Shels hold off Athlone to take spoils in new season opener

Shelbourne 2 Athlone Town 1

By Darryl Geraghty

Shelbourne got their hands on the first silverware of the season in an enthralling Women’s President’s Cup encounter against an unlucky Athlone Town side at Tolka Park last Saturday.

The League champions found themselves 2-0 down at the break with Aoibheann Clancy bundling home a goal for Shels, before the unfortunate Kayleigh Shine put into her own net.

Roisin Molloy’s coolly taken second-half penalty set up a dramatic ending in which time just ran out on Colin Fortune's brave battlers.

Under the watchful eye of new Ireland boss Carla Ward, this game whetted the appetite of what’s to come this season as two of the frontrunners for the title showed their quality.

It was fitting that last season's top two were the sides with their hands on the draw strings to raise the curtain of the 2025 season, providing a tantalising teaser of what is to come.

They brought an end to a dramatic domestic season with that incredible FAI Cup final back in October, which Shels won 6-1 after racing to a 6-0 half-time lead.

Athlone underwent a number of changes in the off-season, and now under the tutelage of Athlone native Fortune, who previously played for and managed the men's side.

Winners of the President's Cup in the previous two years, Athlone came flying out of the traps and almost silenced the home support within the first minute.

The energetic Aoife O’Connor was desperately unlucky to see her volley roll just inches wide of Amanda McQuillan’s bottom corner.

But the hosts responded immediately when Roma McLaughlin jinked her way inside the box and from a narrow angle forced Megan Plaschko into a sharp save at her near post.

There was no such repeat of the barely believable encounter the last time the teams met, but it was the Reds who got in front with a quarter of an hour played.

Following a couple of corners, McLaughlin saw two headers in quick succession come off the crossbar as the Town defended bravely, but Shels got the luck of the bounce with the ball dropping down to the feet of former Wexford star, Aoibheann Clancy, who tapped home on her debut.

The visitors and, in particular star winger Madison Gibson, began to exert their dominance and really should have levelled before the break spurning a handful of good opportunities to equalise.

A couple of notable chances came when the talented American initially stung the palms of Amanda McQuillan from just inside the area. Gibson then went on a brilliant dribble down the left and cut the ball back to the feet of Kelly Brady, who skied her effort with the goal at her mercy.

But on the stroke of half-time, with Athlone clearly in the ascendancy, a Shels sucker punch took the wind out of their sails as the Reds doubled their lead.

Lucy O’Rourke’s smart ball in behind caused some confusion between Plaschko and Kayleigh Shine, resulting in the latter poking into her own net under pressure from Kate Mooney.

With nothing to lose, the visitors poured forward after the break with Shels' narrow midfield allowing Athlone’s flying wide players time and space to push the hosts back

Gibson continued to create as her side frustratingly failed to find the finishing touch to some dangerous openings. With 20 minutes remaining, Athlone had a golden opportunity to halve the deficit when Kelly Brady was clumsily brought down in the box by Keeva Keenan. Roisin Molloy, cool as a cucumber, made no mistake from 12 yards to set up a grandstand finish.

Both sides showed no signs of early season rustiness as they went hell for leather for the remaining few minutes in a classic encounter that could have gone either way in the end, but with little to separate the sides, it was the home side who held out to get their hands on the trophy at Tolka Park.

Athlone will host Wexford in their opening Women's Premier Division game on Saturday (kick-off 4.45pm) - a match which will be televised live on TG4.

Player of the match: Aoibheann Clancy (Shelbourne). The former Wexford star put on a hugely impressive showing in the Reds midfield. Not only was she in the right place at the right time to open the scoring, she showed her full range of ability operating in both deeper and attacking roles throughout an entertaining battle.

Shelbourne: Amanda McQuillan; Lucy O’Rourke, Keeva Keenan, Pearl Slattery, Leah Doyle; Rachel Graham, Aoibheann Clancy, Alex Kavanagh; Rebecca Devereux, Roma McLaughlin, Kate Mooney. Subs used: Jess Gargan for O’Rourke (59 mins); Noelle Murray for Kavanagh (59); Gabriella Del Pico for Graham (70); Jemma Quinn for Mooney (70); Mackenzie Anthony for Devereux (70). Subs not used: Rebecca Cooke, Aoife Sheridan, Maeve Wollmer.

Athlone Town: Megan Plaschko; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Natalie McNally, Shauna Brennan; Roisin Molloy, Izzy Groves, Katherine Sullivan, Madison Gibson, Aoife O’Connor, Kelly Brady. Subs used: Hazel Donegan for O’Connor (65 mins); Isabel Ryan for Brady (87). Subs not used: Erica Cunningham, Ciara O’Neill, Lucy Fitzgerald, Olivia Killackey, Maria Matthaiou, Christianna Kiamou.

Referee: Ryan Maher.