ABOUT TWO HOURS after lifting the FAI Cup and completing a historic double, Athlone Town duo Madie Gibson and Kayleigh Shine came into an empty press room.
The 42 was packing up and preparing to hit the road after the usual post-match rush.
“Can we use a plug?” was the request.
Phones had to be charged before the victorious trip down the M4 and M6.
Wearing heart-shaped blue sunglasses that read, ‘Athlone to the bone’ — and smiles from ear to ear — they chatted away in the background.
“I’m starving,” came a shout from outside as their teammates rushed around, readying themselves for the bus.
“Are we getting proper food or what’s the story?!”
John Sullivan had joined the charging party as we went on our way.
The history makers were welcomed at the Athlone bridge at 9pm en route home, before a reception at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.
But the party was well underway at Tallaght Stadium from around 5pm.
The final whistle brought a whirlwind of emotion. Relief, euphoria, madness.
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The Athlone players and staff danced together on the pitch as Freed From Desire rang out on the PA, before Gibson lifted the trophy with club captain Izzy Groves, who didn’t feature on the day.
The explosion of gold streamers was late, but that didn’t matter.
A historic, whirlwind season finished on the highest of highs, with last year’s bizarre 6-1 defeat to Shelbourne atoned for in their fourth successive final.
Athlone players celebrate after the final whistle. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Killeagh by Kingfishr was also on the playlist as bottles of champagne were popped all round.
Like so many other Irish sports teams in 2025, Athlone have adapted the song as their own.
“The words are all about the parish, the unity,” said Sullivan. “They love the town and the town loves them. I hope now they go and paint the town blue.”
Kelly Brady certainly splashed that colour across Tallaght, her 25-minute hat-trick ultimately sealing the deal. The US-born former Ireland U19 striker stole the headlines before she links up with Carla Ward’s Ireland squad this morning as a training player.
Two first-half headers and a low drive just after the restart brought her tally to 26 goals for the season as she added the Player of the Match award to her Golden Boot prize.
She was understandably the main focus post-match, as she reflected on a dream afternoon and her teammates and both managers paid tribute.
Ms Aura is the title bestowed upon her by Sullivan.
“Yeah, Ms Aura… You should call John Dr FOMO, that’s what we call him,” another American, Hannah Waesch, quipped.
Then came the sincerity.
Brady celebrates her hat-trick with a knee slide. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“Kelly Brady, she’s one of my closest friends. She just brings everything. She’s such a light. She’s absolutely a delight to be around, and I think that really translates to the field.
“She’s a very high energy player. She runs everywhere, she’s going after every ball. I mean there’s a reason she’s the top goalscorer for the league. She puts these goals away, it’s what she does.”
Local defensive mainstay Shine shared similar sentiments, after joking about being unable to miss the “big golden head on her” with a delivery.
“Kelly’s just Kelly. If you ever met her off the pitch, you’d be like, ‘Jesus, how is she scoring goals?’ She’s a ditz off the pitch, I hope she doesn’t mind me saying that. But on the pitch, she really has her head screwed on tight.
“The only thing she sees is goals, she’s like a golden retriever. She sees a ball, she’s just like, ‘ball’. That’s the only way to describe Kelly. She doesn’t give up. She fights until the very end and you can see that there today.”
On a day of several brilliant storylines, Chloe Singleton’s late cameo on the biggest stage may have got lost.
Another Athlone native, Singleton recently returned from a career-threatening injury after 14 months out with a horrific ankle setback. She came on in the 80th minute yesterday, and helped her side see out the 3-2 win.
From “Chloe’s corner” where she rehabbed alone through dark days to managing the endgame at the corner flag in Tallaght, the comeback was complete.
“You put the work in, it’ll pay off,” Sullivan repeatedly told Singleton, with the cup final her main objective.
While multi-faceted, financial backing has played a major role in this rural underdog story. It’s understood half of the professional players in the women’s domestic game (12) represent the Midlanders, who boast a sizeable international contingent.
Brady — surely in the shop window — is open to continuing her charge in 2026, while Waesch was non-committal as she called for calm.
“Everybody needs to take a chill pill, reflect on just how magnificent this season has been. Take that necessary R&R time, and then we’ll talk about next year.”
Sullivan and Shine wanted to discuss the next challenge there and then. No chill pills.
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Killeagh to golden retrievers: FAI Cup champions Athlone savour first double success
ABOUT TWO HOURS after lifting the FAI Cup and completing a historic double, Athlone Town duo Madie Gibson and Kayleigh Shine came into an empty press room.
The 42 was packing up and preparing to hit the road after the usual post-match rush.
“Can we use a plug?” was the request.
Phones had to be charged before the victorious trip down the M4 and M6.
Wearing heart-shaped blue sunglasses that read, ‘Athlone to the bone’ — and smiles from ear to ear — they chatted away in the background.
“I’m starving,” came a shout from outside as their teammates rushed around, readying themselves for the bus.
“Are we getting proper food or what’s the story?!”
John Sullivan had joined the charging party as we went on our way.
The history makers were welcomed at the Athlone bridge at 9pm en route home, before a reception at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.
But the party was well underway at Tallaght Stadium from around 5pm.
The final whistle brought a whirlwind of emotion. Relief, euphoria, madness.
The Athlone players and staff danced together on the pitch as Freed From Desire rang out on the PA, before Gibson lifted the trophy with club captain Izzy Groves, who didn’t feature on the day.
The explosion of gold streamers was late, but that didn’t matter.
A historic, whirlwind season finished on the highest of highs, with last year’s bizarre 6-1 defeat to Shelbourne atoned for in their fourth successive final.
Killeagh by Kingfishr was also on the playlist as bottles of champagne were popped all round.
Like so many other Irish sports teams in 2025, Athlone have adapted the song as their own.
“The words are all about the parish, the unity,” said Sullivan. “They love the town and the town loves them. I hope now they go and paint the town blue.”
Kelly Brady certainly splashed that colour across Tallaght, her 25-minute hat-trick ultimately sealing the deal. The US-born former Ireland U19 striker stole the headlines before she links up with Carla Ward’s Ireland squad this morning as a training player.
Two first-half headers and a low drive just after the restart brought her tally to 26 goals for the season as she added the Player of the Match award to her Golden Boot prize.
She was understandably the main focus post-match, as she reflected on a dream afternoon and her teammates and both managers paid tribute.
Ms Aura is the title bestowed upon her by Sullivan.
“Yeah, Ms Aura… You should call John Dr FOMO, that’s what we call him,” another American, Hannah Waesch, quipped.
Then came the sincerity.
“Kelly Brady, she’s one of my closest friends. She just brings everything. She’s such a light. She’s absolutely a delight to be around, and I think that really translates to the field.
“She’s a very high energy player. She runs everywhere, she’s going after every ball. I mean there’s a reason she’s the top goalscorer for the league. She puts these goals away, it’s what she does.”
Local defensive mainstay Shine shared similar sentiments, after joking about being unable to miss the “big golden head on her” with a delivery.
“Kelly’s just Kelly. If you ever met her off the pitch, you’d be like, ‘Jesus, how is she scoring goals?’ She’s a ditz off the pitch, I hope she doesn’t mind me saying that. But on the pitch, she really has her head screwed on tight.
“The only thing she sees is goals, she’s like a golden retriever. She sees a ball, she’s just like, ‘ball’. That’s the only way to describe Kelly. She doesn’t give up. She fights until the very end and you can see that there today.”
On a day of several brilliant storylines, Chloe Singleton’s late cameo on the biggest stage may have got lost.
Another Athlone native, Singleton recently returned from a career-threatening injury after 14 months out with a horrific ankle setback. She came on in the 80th minute yesterday, and helped her side see out the 3-2 win.
From “Chloe’s corner” where she rehabbed alone through dark days to managing the endgame at the corner flag in Tallaght, the comeback was complete.
“You put the work in, it’ll pay off,” Sullivan repeatedly told Singleton, with the cup final her main objective.
As these stories were shared on the pitch, the league title appeared and snaps were captured with the double. Greatness confirmed.
Tears were shed in the stand as families embraced. What it all means.
President Liam Gaffey lifted the cup to huge cheers from the group. Owner Nick Giannotti wandered around almost punch-drunk.
The 42 recently detailed how Athlone have upset the trend of big city teams dominating titles, charting their remarkable rise from their inception in 2020.
While multi-faceted, financial backing has played a major role in this rural underdog story. It’s understood half of the professional players in the women’s domestic game (12) represent the Midlanders, who boast a sizeable international contingent.
Brady — surely in the shop window — is open to continuing her charge in 2026, while Waesch was non-committal as she called for calm.
“Everybody needs to take a chill pill, reflect on just how magnificent this season has been. Take that necessary R&R time, and then we’ll talk about next year.”
Sullivan and Shine wanted to discuss the next challenge there and then. No chill pills.
“Do it again,” they both urged.
Next up, the double double?
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Athlone Athlone Town Paint The Town Blue