Shelbourne 4 

Peamount 3

Dave Donnelly reports from Tolka Park

NOELLE MURRAY WAS the hero for Shelbourne for the second week running as she netted a spectacular volley late in injury time to send the Reds clear at the top of the Women’s National League.

The playmaker scored a stunning winner against Cork City seven days earlier but her late strike, three minutes after the champions looked to have stolen a point, may prove more decisive.

Shels twice led by two goals, having seen Saoirse Noonan score twice in the first ten minutes before Eleanor Ryan Doyle pulled one back before the break.

Emily Whelan had restored the two-goal cushion on the hour but goals from Aine O’Gorman and Tiegan Ruddy levelled things up in injury time, before Murray delivered the telling blow.

Noonan, a winter arrival from Cork City, was shifted to her preferred central striker role by manager Noel King and repaid his faith inside five minutes.

The Cork native was first to Rachel Graham’s deep cross and sent her header looping over Peas goalkeeper Niamh Reid-Burke.

Five minutes later, the ball was in the net once more as Noonan was played in by Jess Ziu and, again, she made no mistake.

In a first half packed with goalmouth action, Megan Smyth-Lynch was first denied by goalkeeper Amanda Budden and then by defender Pearl Slattery’s brave block.

Ziu should have made it 3-0 when she was played clean through but her attempt to chip the advancing Reid-Burke was gathered by the keeper at the second attempt.

Ryan Doyle was desperately unlucky to see her audacious volley crash back off the crossbar, but she made no mistake from the penalty spot moments later as Sadhbh Doyle was tripped.

There was no let up after the break and Shels restored their two-goal lead thanks to a fine finish from Emily Whelan, cutting in from the left and curling home at the near post.

Still, there was more drama to come as O’Gorman halved the deficit as she stabbed past Budden, and Claire Walsh headed just over moments later.

Shels were denied a penalty in the closing stages as Whelan looked to be body-checked by substitute Ruddy, and they were incensed when Peamount went up the other end and scored.

There were two of the alotted three minutes of injury time gone when Ruddy’s diagonal free kick was allowed bounce all the way into the far corner of the net.

WHAT. A. GAME.@shelsfc 4-3 @peamountutd @NoelleM11 wins it right at the end in what was a thrilling Dublin Derby 👊#WNL | #LOITV pic.twitter.com/sBDM5Ze7WH

— Women's National League (@LoiWomen) July 3, 2021

King, who had earlier been booked for verbals, was sent off for his protests, but he changed his tune at the death as Murray strode clear and volleyed emphatically past Reid-Burke.

Shelbourne: Amanda Budden; Jess Gargan, Pearl Slattery, Jessie Stapleton, Rachel Graham; Jamie Finn, Ciara Grant, Noelle Murray; Jess Ziu, Emily Whelan, Saoirse Noonan.

Peamount United: Niamh Reid-Burke; Lauryn O’Callaghan, Claire Walsh, Della Doherty (Tiegan Ruddy 78), Deirbhaile Beirne (Alannah McEvoy 58); Karen Duggan, Lucy McCartan, Sadhbh Doyle; Eleanor Ryan Doyle, Megan Smyth-Lynch (Becky Watkins 58), Aine O’Gorman.

Women’s National League results 

Cork City 1-0 Bohemians 

Galway 0-2 DLR Waves 

Shelbourne 4-3 Peamount 

Wexford Youths 2-1 Treaty United