WNL Season Preview - Peamount United

How they did last season: Looking back on the inaugural Bus Éireann Women’s National League, Peamount couldn’t really have done much better. They blitzed teams away with their clinical nature in front of goal and were deserved league and cup double winners when the reckoning hour came.

The only blot on their copybook however might be their failure to progress past the group stages of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League – but having won two of their three group games by a combined 9-0, perhaps they can feel unlucky not to have extended their European sojourn.

How are they shaping up this year: Quite simply – Peamount are the team to beat this season. With competitive action already under their belts in the form of their recent Champions League exploits in Bosnia, Peas will be expected to hit the ground running when they kick off their defence of their Bus Éireann WNL title at home to Wexford Youths this coming Sunday. Eileen Gleeson has managed to hold on to all her stars from last year’s success, while adding exciting starlet Julie-Ann Russell to the ranks making it an exciting year in prospect for all in Greenogue this year.

Key Player: Sara Lawlor – Expect last year’s Bus Eireann Women’s National League player of the year to feature heavily in all that is good for Peamount this year. With a presence that belies her diminutive stature, Peas’ “pocket rocket” possesses all the attributes necessary to make her the perfect complement to last year’s topscorer Stef Roche. To win leagues, you need players who can win games on their own when their team are up against it, and Lawlor is a player of this mould – a game changer/winner.

One to Watch: Julie-Ann Russell – What do you do when you win everything? Strengthen and consolidate…and that is exactly what Eileen Gleeson has done as she welcomes the 21 year old Irish international into the fold following a spell with Doncaster Belles. Russell returns from England to complete her studies, and despite her young age has considerable experience. This experience and ability adds to the already burgeoning assembly of talent in Greenogue. Definitely one to watch for the season.

Prediction: Winners. Peamount shouldn’t expect to have it all their own way this season however. With Raheny United  and the likes of Cork Womens FC and Wexford Youths who finished last season strongly as they came to terms with the league and became more settled and familiar with the standard required. They have shown they can mix it with the best in the league – however the frightening goalscoring prowess of Lawlor and Roche coupled with the experience of having gone the distance before should be enough to see Peamount lift the trophy come May.