Post To Post Sport‘s Ciarán Duffy provides us with his weekly round-up of the action in Ireland’s top domestic league as the competition reaches Round 13 (7/6/22).
Above: Emma Doherty en route to her winning goal for Sligo Rovers against Wexford Youths. Photo: James Fallon.
Coming up to the midseason break there was plenty of drama in the Women’s National League. Here’s how round 13 shaped up.
Galway Hold Champions At Tolka Park
Shelbourne remain top of the table despite Galway becoming only the second team to take points off them this season. They are also the first team to avoid defeat against Shels at Tolka Park.
The game had the look of being business as usual as the champions controlled the action. Shels took the lead early on when Saoirse Noonan got on the end of Chloe Mustaki’s ball. The league leaders went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
The second half was more even with Galway coming into the game. Jenna Slattery scored an equalizer to remember as she chipped Amanda Budden to draw the game level. The two sides tried to find a winner, but it would end all square. Shelbourne 1-1 Galway.
Mahon & Doherty Heroics Seal Win For Sligo
Emma Doherty will remember this visit of Wexford Youths for some time. She scored a super winner to give Sligo a famous victory against the cup holders.
It was a back-and-forth game early on with Wexford having the better chances through Orlaith Conlon and Ciara Rossiter. It was Sligo, however, who nearly went ahead towards the end of the opening 45, they had the best chance of the game when Lauren Boles shot just over.
Two sides attacked early in the second half, and just after the hour mark, the winning goal was scored when Emma Doherty sent a sensational shot past Maeve Williams. Amy Mahon was called into action in the Sligo goal late on to save a penalty of Youths captain Kylie Murphy. Sligo Rovers 1-0 Wexford Youths.
Ruthless Peamount Return To Winning Ways
Peamount had had a few weeks without a win in what must have been an unusual feeling for a squad used to challenging for silverware. The 2019 and 2020 champions had dropped to fifth in the league but would return to regular form in dominant fashion. Danny Murphy was taking charge of Cork City for the first time and had a difficult start to WNL life.
It was all Peamount throughout the game with first-half goals from Stephanie Roche, Áine O’Gorman, and two from Sadbh Doyle that had Peas well in control at the break. Peamount continued the pressure and O’Gorman, who has over 100 caps for Ireland, bagged two more to seal her hattrick. Super-sub Michelle Doonan made it seven late on. Peamount were comfortable in a difficult start for new Cork boss Murphy. Peamount United 7-0 Cork City.
Athlone Edge Past Bohs
Having seen their winning streak come to an end last week, Athlone Town returned to winning ways with victory in a tight affair against Bohemians.
Emily Corbet scored the opener in the 70th minute having seen an early penalty go over the bar. Róisin Molloy was the provider, and it was her shot that found its way past Rachel Kelly to double the lead.
Bohs were still very much in the game, and late on Erica Burke turned the ball past Niamh Coombes who had just kept Burke’s penalty out. Athlone Town 2-1 Bohemians.
Waves Bounce Back In Limerick
DLR had had a rough patch of form recently, but they were the better team against struggling Treaty United. Avril Brierley broke the deadlock just before halftime with the assist coming from Rachel Doyle. Brierley got another in the 67th minute when her volley found the net. Carla McManus had struggled with injury this season but got a well-deserved first goal of the campaign with just over 10 minutes to go. Another player returning from injury, Mia Dodd, made it four with a cool finish having come on as a substitute. Waves play a couple of days before the teams above them in the next round, so a win against Bohemians would see them go level on points with Peamount for at least a couple of days. Treaty United 0-4 DLR Waves.
Table
| Pos | Team | PLD | W | D | L | GD +/- | Pts |
| 1 | Shelbourne | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 34 |
| 2 | Wexford Youths | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 26 |
| 3 | Athlone Town | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 |
| 4 | Peamount United | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 23 |
| 5 | Galway | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 22 |
| 6 | DLR Waves | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 20 |
| 7 | Sligo Rovers | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 16 |
| 8 | Bohemians | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -5 | 13 |
| 9 | Cork City | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | -40 | 6 |
| 10 | Treaty United | 13 | 0 | 1 | 12 | -41 | 1 |
Upcoming Fixtures
Thursday June 9th
DLR Waves vs Bohemians (19:45)
Sunday June 11th
Galway vs Athlone Town (14:00)
Shelbourne vs Wexford Youths (14:00)
Sligo Rovers vs Peamount United (14:00)
Cork City vs Treaty United (17:00)
After the upcoming game round, there is a midseason break. The following round of fixtures begins on July 2nd. Remember to follow @PostToPostSport on Twitter and Instagram for coverage of football from the Republic of Ireland. This season we are raising money for Ireland’s National Autism Charity As I Am, you can view our fundraiser page and donate here
impetusfootball.org 