O'Sullivan rues losses in concentration

Cork Women’s FC captain Denise O’Sullivan believes the concentration levels within her squad need to improve in the remaining weeks of the Bus Éireann FAI Women’s National League season.

Cork have played Peamount United on three occasions this term and each time have conceded extremely sloppy goals through a lack of what O’Sullivan suggests needs addressing.

In the first-half last Sunday O’Sullivan, particularly, and her team-mates performed like world beaters however after the interval were less than impressive and even the Republic of Ireland senior international can’t understand such inconsistency.

She said: “It was very frustrating on Sunday. We had worked so hard in the first-half putting in a really good performance and we were confident at half-time after playing so well.

“When we conceded the second goal we still kept plugging away but after the third goal heads dropped and we couldn’t pick it back up after that.

“The difference between our performance in the first-half to the way we played in the second-half was very strange. It’s very hard to get your head around that. It’s a lack of concentration and from that we lost confidence.

“It’s not the first time this has happened though and we should really be learning that you can’t lose concentration like that at this stage. We’re playing at a level whereby you get punished for the mistakes you make and we really need to start learning quickly.”

O’Sullivan also believes that the side has to be more clinical. At half-time the game was level at 1-1 but Cork had three guilt-edged goal chances to take at least a one-goal lead into the second-half but either missed the target or were denied by Peamount goalkeeper Linda Meehan, another source of frustration for youngster.

“We were so on top in the first-half it was unreal really. We created a lot of chances but we really have to be more clinical in front of goal. We had a couple of really good goal-scoring chances but didn’t take them which was disappointing.”

What was far from disappointing however was O’Sullivan’s individual display. Simply put, the player is a star and most likely destined for great things.

She was struggling for full fitness before Christmas but since then has been back to her brilliant best culminating in Sue Ronan understandably selecting her again for the senior international squad despite her tender age which will compete at the Algarve Cup next week.

“I was sick too a while back and I think I just needed a break. I took a week off and it did me the world of good and now I am feeling good again. Hopefully I can keep progressing as a player now.

“I was delighted to get picked for the squad. It will be great to be playing in Portugal at the top level because it is a great experience.

“My Cork team-mate Marie Curtin also got picked which is great and hopefully we can be very competitive there,” she added.