Fans of Ireland‘s top flight are set to be treated to a mouth watering title face off on Saturday afternoon, when Athlone Town travel to Tolka Park to face Shelbourne.
From the late twenties to the early sixties Tolka Park was primarily a boxing venue. This weekend feels like somewhat of a return to those days with the desire to land a knockout blow alive and well.
The visitors could all but secure a second league title in a row by avoiding defeat, while the home side know that only a win will do if they are to keep their hopes alive. Managerial changes, golden boot battles and non-existent clean sheet records against each other all add to the intrigue of this season defining fixture.
The Halfway Line previews the latest chapter of the defining rivalry of this era of Irish club football.
The season so far: Shelbourne
Shelbourne will be determined to avoid being cast in the role of the bridesmaid in yet another title battle. Defeat on Saturday would consign them to that fate for the third year in a row. Shels are a side oozing with quality and can reach a level rarely seen in club football on the Emerald Isle, but they lack the consistency of their Midlands rivals.
Their season began with a bang, the Drumcondra based club downed Athlone Town for the second time in a row winning 2-1 in the President’s Cup. That victory seemed to rubber stamp their place as favourites for the title. However defeat on the opening day to Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers summoned cause for concern.
The Reds bounced back winning ten on the bounce in the league, scoring four goals or more in seven of those ten. That included a 7-2 victory over local rivals Bohemians and a 7-0 win over Cork City. In that run the scoring talents of Mackenzie Anthony, Kate Mooney and Noelle Murray were particularly potent. Shelbourne have been free scoring at times this season and are the only club with two players to have scored hat tricks in the league. The Reds have scored 20 goals more than Athlone in the league this season.
But their charge to the top of the league was halted by a shock defeat to the same side that they had put seven past in April. Inspired performances from winger Katie McCarn and goalkeeper Rachael Kelly gave Bohs the victory on the day. Shelbourne fought back with three victories on the bounce before their tie with Athlone Town, when the tie, postponed earlier in the season was rearranged. Defeat to the champions was a bitter pill to swallow, with Noelle Murray managing a late consolation. They took out their frustrations on a Sligo Rovers side languishing at the lower reaches of the table with an 8-0 demolition the following week.
However Galway United would deal perhaps the biggest blow yet to their title ambitions beating Shelbourne 2-1 at Eamon Deacy Park. Shels now find themselves just one point behind Athlone but the midlanders have a game in hand. Victory is essential if Shelbourne are to still be in the title race by Sunday morning.
The season so far: Athlone Town
When the season began way back in March, Athlone Town had lost their three most recent competitive games. The most punishing of those had come at the hands of Shelbourne. Just two weeks after Athlone had been crowned league champions they found themselves 6-0 down in the FAI Cup final as the clock struck the 45th minute. The midlands side pulled a goal back before half time but were unable to carry that momentum into the second half. Not long after head coach Ciaran Kilduff resigned from his position leaving Athlone searching for a new leader on the touchline.
By that time you would have been forgiven for predicting Shelbourne as title favourites, such was the dynamic between the two sides. However as the two sides prepare to meet again at Tolka Park this weekend, it is the reigning champions with the upper hand. Athlone are unbeaten in the league this season with just a few games left to play and after victory over Shelbourne last month they will be confident of securing the result they need on Saturday.
Athlone’s season has been perhaps the most exciting of their existence as a club. Colin Fortune took over from Kilduff and led the club on a European adventure that captured hearts across in Ireland as well as Europe. Town would knock out the Welsh, Croatian and Serbian champions from European competition before featuring in the inaugural UEFA Europa Cup. Their run was brought to an end by a classy Glasgow City side but Athlone will have learnt lessons from the tie, lessons they will hope to take into next year’s competition. Victory on Saturday would make that return to European competition all the more likely.
Shelbourne and Athlone Town’s recent H2Hs
| Date | Result | Competition |
| 30/03/2024 | Athlone Town 1-1 Shelbourne | Women’s Premier Division |
| 17/08/2024 | Shelbourne 1-2 Athlone Town | Women’s Premier Division |
| 20/10/2024 | Shelbourne 6-1 Athlone Town | FAI Cup final |
| 01/03/2025 | Shelbourne 2-1 Athlone Town | President’s Cup |
| 23/08/2025 | Athlone Town 2-1 Shelbourne | Women’s Premier Division |
The Golden boot race
While one point separates the two teams at the top of the table, just one goal separates the two top scorers. Shelbourne’s Mackenzie Anthony leads the way with 16 goals while Athlone Town’s Kelly Brady follows behind with 15.
Anthony is a physical striker with a potent aerial threat. Her awareness in front of goal is one of her strengths and has made for some highlight reel moments. One such moment was an immaculate backheel ball roll into the path of Aoibheann Clancy who fired home against DLR Waves last week. Sligo Rovers felt the full force of Anthony’s attacking talent when the two sides met in July. An eight goal rout saw Anthony scoring half the goals on the day.
Kelly Brady’s goal scoring has been a little more consistent, with a brace here and a goal there. Brady is one of the most exciting young players in the division who proved her quality on the European stage this season. The Athlone striker has the upper hand in their head to head this season, she netted the winner when the two sides met last month. However Anthony may feel aggrieved, her strike partner Jemma Quinn was sent off that day and she continues to miss the prolific company of Kate Mooney up top. Which of these top strikers excel on Saturday is likely to swing the tide in either side’s favour.
The key players for Shelbourne and Athlone
There is only one place to start and that is with the front runner for Player of the Season Madie Gibson. The American has been unplayable at times this term. In Athlone’s most recent match, a hard fought come from behind victory against DLR Waves, Gibson won an astonishing 17 of her 23 duels. She also scored the leveller on the night, with the ball finding the net more by the force of Gibson’s will, more than anything else. The Athlone Town captain has completed an astonishing 106 dribbles and has nine assists in the league the most of any player.
Tricky winger Róisín Molloy has popped up at important moments for Athlone this season. From the right wing she will look to drive at the Shels left back Leah Doyle on Saturday. Molloy was Player of the Match when the two sides met last month assisting what would prove to be the winning goal.
Hannah Waesch from the USA is another Athlone Town star who has enjoyed a standout season. Waesch is adept at dribbling from deep in midfield and progressing the ball forward. Town will pair Waesch with former London City Lionesses midfielder Izzy Groves in the pivot, the most effective midfield pivot in the league. That combination have helped ensure Athlone have only conceded eight goals this term. Another American Katie Sullivan is an ace in the hole for Athlone with a penchant for a show stopping performance, she will be ready to be used off the bench. Defenders Kellie Brennan and Kayleigh Shine will also be expected to have big performances.
Aoibheann Clancy was Player of the Match when the sides met in the President’s Cup in March and is quickly becoming a poster star of the league. The performance in the Cup was watched keenly by Carla Ward that day, it impressed enough to ensure she earned her a first Ireland call up. Captain Pearl Slattery is a seasoned campaigner who will provide much of the experience at the back. Slattery is joined at the back by Jessica Gargan, who is a consistent and forward thinking defensive presence as well as full back Leah Doyle. Doyle has been instrumental in the title push, she has scored multiple olympico goals this season as well as popping up with creative brilliance. She has eight assists in the league second only to Gibson, how much she is able to get forward to support the attack will be key.
Alex Kavanagh is a calming presence in the centre of midfield for Shelbourne. When Shelbourne’s season threatened to unravel, a goal down to struggling Waterford last month it was Kavanagh who took charge. A Player of the Match performance included scoring the winner to ensure all three points stayed in Dublin. Further up the pitch, Kate Mooney has been injured since July, the striker has been a huge miss for Shelbourne. Mooney nabbed a brace in that 6-1 demolition of Athlone in the FAI Cup final last year but they will once again have to manage without their star striker. In contrast a welcome boost for Shelbourne will be Roma McLoughlin who has played the last couple of games since returning from an injury that kept her out since June.
The Touchline
Shelbourne’s head coach Eoin Wearen is only 32, that makes him one of the youngest in the league. Wearen was promoted from Shelbourne Under 17s head coach in November 2023. He is a natural choice for a side that has helped some of the finest Irish talents to develop. Katie McCabe, Jessie Stapleton and Leanne Kiernan all played for Shelbourne before moving across to England. But Shelbourne are a club accustomed to success in the women’s game, they have finished in the top three at least every season for a decade. A trophyless season and three years without the title might have the powers that be questioning his future at the club.
Not much older than Wearen is Interim Athlone Town head coach John Sullivan. The 34 year old retired from playing in 2018, and it must be said, had enjoyed two spells at now rival club Shelbourne. Sullivan most recently had a coaching position with Athlone Town’s men’s side before taking the women’s job earlier this month. He is Athlone’s third head coach in a under a year. Ciaran Kilduff had helped deliver unprecedented success to the club before he resigned at the end of last season but if anything Colin Fortune improved the side after he took charge. Athlone’s European odyssey is evidence of that. However Fortune resigned less than a month ago, a scathing indictment of the new owners.
Shelbourne hold the advantage in the dugout for now, but don’t discount the infamous new manager bounce.
How to watch Shelbourne vs Athlone Town
The match will be available on Irish language station TG4 in Ireland and via online streaming. Coverage starts at 16:15pm with kick off scheduled for 16:30pm.
