It was always going to come down to the final weeks of the season for the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division title race to reveal its true contenders. Shamrock Rovers are very much one of those.
It was always going to come down to the final weeks of the season for the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division title race to reveal its true contenders. Shamrock Rovers are very much one of those.
Sitting in third place with a game in hand, The Hoops trail second-place Shelbourne by three points and leaders Peamount United by nine points with five games left to play. There is no room for error.
Collie O'Neill has done a fantastic job in his first season with the club and should be in the mix for Manager of the Year. But, ultimately, he knows that he will be judged on his team's final position and whether silverware has been delivered. That is the expectation at a club like Rovers, despite this being the first year back in the League.
The good news for Rovers fans is that their team has showed a consistency and resolve that suggests they are ready to keep up with both Peamount and Shelbourne all the way to the end. Crucially, they face Shelbourne next on Saturday, October 7 in a game that will be live on TG4 from 16:30.
Rovers need to come out victorious in that Ringsend Derby. A win would close the points gaps on their city rivals and move them a little closer to Peamount. It would also bring a lot of confidence to their dressing room and send out a clear message to everyone else that they are still in this fight.
The departure of the talented Abbie Larkin to Glasgow City is a blow, but O'Neill was clever enough to anticipate that move when he brought in the highly-rated Joy Ralph from DLR Waves. It is asking a lot for Ralph to provide the firepower for their remaining games and then again it's not as the Ireland Women's Under-19 international has showed that she can excel at this level.
Besides Rovers can still turn to one of the League's best finishers in Stephanie Zambra or move five-time Golden Boot winner Áine O'Gorman into a more attacking role. Then there is the supporting cast of Alannah McEvoy, Lauren Kelly, Lia O'Leary, Scarlett Herron and Jaime Thompson. So creating and scoring goals should not be an issue.
At the back, Rovers have been excellent. Actually, they deserve a lot more credit than they have received in this department with only nine goals conceded. They have three of the best centre-backs in the League in Shauna Fox, Jessica Hennessy and Savannah McCarthy, arguably the best right-back in Jess Gargan and plenty of options on the left side in Melissa O'Kane, Abby Tuthill or O'Leary.
In the middle of the pitch, Aoife Kelly has been outstanding. She has played each game as if she is a veteran in this League yet it is her debut season. Whether she is moving the ball through the thirds with her passing, breaking up opposition attacks, shielding her backline or winning aerial battles, she is everywhere all at once.
All of this tells us what we already know, that Rovers are a very good team. The question now is whether they can become a League-winning team? We're rapidly heading towards the crunch period to discover that with the derby against Shelbourne vital to how that goes.
