WNL Cup QF - Raheny United v Castlebar Celtic

• Extratime Team
• Sun, Feb 08 2015




Oscar Traynor Development Centre (2.00pm). Referee: Deirdre Nolan

 

LAST year’s beaten Continental Tyres Women’s League Cup finalists Castlebar Celtic will have to overcome league champions Raheny United if they are to progress beyond the quarter-final stage in this year’s competition.

 

The Mayo side travel to Dublin on Sunday knowing they will be the outsider’s against Casey McQuillan’s Raheny at the Oscar Traynor Development Centre.

 

Celtic coach Adrian Carberry knows that the odds are not in his side’s favour but has challenged his side to show that they can mix it with the best side in the country.

 

"It's a big test for us and we've come up short in big games this year. We've been very inconsistent this season with a difficulty in getting the same team on two weeks running,” he explained.

 

"You hope for a bit of luck in a cup game and we know it'll be very tough against the reigning league and FAI Women’s Senior Cup holders. However, if our girls want to prove they can play at the highest level then it’s games like this that they can prove it.”

 

Castlebar will operate without Catherine Hyndman who has been called up for Northern Ireland to face Scotland, while Nicole Fowley is unavailable. Aoife Herbert and Katie Walsh are expected to be foot while Daniella Caldwell has a bruised foot.

 

Former Celtic player Sarah Rowe could face her former team-mates while underage internationals Jamie Finn and Amanda McQuillan are also looking to break into the Raheny side. Casey McQuillan expects to plan without Lauren Dwyer and Rachel Graham through injuries while Clare Shine, Bethany Holdsworth and Megan Lynch remain out of action. Danielle Sheehy recently moved to the UK.

 

“It’s a game we have to look to win being at home in the cup, Castlebar never make it easy for anybody but you have to be confident in yourself as a player,” he said.

 

“Things have been a bit stop-start with fixtures recently for us and that always takes getting used to. We just want to play regular games and when we do that we feel we can compete for everything.

 

“A positive for everybody has been seeing Clare Shine starting to do her injury rehab programme so we’re hoping she’ll be back in action in a couple of months.”