SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division: Shelbourne v Athlone Town, Tolka Park, Saturday, 4.30pm – Live on TG4
Athlone Town and Shelbourne are separated by a point at the top of the table, Galway United are next in line and Wexford are adrift in fourth. What is it they say? Deja vu all over again.
That’s how the top of the Premier Division looked in the final weeks of last season and that’s how it sits again as the current campaign reaches its closing stages.
Just four years after their debut season in the National League, Athlone were, last October, crowned champions. Now they’re within touching distance of retaining their title. The side is top of the table and unbeaten after 18 league games.
It won’t be won or lost on Saturday, but they can take a sizeable stride towards a two-in-a-row by avoiding defeat to Shelbourne at Tolka Park. Even if Athlone were to lose the game, it would all still be in their hands. That’s because they have four games left to play, including Saturday’s, while Shels have just three, with the gap between the sides a single point.
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It’s been a memorable season for Athlone Town, during which they have also reached their fourth FAI Cup final in a row. Bohemians will be their opponents in next month’s final.
This season also marked Athlone’s debut European campaign. They beat the champions of Wales, Croatia and Serbia in the Champions League qualifiers before being ousted by Glasgow City when they dropped down to the Europa Cup.
“It was a great experience for us,” said Madie Gibson, the New Jersey native who joined Athlone in 2022 and has been a key player for them ever since.
“We didn’t really know what to expect going in, but we were all happy with our performances. Glasgow were just a step ahead of us, but that’s where we want to be in the next few years. They’re a full-time team and I think that showed. That just comes with training every day together – a privilege we don’t have.”
The experience came with no little upheaval after manager Colin Fortune resigned four days before the first leg against Glasgow. Fortune was unhappy with the uncertainty around his own future and that of his players. The club explained that because it was “in the middle of a financial audit”, it was in no position to offer new contracts just yet.
“No, I wouldn’t say that was difficult for us because we’re a close-knit group, so we just put our heads down and knew what we had to do,” said Gibson. “We’re hard-working players so if we perform, we’re going to get the results no matter what happens on the outside. So we just chose to ignore the noise and focus on ourselves. That’s what has worked all season for us, so we’re just going to continue to do that.”
Gibson isn’t giving her future at the club too much thought at the moment. Her focus is on winning the double. “I’d say none of is really focused on next season, we’re just taking it week by week, trying to put in good results and not really think too much about the future,” she said. “But we have spoken as a group and we want to try to stay together. This is a special group, if we can stay together, then that would be amazing for the club and for the league as well.
“I think that’s why we’ve been successful, because all the girls who come here, no matter where they’re from – Ireland, the US, anywhere in Europe – they all buy in and give 100 per cent to the team. Even in the time I’ve been here, it’s come on so much, especially the professionalism of the girls.
“If I was the Irish manager I’d be calling up the likes of Kayleigh Shine, Róisín Molloy, Kelly Brady, all of them! We have some really gifted young Irish players who have huge potential.”
She says interim manager John Sullivan has kept things ticking over nicely. “He’s been very positive for us; he’s given us all confidence and just said, ‘you guys know what to do, just keep doing what you’ve been doing’.”
If they keep doing what they’ve been doing all season in the league and maintain their unbeaten record at Tolka Park, then they’ll nudge ever closer to retaining that crown.
