We were so close to an All-Island Cup win last week as we were looking optimistic with two penalties to go. Did the quick turnaround of the shootout make it a bit more difficult for the group mentally to accept it and overcome it?

“No, not really. I think once the game is over your focus just automatically switches to the next game. It’s always one good thing about football- when things don’t go your way, there’s always another game around the corner to go and try and put things right. It’s nice to have another big game to look forward to.”

Last week can provide extra motivation for this week as we take on Shels in the FAI Cup Quarter Final. They caused our semi-final exit last year so are the players gunning to win the tie this time around?

“Yes but it’s nothing where it’s just because it’s Shelbourne, it’s more just trying to focus on ourselves. We want to try and get to finals, it’s where we want to be so it doesn’t matter the opposition. It’s not about trying to get one back for last year, it’s about just trying to get some rewards for an awful lot of the hard work that’s being put in this year and trying to live up to our potential that is there within the squad.”

It’s always a close game between us and Shels as the two teams are quite evenly matched all over the pitch. What are their most dangerous assets and are there any areas that we can exploit?

“Yeah there’s quality all over the pitch, on both sides. I thought the semi-final game was a very, very high-end quality game. It’s one of them where if you had gone as a neutral to watch the game, you would have seen just two good sides going at each other. I expect something similar again this time around but this Shels team have quality all over the pitch. Noelle Murray is a game winner, she has a vast amount of experience and is one of them that in the flick of an eye, can create a little bit of magic and cause you harm. You have Megan Smith Lynch, Gemma Quinn who is a very powerful runner in behind, so there’s big threats there all over. But it’s the same with us. Joy can be a handful for any defender. Again, I think Áine doesn’t get the credit that she deserves for her performances. Week in, week out she’s one of those players that never drops below an 8/10, she’s consistently good. There’s quality on both sides so I think even to the neutral, it’s going to be a good game.”

We faced Shels recently in July, coming out 2-1 winners. Our defence that day was especially strong as Shels were dangerous for the full 90. We also had almost no trouble defensively last week. Our backine is really starting to click and work with each other seamlessly.

“It is and we highlighted all of Shels’ strengths during the week, and areas where we’re going to try and work extra hard this time to try and nullify an awful lot of the chances that Shels created against us the last time. That back three have been working extremely hard during the week so hopefully we can see the fruits of all of their hard work during the game.”

It’s a huge game, so do we have a full squad available or are there any doubts?

“No, there’s a full squad available. Everybody is available for selection, no doubts at all, so it’s a nice complaint to have.”