Shelbourne 1
Cork City 0
A STUNNING Noelle Murray strike saw Shelbourne move joint top of the Women’s National League with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Cork City.
350 tickets were sold as part of a pilot scheme to bring live crowds back to sporting events as the home side controlled the game without fully looking like putting it to bed.
Noel King’s side should have taken more than just a single-goal lead into the break, having spurned a number of good chances as well as seeing two ruled out for tight offside calls.
And they were pushed all the way by a City side who edged the second half and could easily have taken a point back to Leeside.
Recent international call-up Eabha O’Mahony was particular influential at the tip of a midfield three for the visitors, but they were only in the game due to Shels’ first-half profligacy.
Goalkeeper Maria O’Sullivan, back with City for the summer from a scholarship in the States, was called into action twice in the opening five minutes.
She did brilliantly to deny Jess Ziu from close range and, moments later, came off her line to deny Emily Whelan, who probably should have had a penalty as Ciara McNamara dragged her back.
Murray and former City striker Saoirse Noonan both missed the target, and Whelan missed another gilt-edged chance as she was sent through on goal inside the opening ten minutes.
What seemed the inevitable breakthrough arrived midway through the first half, a moment of opportunism from former international Murray after City looked initially to have cleared the danger.
Lauren Walsh stepped up to cut out a through-ball bound for Whelan, only for Murray to catch the loose ball plush, first-time, and send the ball dipping over a helpless O’Sullivan.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game but, with three-quarters of the game to go, it seemed unlikely to be the last goal – but that’s precisely what happened.
A fine run down the left from Noonan ended with the striker poking the ball towards the top corner, and O’Sullivan pulled off a fine save, while Ziu had the ball in the net only to be ruled offside.
City could well have levelled with the last kick of the half, however, as Sara McKevitt’s cross was met by captain McNamara, but she just couldn’t keep her header under the crossbar.
Shels’ radar remained off after the break, with Noonan missing the target with a shot the crowd thought was in, and a brilliant last-ditch McNamara tackle denying Whelan.
The visitors grew in confidence in the final half hour, propelled by a fierce O’Mahony effort Budden had to work to tip over the bar.
Eva Mangan eked out another chance moments later as she dropped a shoulder and shot, while at the other end Pearl Slattery saw her header bounce back off the post.
Both sides had opportunities in the frantic final minutes as Ziu was again denied by O’Mahony before sub Christina Dring came within inches of heading home in injury time.
Shels move level with Peamount at the top of the table, though with a game more played, and lead the table on goals scored.
Shelbourne: Amanda Budden; Jess Gargan, Pearl Slattery, Jessie Stapleton, Rachel Graham; Jamie Finn, Ciara Grant, Noelle Murray (Rebecca Cooke 69); Jessica Ziu, Saoirse Noonan (Mia Dodd 69), Emily Whelan.
Cork City: Maria O’Sullivan; Leah Murphy, Lauren Walsh, Ciara McNamara, Shaunagh McCarthy; Eva Mangan (Lauren Singleton 82), Becky Cassin, Eabha O’Mahony; Sophie Liston (Christina Dring 73), Sara McKevitt, Lauren Egbuloniu.
WNL result: Bohs 1 Galway 1