Shelbourne prepare for new season after retaining key players

Having finished as runners-up in the league to Athlone last year, Shelbourne will be determined to go one better this season. The Reds will start the new campaign with optimism, having comprehensively beaten the Midlands side 6-1 in last November’s FAI Cup final.

Eoin Wearen’s side have begun their preparations by re-signing 14 of last year’s squad, including captain Pearl Slattery and talismanic striker Kate Mooney.

When Mooney returned to Tolka Park last July, she failed to score in her first three outings. Thereafter, she hammered in nine goals in six league appearances and scored three more in the FAI Cup, including a brace in the final.

With that kind of form, Mooney may well prove to be the most important player of the new campaign.

Goalkeeper Amanda McQuillan played all 29 of Shelbourne’s games in 2024, and she returns for 2025 alongside fellow net-minder Courtney Maguire, who missed the entirety of last season after rupturing her ACL.

All of the Reds’ regular back three from 2024 – Jess Gargan, Pearl Slattery, and Keeva Keenan – are back for the new campaign. Centre-back Nia Hannon has also rejoined the squad, while former left-back Leah Doyle, who now operates in a more advanced role, is also part of Shels’ 2025 line-up.

Up front, alongside Mooney, Wearen can again count on the services of Jemma Quinn, veteran Noelle Murray, and young striker Rebecca Devereux, who will be looking to realise her enormous potential in the coming year.

Midfielder Rachel Graham is also back for 2025, as are Roma McLaughlin and Lucy O’Rourke. However, one player who won’t be returning is Maggie Pierce. A rock at the heart of the Shels team – either at centre-back or central midfield – the American will be sorely missed.

Other missing faces from last year’s squad include winger Megan Smyth-Lynch, who has joined Italian side Como, and lively forward Christie Gray, who has signed for Calgary Wild in Canada. Under-used central midfielder Nadine Clare is another fine player who has moved on from Tolka Park.