GALWAY UNITED HAVE signed Republic of Ireland international Julie-Ann Russell as they look to fill the void left by Bournemouth-bound Gemma McGuinness.
McGuinness signed for the FA Women’s National League — England’s fourth tier — outfit earlier this week after a successful stint with Galway. The midfield playmaker scored five goals in 16 appearances, including the All-Island Cup final winner against Cliftonville last month. A native of Donegal, McGuinness joined from Sligo Rovers ahead of the 2023 season.
Russell signs for the remainder of the campaign, returning to Eamonn Deacy Park after a spell away from the game on maternity leave. She last played for Galway WFC last season.
The 32-year-old has enjoyed a colourful career thus far, earning 59 Ireland caps and the FAI Senior Women’s International Player of the Year for 2014/15. On these shores, she won a league title with Peamount in 2012 and the WNL Player of the Year for 2013/14, while she also starred in Australia. She represented Western Sydney Wanderers in the Women’s A-League, and won several titles with Sydney University from 2017 to 2020.
“It feels amazing, obviously Galway United is my home club and Galway always has a special place in my heart, so it feels great to be back,” Russell said.
“It’s a young squad, but the girls have phenomenal talent and have done amazingly in the first half of the season. So, I just want to bring the experience that I have from over the years. I played with a lot of them last year and they were a pleasure to play with, so I’m looking forward to that again.”
Orlaith Deasy also joins the Tribeswomen from Wexford Youths, the 19-year-old dynamic defender another good signing for Phil Trill’s side.
The Clonakility native came through the academy at Cork City, winning the U17 League of Ireland with the Rebels in 2020. She impressed upon her breakthrough to the senior team, and went on to spend a six-month spell at Youths.
Both Russell and Deasy could feature as the league kickstarts this weekend. Galway welcome Cork to Eamon Deacy Park at 5pm on Saturday. Elsewhere, it’s Treaty United v Shelbourne, Wexford Youths v DLR Waves, Athlone Town v Sligo Rovers and Peamount United v Bohemians [TG4, 7.35pm]. Peas are six points clear at the top of the table at the three-quarter mark, with Shels and Rovers neck-and-neck.
There have been several other big signings through the mid-season. Among them, rising young Ireland goalkeeper Katie Keane joined Athlone Town from Shels, while U19 Player of the Year Scarlett Herron swapped the Midlanders for the Hoops.
