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The Irish Sun
02-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘What we play for' – Shauna Brennan reaping rewards of decorated sporting career in Athlone Town's Champions League run
SHAUNA BRENNAN admitted she could not have imagined herself playing Champions League football a few short years ago. Now, she is determined to go as far in the competition as she can. 2 Kate Slevin, left, and Shauna Brennan of Athlone Town celebrate after the UEFA Women's Champions League First Qualifying Round semi-final against Cardiff City Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Izzy Groves of Athlone Town celebrates after scoring her side's first goal against Cardiff City Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The record seated capacity crowd of 1,916 on Wednesday. That earned them the right to face ZNK Agram, who like Athlone are competition first-timers, in the Midlands at 4pm today. If they beat the Croatian champions they will be off to Holland later this month to face Breidablik of Star Belgrade. Brennan is reaping the rewards from the sporting choices she made in recent years. Read More on Champions League She said: 'I'm from Galway and I played for Galway for a few seasons, and I was playing Gaelic football as well. 'I went to Athlone in 2023 and we won the Cup that year. 'Then we went on to win the league last year obviously and I managed to be playing European football this year. 'If you had told me that three years ago, I would have told you you were lying. Most read in Football 'This is where we want to be. We want to play in Europe . We want to test ourselves against the best sides. This is what we play for. Hopefully we can get the job done and progress and see how we can get on in the later stages. 'Of course, it's one game at a time. This Croatian side is what we're focusing on now and that's what all our energy will go into. Bayern Munich star Sven Ulreich announces tragic death of his six-year-old son after 'long, serious illness' 'We know we've only half the job done. Wednesday means nothing without Saturday. That's our focus. They're going to be a good side. They've won the Croatian league but we'll look at their key players and we'll be ready.' While the club's full-time players were able to concentrate on their recovery since Wednesday, it was not the case for Brennan. Although she is out of term, the medical student was coaching on a football camp yesterday, which did have the upside of spreading the excitement from Wednesday. She said: 'Yeah, it's tough. We do have a lot of players that are full-time in Athlone but then there's the likes of myself and some of the other girls that are working, although we stayed up in Athlone on Wednesday night. 'There's a buzz around the camps and it's great that they have people to look up to as well.' 'DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE' Although she has played in two FAI Cup deciders, and previously, in Connacht finals for the Galway footballers, Brennan admitted there was something unique about Wednesday's experience. She said: 'We've never had that in Athlone so it was great. We obviously sold out the stadium, which we haven't had before in any of our games. 'So there was a different atmosphere, a great atmosphere. 'We were hoping it would be a sell-out but obviously that depends on the fans and it was great to see them all come out in their blue and black. 'I think it helped us in the first ten minutes. We hit the ground running and I think the crowd really got behind us to do that and it helped us to win tackles. They definitely did help us.' Colin Fortune's side took the lead after a quarter of an hour and were 3-0 up at the break, with the 21-year-old hoping they can be quick out of the blocks again as they look to make light once more of the fact that analysing their opponents has not been straightforward. Brennan said: 'It's hard to tell really with teams that are outside of our own league and we can't see them playing against anybody in our own league. We'll be hoping to start quick. 'But obviously we'll have our homework done on them and see where we can impose a threat on them and where they might threaten us as well.'
Extra.ie
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Katie McCabe refreshed and recharged with new goals for the season ahead
Katie McCabe says it can still feel surreal to open the box and see her Champions League medal. Back in May, the Ireland captain became the first footballer from this country to win Europe's premier club competition since John O'Shea in 2008, and emulated what Emma Byrne, Yvonne Treacy and Ciara Grant had done with Arsenal the year before that. When she meets the press, McCabe has a busy day ahead of her in Dublin, including a visit to Crumlin's Children's Hospital. However, she insists her batteries are fully recharged and she is looking forward to another successful season with Arsenal while also hoping to get the better of Belgium in October's Nations League play-off. When she meets the press, McCabe has a busy day ahead of her in Dublin, including a visit to Crumlin's Children's Hospital. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The 29-year-old played more minutes than any other Gunners star in the campaign that ended with European glory. It led to Ireland manager Carla Ward suggesting that her skipper was 'on the verge of burnout' following the 1-0 win over Slovenia in June, and she was excused from the trip to the USA, although McCabe took issue with that yesterday. 'I wasn't on the verge of burnout, I could have played three days later,' McCabe said. 'I just chose to enjoy the break. It wasn't necessary for me to travel to the USA. But I feel good, I feel great, and I was happy with the decision I took, and I was supported by Carla. 'It was nice to be able to switch off and refocus, reset and recharge the batteries. I'm now about a week or two into pre-season and ready to get going again. I think it's going to be an exciting year. We've got the Champions League trophy to defend and want to keep pushing on all fronts and all competitions with Arsenal. I'm feeling really good and ready to have another big push this year.' Katie McCabe says it can still feel surreal to open the box and see her Champions League medal. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile In her effort to switch off from the game, McCabe didn't watch the early stages of the recent Euros, but by the time her Arsenal teammates Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly were helping England to a second successive title, she was fully engrossed. And while she insists there was no regret, she admitted it was tough watching a major tournament play out without Ireland there. 'No regrets. For us, we were disappointed and I think everyone could see how hurt we were that we didn't get over the line. And then we had the transition period with Carla coming in. Honestly, I didn't watch the start of it because I was just trying to switch off and refresh. But towards the knockout stages and semi-final, final, I watched it. When she meets the press, McCabe has a busy day ahead of her in Dublin, including a visit to Crumlin's Children's Hospital. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 'It's always tough because as a player you want to be there, having had the experience of the World Cup, you've got a taste of it. So, for a tournament to be going on and being so close to it, it was a tough one to take for sure. We've dissected it and digested it and we need to just keep pushing forward now.' Wales, who dumped Ireland out in the play-off, had a difficult time in Switzerland and were comprehensively beaten by France, the Netherlands and England, but McCabe says that it wasn't a reality check. 'It would have been a tough group for us. But I think what we've shown in the past, especially being in probably the toughest group in the World Cup, when we have a game plan and when we're cohesive as a team and hard to beat, we try to stay away from those sort of scorelines. 'But you can't deny the quality of England, the Netherlands, and France as well. They're top-quality teams. Obviously, I don't know how we'd go up against them. It was difficult for Wales, but I'm sure if we were there, we would have relished the opportunity to give it a good go.' The emergence of Italy as a force, who were so unlucky to lose to England in the semi-final, underlines how countries are getting stronger in the women's game. I was very impressed by that Italian side, the level of investment they have put in the domestic game, and how many players are actually playing back in Italy. 'You see the quality in their side and the determination. They've got good structure, good on the ball, they're technical and got a real game plan. 'They've invested well in their domestic league and got that back.' The Ireland captain was also impressed by Belgium, their upcoming play-off opponents, even though they didn't get out of their group, but she says that October's two games can be steps in the direction they want to go under Ward. 'I think it's still transitioning. I think when you've got a new coach, it takes time. We've seen that in the past, under Vera and Colin. I think Carla is — I don't want to speak on behalf of her — but from our discussions, I'm sure she's seen a lot and learnt a lot about the squad and players individually over the course of the last few months. 'I think it's really beneficial for her to see that, so we can get a good steer on how we're going to be successful together moving forward because both of our ambition is to qualify for that World Cup. 'But, obviously, there's steps you need to take going into that, October is a massive part in that in terms of getting that promotion to League A.
The Irish Sun
31-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shamrock Rovers confirm place in next round of Conference League as drab draw with St Joseph's seals easy aggregate win
WHILST their next game was decided by a sudden-death penalty shootout in Kosovo, this was of the more slow and painful variety. A 4-0 win in the first leg meant that this had none of the jeopardy attached to Larne beating Prishtina on spot-kicks. 2 Shamrock Rovers drew 0-0 with St Joseph's to confirm their place in the next round of the Conference League Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 They will face Ballkani in the next round Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The relevance of that to Rovers was the absence of a second Kosovan side in the next round of the As a result their league game against And precious little happened on the pitch to distract attention from what came next for the Hoops. If a comfortable first-leg win had provided Read More on Shamrock Rovers In the event, he made six changes to his team with Cian Barrett - son of former player Graham - starting in He lined up in an otherwise experienced midfield including one senior Josh Honohan, as well as Danny Grant. And those combinations of youth and experience were elsewhere in the team as well with Michael Noonan, on his 17th birthday, partnered by 35-year-old Rory Gaffney. And, in defence, Cory O'Sullivan had Roberto Lopes and Gary O'Neill to show him the ropes. Most read in Football Despite the unfamiliar look of the side, there was still an expectation that Rovers would have too much for the visitors on the night and might even match or surpass their record aggregate European win of 7-0 against FRAM Reykjavik 43 years ago. But it soon became clear that this was a game which they simply wanted to negotiate without over-exerting themselves or picking up any unnecessary injuries with no real impetus to perform to their potential. League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas There were times before he went off that Gaffney looked a danger but his marker Geovanni Barba impressed and, indeed, provided the pass for St Joseph's best chance before the break. The part-timers had the first chance of the game when Manuel Sánchez picked out Jayce Olivero but he blazed over the bar. Almost immediately, at the other end, Gaffney cut in from the right and extracted a good save from keeper Bradley Banda. Grant was quickest to the rebound but he fired well over when he would have expected to have further tested Banda. Just after the hour mark, Barba played a slide-rule pass through to Javi Forján but Ed McGinty was alert to the danger, racing off his line to deny him. They carved out more openings before the interval when, after Juan Pena appealed for a penalty, Angel Martinez was unable to keep his effort on target . Given how the first half had gone, and a desire to manage the minutes of some of his older players, it was no surprise to see a double substitute before the restart. Lee Grace was sent on for Lopes with John McGovern coming on for Gaffney. The changes did not yield an immediate improvement, although Noonan did force Banda into action, with a further three changes made just after the hour mark. They saw Dylan Watts, Danny Mandroiu and Sean Kavanagh brought on in a bid to give the home crowd something to shout about. But, although they were clearly tiring, the part-timers continued to apply themselves and ensure that the home side got nothing easily. They occasionally threatened on the break too with substitute Pablo Rodriguez getting on the end of a cross but he was unable to direct his header on target and, in any case, he was flagged for offside. Captain Juanma did better when he got on the end of Adrien Armental's cross but McGinty made a comfortable save. SUN STAR MAN : Gabriel Barba (St Joseph's) SHAMROCK ROVERS : McGinty 7; O'Neill 7, Lopes 7 (Grace 46, 7), O'Sullivan 7; Grant 6, Barrett 6, Byrne 6 (Kavanagh 63, 5), McEneff 6 (Watts 63, 5), Honohan 6 (Mandroiu 63. 5); Noonan 6, Gaffney 6 (McGovern 46, 5). ST JOSEPH'S : Banda 6; Volz 6, Cardozo 6 (Paul 79, 4), Barba 7, Olivero 6; Gibson 5 (Amental 46, 5), Juanma 6, Pena 6 (Rodriguez 60, 5), Sanchez 6, Martinez 6; Forján 6 (Santos 65, 4). REFEREE : G Macedonqi (Sweden)
The Irish Sun
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Chris Forrester breaks nine-man Nomme Kalju's resolve as St Patrick's Athletic clinch late win in Conference League
CHRIS FORRESTER caught Nomme Kalju with their pants down after the Estonians were told to pull up their socks. Substitute Forrester scored in the dying seconds to finally break the resistance of a team which played with just NINE men for the last 20 minutes. 2 St Patrick's Athletic beat Nomme Kalju in the Conference League Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Chris Forrester scored the winner Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile It sparked relief at Richmond Park although there will still be frustration that they did not win by a bigger margin given how the numbers were in their favour - and Brandon Kavanagh, Jake Mulraney and Simon Power all went close after the goal. Kalju's poor discipline was underlined when Oleksandr Musolitin was booked by the referee after he had to be told for a second time that his socks were too low. He did not reappear after the restart with both Rommi Siht and Danyl Mashchenko sent off after the break. But the players who stayed on did a heroic job of trying to keep the hosts at bay and almost pulled it off with the tie still very much alive ahead of the return leg next Thursday. Read More on League of Ireland Kallju keeper Maksim Pavlov looked vulnerable early on and, in quick succession , he scooped speculative efforts from Jason McClelland and Barry Baggley over the bar at the expense of a corner but St Pat's were unable to profit from either set-piece. Nor could anyone punish Pavlov when he dropped a cross from McClelland. For all their possession, St Pat's were not carving Kalju open which led to a growing frustration in the stands. And, when someone finally decided to try to make something happen, it did not end well. Most read in Football Zach Elbouzedi dribbled at speed from his own half and was cynically pulled down by Mashchenko although there was enough cover nearby for it not to warrant more than a yellow card. But it ended Elbouzedi's evening and will likely be sidelined for some time as it looked as though he may have broken his wrist when he fell with Mulraney sent on in his place. Watch hilarious moment Stephen Kenny bumped into Alan Reynolds on the street before Dublin derby Mulraney had his moments with one effort comfortably dealt with by Pavlov whilst Melia had a similar run to Elbouzedi but opted to shoot when he had options either side with Maksim Podholjuzin able to block his effort. There was a second encounter between the pair just before the break when the centre-half fouled him. Referee Ladislav Szikszay signalled he was playing advantage but the call did St Pat's no favours as the way ball spun up to Kian Leavy he was unable to control it. A booking for the Kalju captain would have been deserved but did not materialise. He was unable to continue, however, having hurt himself in making the challenge . St Pat's needed to up the tempo after the break and they did. Kalju carried more of a threat than they had done but were undermined by their rash challenges which saw two players sent off. Soon after the restart, Melia headed Mulraney's cross straight into Pavlov's arms. But, at the other end, it needed a block from Tom Grivosti to deny Krijstan Kask after good work by Nikita Ivanov and Daniel Tarassenkov. McClelland then twice went close, first with a shot with the outside of his foot and then with a header from a corner which St Pat's claimed, to no avail, was blocked by a hand. Kalju countered with Tarassenkov narrowly failing to connect with a volley but, after that, things started to unravel for the visitors. Smit was booked twice in nine minutes for an aerial challenge on Power when he led with his arm and for tripping Baggley. Five minutes later, they were down to nine men when Mashchenko was cautioned for tripping Mulraney in full flow. Pat's did create chances with a Leavy off target with a header and a low shot while Melia narrowly failed to connect with a Power cross with a series of other shots blocked by the tiring Kalju players. Eventually, though, the breakthrough came when Forrester kept his composure after Pavlov had beaten away Conor Carty's effort. SUN STAR MAN: Jason McClelland (St Pat's) ST PAT'S : Anang 7; McLaughlin 7 (Keena 71, 6), Grivosti 7, Redmond 7, McClelland 7; Baggley 7, Lennon 7 (Forrester 79, 6); Elbouzedi 6 (Mulraney 24, 6), Leavy 6 (Kavanagh 79, 5), Power 7; Melia 6(Carty 79, 5). NOMME KALJU : Pavlov 5; Tarassenkov 6, Maschenko 5, Podholjuzin 5 (Korre 45, 7), Tambedou 7, Siht 5; Musolitin 5 (Nikolajev 46, 6), Kask 7; Patrikejevs 6 (Liit 72, 5), Ivanov 6 (Smith 62, 6); Mannilaan 7. REFEREE : L Szikszay (Czechia) 5
The Irish Sun
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘It ran away from us' admits Joey O'Brien as he reveals Shelbourne ‘worried about making mistakes' in loss to Qarabag
SHELBOURNE were left ruing how their finishing and ending let them down as this Champions League tie slipped away from them. Shels hit the woodwork before Qarabag took the lead and again when they were just 1-0 behind but the return leg was made a formality when the visitors 2 Shelbourne lost 3-0 to Qarabag Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Joey O'Brien admitted he was disappointed with how his side finished the game Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Shels boss Joey O'Brien said: 'I'm disappointed how it ended. It sort of ran away from us. 3-0, I thought we were right in the second half but we just didn't get the equaliser. 'We saw the speed they were going to play at, we knew the heat was going to come, because they're used to playing at this level. Their touch, speed, passing, everything, is on point. 'In the first half, we probably gave too much respect. Respect on a football pitch is fear. I thought we were worried about making mistakes. 'We changed formation at half-time, went more on the front foot and had a cut, and created some chances. Read More on Shelbourne 'We went two up top to go two v two and I thought we had a bit of joy but, those half chances, at this level, you have to take them. 'I thought our fitness was showing but we didn't manage to get that goal and then left ourselves open which you can't do at this level. 'That second goal, it was the best player on the pitch, probably, who picked him out with the weight of the pass, and to pick up the run, but the last goal was a bad mistake by us.' Captain Paddy Barrett reckoned they might have erred by chasing an equaliser in the closing stages rather than ensuring they did not fall further behind. Most read in Sport He said: 'We spoke at half-time about us still being in the tie. The goal we conceded was gut-wrenching but we knew we'd quality players going forward. 'We upped the energy and we wanted to take it to them but we needed to stay in the game and not concede silly goals.' RTE pundit's one-liner about Damien Duff makes Joey O'Brien laugh after Shelbourne's win vs Linfield
