seen The Hoops sucker-punch the visitors at home in the 64th minute when skipper Áine O'Gorman pickpocketed the defender in the six-yard box to slot in Abbie Larkin's square ball and clinch three points for O’Neill's debutants, the Tallaght faithful rising as the Pigbags anthem trumpeted through the Tannoy.

Yet a 5-3 win last June by The Town over Rovers on a pitch that was plusher than a Des Kelly carpet in the All Island Cup showed that the women from the South East pose a real threat.

Hugh Strong’s side have shown their own pizzazz in competition, seamless link-up play between Ciara Rossiter, Ellen Molloy, Kylie Murphy, and WNL 2022 player of the year Emily Corbet a force not to be reckoned with lightly.

For Rovers' part, they sunk six past the home side last season, showing real grit in their All Island Cup defeat to come back into the game having been 5-1 down until just shy of the 70th minute when a braided Zambra rallied her side, rifling the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

This game is set to be anything but uneventful.

About Christine Allen

Christine is from Dublin and writes match reports for Shamrock Rovers Women and The Echo, along with writing her own blog WLOI stories

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