‘I'd never take it back' – Eleanor Ryan-Doyle reveals thinking behind returning to Peamount Utd ahead of FAI Cup clash
PEAS AT HOME 'I'd never take it back' – Eleanor Ryan-Doyle reveals thinking behind returning to Peamount Utd ahead of FAI Cup clash
ELEANOR RYAN-DOYLE has admitted there were some lonely days in England — but it was never going to be like that back at Peamount United.
Because for her, it really is a family club.
2
Eleanor Ryan-Doyle revealed why she returned to Peamount United
Credit: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
2
Peamount face Athlone Town in the FAI Cup quarter-finals
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Ryan-Doyle explained: 'My mum Barbara is still the kit woman four years from me leaving. My dad Darren was involved but he doesn't do the camera anymore.
'And then my brother Niall is working in the shop on match days. He loves it.'
Add in that many of her old team-mates at Greenogue are still at the club and Ryan-Doyle, 27, has found it easy to settle back in after four years away.
There were good and bad times since the striker left for England in 2021 with spells at Birmingham City, Coventry City and Durham.
But the main issue she found was not having family around when she had injuries or was out of favour.
Ryan-Doyle continued: 'It is cut-throat. You are either playing or you're not really. I'd never take it back. The experiences I had, the players I played against, it's unbelievable.
'It's fine if you're from England and you can go back to your family. But it's tough when you're not from there and you have to just go home and not really see anyone.
'I lived with team-mates, but it's different when they can go home and you can't.
'I would say I'm a very strong-minded person in the sense of like, if you keep going, you'll always be rewarded. You can't stop.
'The setbacks, they were tough at the start but as you become a stronger person and you learn from that, you can't stop because it's your full-time job at the same time.
League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas
'You have to keep pushing and get your team-mates to help you, support you. It's tough with the setbacks but obviously I had injuries in England as well.
'I broke my foot about two years ago and was out for a couple of months. I had surgery and stuff. I had to have my parents get the ferry over to bring me for surgery and everything.'
And after four years, Ryan-Doyle opted to return home.
She said: 'I haven't really played football for a while. I've been part of teams but I haven't got regular football.
'So I needed the time to enjoy football again and get back playing and be happy again with football.
'I've obviously played football for four years and didn't have to work. So now I'm working full-time and playing part-time evenings.
'So it's a lot of adjusting. But it's good to be back and playing for Peamount again.'
She made her second debut against Galway United at the start of the month and has a goal and assist in her two games to date with Peas having gone through a transition.
The team she left was top of the league and rarely outside the top two, though they now sit in eighth in the Women's Premier Division.
But today gives them a different focus as they host Athlone Town in the FAI Cup quarter-finals.
GROWING STRONG
Ryan-Doyle continued: 'Last Saturday, I was the oldest player in the squad. That says a lot in itself. It's completely different. There's new players coming in, young players, good talent that just need the experience. I think Peamount will grow in the next couple of years.
'You have these young players coming in who are really, really good but just need that senior football experience.
'We will take off in the next couple of seasons because they have that youth in.
'They have the experience of the older players and that mix of, obviously, a new squad this year.
'I think getting them together, it takes a lot of time for players to start playing together and learn how each other plays.
'I think it's different than when I was last here, but it's good.
'You have to remember, at the same time as the players there is new management, Gary Seery, Glenn Byrne and everyone else coming in.
'It's getting used to new coaching styles, new formations, new everything. And I think it's a tough league.
'But I know over the next couple of years that Peamount will be a good team again.'
TODAY'S FAI WOMEN'S CUP QUARTER-FINALS: DLR Waves v Treaty United (3pm), Peamount v Athlone Town (5pm), Newbridge Town v Bohemians (6pm).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Athlone edge Peamount United to achieve FAI Cup semi-final spot
FAI Cup drama continued as Athlone Town overcame a spirited Peamount United to put themselves in the hat for the semi-final thanks to a goal of the season contender from Aoife O'Connor. In a tense opening, played at a frightening pace it was the hosts, whose performances of late haven't reflected their results, that started confidently. Irish under-19 international Jess Fitzgerald was influential in the middle of the park, beginning a number of intricate moves to keep her team high up by playing the early exchanges in the opposition half. Having weathered the early pressure the visitors, who have had the glamorous distraction of two historic Champions League wins recently, began to grow into the game as their fantastic front three got more involved. Although the Town have been overtaken by Shelbourne at the top of the league, they showed why they are Champions coming from behind at the in-form team in the country in Bohemians to rescue a draw at Dalymount Park but the point came at a cost losing the influential Izzy Groves in the middle of the park. But to counter the busy workload having bolstered the squad in recent weeks with Katharina "Kat" Oelschlaeger and Alexis Stickland with the latter establishing herself in the starting 11 with some impressive displays in the engine room as her side went close to opening the scoring when O'Connor saw her back post header narrowly miss the near post. There was a big scare for the home side when the impressive Eleanor Ryan-Doyle went down midway through the first half with an innocuous looking ankle injury but after some lengthy treatment, was ok to resume. With a war of attrition developing it was going to take something special to break the deadlock, and just after a half hour O'Connor went one better than her miss minutes previous, hitting a stunning right footed effort from 25-yards out that flew in off the underside of the bar. Goal | Aoife O'Connor puts Athlone Town in front against Peamount United 👏 — FAIreland (@FAIreland) August 16, 2025 Immediately after taking the lead, skipper Madie Gibson went agonisingly close to doubling her lead smashing a left footed volley across goal narrowly missing the foot of the post. On the stroke of half-time the American was brilliantly denied by Amanda Budden, in almost a carbon copy of her previous effort, but the former Shels and Shamrock Rovers stopper got down sharply to tip around the post. Following a slightly extended half time break, which saw the Champions receive a ticking off by the officials, both teams were back going hell for leather once again. Just a couple of minutes after the restart Athlone Town thought they had doubled their lead when Gibson's vicious in-swinging corner was touched onto the back post by an under-pressure Budden before being bundled over the line but referee John Sconnie Walsh saw an infringement in the crowd of bodies. The hosts raised the intensity once again, pressing high and forcing their opponents into turning the ball over, leading to an animated Colin Fortune screaming at his team to try get back to passing the ball and take the sting out of the game. Having been restricted to shots from distance, a frustration grew in the home side at where that one clear opportunity to level might come from as Natalie McNally and Shauna Brennan looked imperious at the back. And with a quarter of an hour remaining The Peas did manage to force a couple of corners to build up a head of steam to earn their clearest chance of the half. From yet another quality Fitzgerald delivery, substitute Rebecca Watkins was aggressive winning her header but just couldn't guide the ball on target. With just five minutes remaining Fitzgerald hit a rocket of a free kick from all of thirty yards that looked destined for the roof of the net but at the final moment was acrobatically tipped over by Maria Matthaiou leaving the Peamount bench with their heads in their hands and a feeling that it wouldn't be their day. And with the last kick of the game, Mattaiou proved the hero once again standing big to deny Watkins who had raced clear on goal but at the crucial moment shot straight at the Cypriot keeper. The visitors held strong to book their place in the semi-final and keep the dream of a double this season alive and must dust themselves down as they look forward to hosting title rivals Shelbourne in a mouth-watering clash next Saturday night whilst the Peas travel to Dalymount on Tuesday night looking to put this disappointment behind them. Peamount: Amanda Budden; Lauryn O'Callaghan, Abbie Tuthill, Mary Phillips, Dearbhaile Beirne; Karen Duggan, Jess Fitzgerald; Ellen Dolan, Sadhbh Doyle, Aisling Spillane (Sorcha Melia, 86'); Eleanor Ryan-Doyle (Rebecca Watkins, 46') Athlone Town: Maria Matthaiou; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Natalie McNally, Shauna Brennan: Aoife O'Connor (Kate Slevin, 67'), Sarah Rice; Roisin Molloy, Alexis Strickland, Madison Gibson; Kelly Brady Referee: John Sconnie Walsh Elsewhere, Tr eaty United secured their semi-final spot in a dominant 2-0 win over DLR Waves at the UCD Bowl. Second-half goals from Madelyn Robbins and Bella Flocchini ensured the Shannonsiders progress to the final four of the FAI up for just the second time.
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Disappointed Paul Heffernan turns attention to securing play-off spot
Bray Wanderers fell to a 1-3 defeat to Finn Harps in the FAI Cup Bray Wanderers will not be going to the Aviva Stadium, but now they must move on and ensure they're going to the play-offs. Paul Heffernan had high hopes of an FAI Cup adventure, but now he is encouraging his side to put their woes behind them following a 1-3 Third Round loss to Finn Harps and refocus on the priority of getting back to top-flight football.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Ger Nash: 'When you have attacking players, the worst thing you can do is over-coach them'
Just as Cork City lost one teenage wonderkid to injury, another emerged with a goal on his full debut. Cathal O'Sullivan's cruciate rupture remains a major blow to the Leesiders, but it created an opening for 17-year-old Matthew Murray to get his first start. It took the winger just one minute and 47 seconds to find the net before earning the free-kick for Kaedyn Kamara's winning goal to stamp their ticket to the FAI Cup quarter-finals. Ger Nash has earned his reputation by developing young players, and he knows the mistakes to avoid with a raw talent like Murray. 'When you have attacking players, the worst thing you can do is over-coach them and take that out of their game,' said Nash after the 2-1 win over Waterford. 'He's a confident lad, and that's really important. He wants to attack people. He can go on the right foot, he can go on his left foot. 'He played against Celtic in a friendly, and it didn't faze him. You can see from his start that he clearly wasn't nervous in the first couple of minutes, that's for sure. With the composure he showed, it was a wonderful finish. 'It's a great story. He's a kid, a baby, in a huge pressure game, and it's a fantastic goal. 'Look, there's lots for him to work on. We have to go through the goal we conceded with him as well. There's little bits of information, but I'm just so pleased for him and proud.' City's other goalscorer, Kamara, is another teenager who was making his fourth substitute appearance since joining on loan from Preston North End. 'Kaedyn has had to be patient since he came to the club. But he's come on in the last three games and had a big impact,' said Nash. 'He's had a big impact out of possession, and then the extra bit of quality to win the game for us. 'I'm just so pleased. They work hard every day. Both of them have not been in the team. They got their opportunity and, boy, did they take it.' Seven of the 14 players City used against Waterford are aged 20 or under. The entire team had an average age of 22. Nash paid tribute to academy chief Liam Kearney, who has helped to develop wingers like O'Sullivan, Murray, and Josh Fitzpatrick, who put in a standout performance down the left flank. With their relegation battle in mind, Nash stressed: 'We're a new team forming under real pressure. 'We know where we are in the league, we know how many games we have left, but we are forming a new identity. You can see that. 'We know we need to form quick, but we know what we have. What we have is a group who care, and they're showing that every week at the moment.' Nash stayed vague on injury updates. Having played through the pain barrier in recent weeks, Alex Nolan needed a rest. Harry Nevin limped off, while Fiacre Kelleher, Greg Bolger and Charlie Lyons remain out. In more positive news, David Odumosu and Seán Murray returned to the bench. When asked if he expected any further players to be fit for their trip to Bohemians, Nash replied: 'I'd like to have them all back, but unfortunately, I won't. 'We need to come in tomorrow morning, and we'll have to assess everything.'
