Galway WFC maintain perfect start

Galway WFC 3 : Cork City WFC 0

Aided by a sublime Meabh De Burca strike from outside the box, Galway WFC made it two wins from two starts in the new Contintental Tyres Women’s National League campaign as they saw off the visitors at Eamonn Deacy Park on Saturday evening.

While the finish of De Burca left a lasting memory, the other scores had more than a shade of good fortune about them as Lynsey McKey and Shauna Fox goals gave the home side a merited victory.

For the duration, they were the better side, but at the same time were made work very hard for a win that maintains their impressive start to the season.

The home team made the breakthrough on 13 minutes when a McKey corner ended up in the net and they had further chances to increase their advantage, but Cork goalkeeper Amy O’Reilly denied De Burca in a one-on-one situation, while the custodian also tipped over a Fox cross shot just before the break.

The visitors lost O’Reilly through injury in the last minute of the half and replacement Maggie Duncliffe could do absolutely nothing as De Burca made it 2-0 on 53 minutes, as she blasted a twenty yard lay off from McKey into the top corner.

Cork certainly offered more of an attacking threat on the resumption and Saoirse Noonan wasn’t far off with a close range shot; while a header from Danielle Sheehy rebounded off the crossbar on 71 minutes.

Shortly afterwards the game was put beyond doubt when Galway WFC right-back Fox took a return pass from Lucy Hannon and launched a cross shot that entered the net via the far post for a 3-0 advantage.

McKey was denied a second when a shot went wide off a post, while Hannon also went close in the closing stages. The visitors also offered a scoring threat in the latter moments, as Tina Hughes kept out a Katie O’Donovan shot, with Katie McCarthy failing to hit the target with the rebound.

The contest saw the home debut of former Salthill Devon player Sadhbh Doyle and the Barna native displayed some of the silky skills that saw her called up by international manager Sue Ronan for senior duty this weekend.

International news

Three Galway WFC players have been named in Sue Ronan’s Republic of Ireland’s senior women’s squad that will travel to Wales for a training camp next week, which will include two games against the Welsh women’s side.

Defenders Chloe Mooney and Sadbh Doyle have received their first international call-ups, and they are joined in the 22-player squad by team-mate and club captain, Meabh De Burca.

There are joined in the squad by Chelsea’s Niamh Fahey, and Julie Ann Russell of UCD Waves.