WHILE ONE HEARTS team’s title dream is shattered, another’s is more alive than ever.
After the men fell agonisingly short of winning their first league title since 1960 last weekend, the women’s side are closing in on their first ever.
And two Irish players, Ellen Dolan and Jenna Slattery, are leading the charge.
Hearts are two points clear at the top of the table ahead of decider day on Sunday. A win away to Edinburgh rivals Hibernian will wrap up a historic title, but a slip-up of any kind will open the door for Rangers, who travel to Glasgow City at the same time.
“I know it’s a bit cliché, but we’ll just go out and try to win like every other week,” Dolan tells The 42.
The Offaly 19-year-old joined from Peamount United in January and, interestingly, was the first player to sign for the Hearts women’s team through Tony Bloom’s data analytics approach.
Dolan’s data is understood to have been incredibly high, with versatility and physicality among her key attributes, which matched up to the Jambos via the Jamestown model.
“I don’t know a lot about it, to be honest,” she says. “All I know is certain patterns of play that they use, somehow that related to me.
“Maybe because I played so many positions at Peamount, I covered like the full basis! When I played striker for Peamount, I did a lot of laying it off to the likes of Sadhbh (Doyle) in the 10. Our strikers here work really closely together, so maybe it’s something to do with that?”
In action against Celtic in February. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Dolan’s rapid rise is worth revisiting.
She quickly established herself as one of the brightest young talents in the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division in her debut season of 2023.
A fresh-faced 17-year-old who did her Fifth Year homework on the way up the motorway from Mucklagh, Dolan was among a group of youngsters who stepped up that season to help Peamount to a stunning league title success.
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The attacker earned her first Ireland senior call-up under Eileen Gleeson off the back of that campaign, while she continued to rise through the underage ranks and starred for the U19s at the 2024 European Championships.
Also a talented Gaelic footballer, Dolan was a joy to watch week on week, and it’s no surprise that she drummed up plenty of overseas interest. WSL side Liverpool are among those understood to have been circling, but the Hearts move “happened really quickly”.
“My agent (Liam Carroll, First For Players)was talking to a few different clubs, and then Hearts came in all of a sudden one day,” Dolan explains. “Liam told me, he was so for it, and I trust him.
“I was obviously scared, but he rang me one day, and on the same day he expected me to be like, ‘Yeah okay let’s do it.’ I did and I remember the next day I was like, ‘Oh my God what am I doing?’ Within four or five days, I flew over and signed straight away.”
A familiar face from the Women’s Premier Division, former Galway and Treaty United star Slattery was ready and waiting, having joined Hearts the previous January.
A text exchange about the welcoming environment put Dolan’s mind at ease before her arrival, and her now-housemate has significantly eased the transition.
“Jenna brought me to Ikea the first day to get all my bits,” Dolan laughs, the Irish pair now sharing accommodation with teammates Carly Girasoli and Georgia Timms.
“I was happy when I came over, I knew I had someone I could chat to about the league in Ireland or whatever. She was really good to me.”
Advice to train as a professional back home before crossing the Irish Sea also helped lessen the shock factor of full-time football. “My body was sore for the first few weeks, but it’s my dream, so I’m obviously delighted to be doing it,” she says.
“I love the coaching I’m getting, it’s so different to anything I’ve had before, so detailed.
“Probably in Ireland, more so, the coaching I’ve had is more about defending, whereas Eva (Olid, head coach) and Pascal (Xanthos, assistant), they’re big into giving you advice when you’re attacking and receiving the ball, any on-the-ball stuff, which I hadn’t seen in as much depth.”
Differences are also evident across the leagues, with nine Irish players now plying their trade in Scotland.
Celebrating a Peamount goal with Jess Fitzgerald in 2023. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Dolan’s former Peamount teammate Jess Fitzgerland, Scarlett Herron, and Ciara Grant are among the Hibs contingent standing in Hearts’ way on Sunday; Saoirse Noonan, Claire Walsh and on-loan Tara O’Hanlon represent Celtic; and former Armagh Gaelic footballer Alex Clarke calls Aberdeen home.
A league which was once dominated by Glasgow City, who won 14 in a row from 2006 to 2023, is now set for another new champion.
“It’s definitely more intense or quicker than Ireland, and it took me a while to get up to speed, definitely. At first, I was taking way too many touches on the ball and giving it away cheaply, compared to others, because in Ireland you definitely had more time on the ball. Maybe Ireland is more physical.
“I think a lot of the teams over here probably play similarly, but I’d say Hearts then are a bit different – they’re big on possession and playing out. You wouldn’t get that as much in Ireland, definitely not the detail of playing out and the importance of it.”
Olid has undoubtedly played a big factor in that, and the transformation the Spanish coach has overseen is pretty impressive.
Before she took charge in 2021, Hearts only avoided relegation because of the Scottish league restructure. They secured safety with an eighth-place finish in her first season, before switching from amateur to semi-professional ahead of the 2022-23 season, and finishing fourth (twice) and fifth thereafter.
Having already qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, a maiden league title would be the perfect note to sign off on as Olid departs at the end of the season.
“I didn’t realise the journey the club had been on before I joined,” says Dolan. “Eva has slowly built her way up, which is unbelievable, now to be in Europe. I don’t know if they would have set their sights on winning the league this season, but it just shows how amazing Eva has been, and Pascal, and everyone.
“I’m gutted she’s leaving. She’s different level. I don’t know what makes her so special, maybe it’s the Spanish in her, she loves her tiki taka. The simple stuff about receiving the ball, or certain movements to get on the ball and patterns. A lot of the time stuff like that when you do it in training it might not happen in the game, but I always find I do end up getting in the situations that she describes to me, and then I feel more comfortable.
“To be fair, I’ve played a lot more than I expected to initially. Just seeing the quality of players we have, I wasn’t expecting to play as much as I did, but with injuries and stuff like that, I’ve definitely had a bit of luck on my side.”
Dolan was called up to the Ireland senior team in 2023. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Dolan will hope that can continue, as international senior ambitions burn bright. “It’s always my dream to play for Ireland. It definitely never comes out in my head, but obviously this weekend is my main thing.”
All else – including close friend Fitzgerald – is being blocked out, but this game is treated like any other. Dolan watched the men’s heartbreaking loss to Celtic with some of her teammates after training last Saturday. Now, their hope is that this Hearts women’s team can etch their own names into club history and immortalise themselves for evermore.
“Jesus, you were gutted for them,” Dolan concludes. “They had done so well all season, and obviously we’re so proud of them. Just seeing how upset they were. They’ve obviously done the club so proud, hopefully they’re alright.
“But I don’t think it affected us in any way. In another way, it’s nothing to do with us. We wouldn’t let it bring us down anyway.”
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The 19-year-old Offaly star hoping to help Hearts to a first Scottish league title
WHILE ONE HEARTS team’s title dream is shattered, another’s is more alive than ever.
After the men fell agonisingly short of winning their first league title since 1960 last weekend, the women’s side are closing in on their first ever.
And two Irish players, Ellen Dolan and Jenna Slattery, are leading the charge.
Hearts are two points clear at the top of the table ahead of decider day on Sunday. A win away to Edinburgh rivals Hibernian will wrap up a historic title, but a slip-up of any kind will open the door for Rangers, who travel to Glasgow City at the same time.
“I know it’s a bit cliché, but we’ll just go out and try to win like every other week,” Dolan tells The 42.
The Offaly 19-year-old joined from Peamount United in January and, interestingly, was the first player to sign for the Hearts women’s team through Tony Bloom’s data analytics approach.
Dolan’s data is understood to have been incredibly high, with versatility and physicality among her key attributes, which matched up to the Jambos via the Jamestown model.
“I don’t know a lot about it, to be honest,” she says. “All I know is certain patterns of play that they use, somehow that related to me.
“Maybe because I played so many positions at Peamount, I covered like the full basis! When I played striker for Peamount, I did a lot of laying it off to the likes of Sadhbh (Doyle) in the 10. Our strikers here work really closely together, so maybe it’s something to do with that?”
Dolan’s rapid rise is worth revisiting.
She quickly established herself as one of the brightest young talents in the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division in her debut season of 2023.
A fresh-faced 17-year-old who did her Fifth Year homework on the way up the motorway from Mucklagh, Dolan was among a group of youngsters who stepped up that season to help Peamount to a stunning league title success.
The attacker earned her first Ireland senior call-up under Eileen Gleeson off the back of that campaign, while she continued to rise through the underage ranks and starred for the U19s at the 2024 European Championships.
Also a talented Gaelic footballer, Dolan was a joy to watch week on week, and it’s no surprise that she drummed up plenty of overseas interest. WSL side Liverpool are among those understood to have been circling, but the Hearts move “happened really quickly”.
“My agent (Liam Carroll, First For Players) was talking to a few different clubs, and then Hearts came in all of a sudden one day,” Dolan explains. “Liam told me, he was so for it, and I trust him.
“I was obviously scared, but he rang me one day, and on the same day he expected me to be like, ‘Yeah okay let’s do it.’ I did and I remember the next day I was like, ‘Oh my God what am I doing?’ Within four or five days, I flew over and signed straight away.”
A familiar face from the Women’s Premier Division, former Galway and Treaty United star Slattery was ready and waiting, having joined Hearts the previous January.
A text exchange about the welcoming environment put Dolan’s mind at ease before her arrival, and her now-housemate has significantly eased the transition.
“Jenna brought me to Ikea the first day to get all my bits,” Dolan laughs, the Irish pair now sharing accommodation with teammates Carly Girasoli and Georgia Timms.
“I was happy when I came over, I knew I had someone I could chat to about the league in Ireland or whatever. She was really good to me.”
Advice to train as a professional back home before crossing the Irish Sea also helped lessen the shock factor of full-time football. “My body was sore for the first few weeks, but it’s my dream, so I’m obviously delighted to be doing it,” she says.
“I love the coaching I’m getting, it’s so different to anything I’ve had before, so detailed.
“Probably in Ireland, more so, the coaching I’ve had is more about defending, whereas Eva (Olid, head coach) and Pascal (Xanthos, assistant), they’re big into giving you advice when you’re attacking and receiving the ball, any on-the-ball stuff, which I hadn’t seen in as much depth.”
Differences are also evident across the leagues, with nine Irish players now plying their trade in Scotland.
Dolan’s former Peamount teammate Jess Fitzgerland, Scarlett Herron, and Ciara Grant are among the Hibs contingent standing in Hearts’ way on Sunday; Saoirse Noonan, Claire Walsh and on-loan Tara O’Hanlon represent Celtic; and former Armagh Gaelic footballer Alex Clarke calls Aberdeen home.
A league which was once dominated by Glasgow City, who won 14 in a row from 2006 to 2023, is now set for another new champion.
“It’s definitely more intense or quicker than Ireland, and it took me a while to get up to speed, definitely. At first, I was taking way too many touches on the ball and giving it away cheaply, compared to others, because in Ireland you definitely had more time on the ball. Maybe Ireland is more physical.
“I think a lot of the teams over here probably play similarly, but I’d say Hearts then are a bit different – they’re big on possession and playing out. You wouldn’t get that as much in Ireland, definitely not the detail of playing out and the importance of it.”
Olid has undoubtedly played a big factor in that, and the transformation the Spanish coach has overseen is pretty impressive.
Before she took charge in 2021, Hearts only avoided relegation because of the Scottish league restructure. They secured safety with an eighth-place finish in her first season, before switching from amateur to semi-professional ahead of the 2022-23 season, and finishing fourth (twice) and fifth thereafter.
Having already qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, a maiden league title would be the perfect note to sign off on as Olid departs at the end of the season.
“I didn’t realise the journey the club had been on before I joined,” says Dolan. “Eva has slowly built her way up, which is unbelievable, now to be in Europe. I don’t know if they would have set their sights on winning the league this season, but it just shows how amazing Eva has been, and Pascal, and everyone.
“I’m gutted she’s leaving. She’s different level. I don’t know what makes her so special, maybe it’s the Spanish in her, she loves her tiki taka. The simple stuff about receiving the ball, or certain movements to get on the ball and patterns. A lot of the time stuff like that when you do it in training it might not happen in the game, but I always find I do end up getting in the situations that she describes to me, and then I feel more comfortable.
“To be fair, I’ve played a lot more than I expected to initially. Just seeing the quality of players we have, I wasn’t expecting to play as much as I did, but with injuries and stuff like that, I’ve definitely had a bit of luck on my side.”
Dolan will hope that can continue, as international senior ambitions burn bright. “It’s always my dream to play for Ireland. It definitely never comes out in my head, but obviously this weekend is my main thing.”
All else – including close friend Fitzgerald – is being blocked out, but this game is treated like any other. Dolan watched the men’s heartbreaking loss to Celtic with some of her teammates after training last Saturday. Now, their hope is that this Hearts women’s team can etch their own names into club history and immortalise themselves for evermore.
“Jesus, you were gutted for them,” Dolan concludes. “They had done so well all season, and obviously we’re so proud of them. Just seeing how upset they were. They’ve obviously done the club so proud, hopefully they’re alright.
“But I don’t think it affected us in any way. In another way, it’s nothing to do with us. We wouldn’t let it bring us down anyway.”
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