Russell’s Reds Return to League Action | OneFootball

There have been a few distractions since Sean Russell’s Shelbourne were last in league action. Ahead of their return to SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division duties away to DLR Waves on Saturday, the manager sat down with ShelsTV and started by reflecting on the international friendly that saw almost two-thousand fans descend upon Tolka Park.

“The UNC (University of North Carolina) game was unique and very enjoyable. We weren’t long in finding out the high level that the opposition were at, it took us some time to adjust to that, but once we did, I think we took a lot of positive lessons from the game. Playing against a team of their calibre can only stand us in good stead going forward. It was a fantastic exercise, and we feel that we’ll be a lot stronger because of that experience.”

American goalkeeper Mya Sanchez was absent that night, having been injured in the Club Orange Women’s FAI Cup semi-final win away to Cork City. Russell spoke about her fitness and the health of the squad overall: “With Mya, it’s not something that we’re overly concerned about. With Jenna (Willoughby) it was a great opportunity to give her a game against UNC and to take some precautions with Mya as well. It was beneficial for Jenna to get that experience and to also give Mya some time to rest and to heal. Keeva (Kennan) is back on the pitch training now which is great to see, but this weekend will come a bit too soon for her. Jess (Gargan) is closer, so it would be great if she could be a part of the squad this weekend. Our only other issue is that Alex (Kavanagh) is suspended for Saturday.”

Kavanagh has been an ever-present in the centre of the Shels midfield this season, and with her suspension and Aoibheann Clancy now departed to the UK; the Reds’ manager addressed how they might solve for that issue this weekend: “Bella (Flocchini) has come into our midfield and obviously she has been contributing really well for us, so it’s great to have her. We like players that can adapt and play different roles in the team; Maggie (Pierce) is probably the blueprint for that, and this could be an opportunity for her to step back into that midfield role that she is so comfortable in. We also have Rachel Graham there too, so we have excellent options.”

With only 6 league games remaining and margins so fine at the top of the table, the race for the title and for European places has become a highwire act. Russell outlined how he and his staff address the building pressure that each game brings: “It’s something that we’ve had great experience with this season; obviously we’ve encountered and won a cup final, we’ve made another cup final recently and we’ve dealt with the pressures that those games brought. When we played Galway United at home in the league, that was a big game, but we were dealing with multiple injuries, and we still got a result. Same with Athlone away on a Wednesday night. So I think mentally we’re in a very strong place right now. We are looking forward to these games and we want the teams around us to be looking over their shoulders knowing that if they slip up, Shelbourne are going to be there to capitalise.”

Opponents DLR Waves fell to a 3-0 defeat at Tolka Park early in the season, but proved to be a well-drilled unit that were stubborn and difficult to break down. Russell concluded by speaking on the challenge that his side will face in the Belfield Bowl on Saturday: “For us it’s about bringing that energy early in the game, like we showed away to Cork City. DLR are well-organised and can be tricky on transitions, so we must be prepared for that as well. But we want a high tempo from our team and to have a strong start. If we can do that, play to our strengths and use the quality that we have in this team, I’m confident that we can get the result that we need.”

Kick-off at the Belfield Bowl is at 3pm and the game is live on LOITV.