League title the priority for Sullivan after European exit
An arduous run of games across League, Cup and Europe forced the hand of John Sullivan when it came to Wednesday night’s Europa Cup qualifying tie against Glasgow City. The caretaker manager of the league champions tried to balance Athlone Town’s chances of retrieving a 3-0 first leg deficit with their need to manage the workload of key players in advance of a crucial spate of domestic ties.
“Four games in ten days, you know squad depth is massive at this time of the year and it showed,” was Sullivan’s immediate summary of their home defeat by the same 3-0 scoreline.
“They caught us napping at the back post for the first goal. They couldn't play through us, we forced them out wide and we were happy with that game plan. They scored a rebound off a penalty and it just opens then, doesn't it?”
Sullivan felt his side showed "great character" and he singled out some of his younger stars for praise. Several of them were drafted into a side that showed five changes from the 11 that started against both Glasgow City in Scotland, and the FAI Cup semi-final against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium.
“Hazel Donegan came in up front, a young kid and she was excellent,” Sullivan said. “We had Moc (Aoife Murphy O’Connor) in, Izzy Ryan in, Emma Mooney, Lucy Fitzgerald. They were brilliant and we've no injuries which was a concern, so I'm really happy with that.
“Hannah Waesch played her fifth game now in a row within 14 days. What a player, what an engine. We're just very mindful of her, of Kate Slevin, because we have other league games to come up next couple of weeks.”
In Sullivan’s view, this year’s experiences in Europe will stand to this Athlone Town panel, but the next and most important step is to ensure that there are more big European games in 2026 so that the players can put these lessons to good use. That means making sure that they take advantage of their strong position in the league.
“This is a fantastic group. they're great individuals. Their cohesion is amazing, their attitude is amazing. Glasgow City are an incredible side, but getting more games like that will come down to what we do over next couple of weeks. We need to make sure we get there, i.e. win the league, that is a big priority,” he added.
Athlone, who host DLR Waves tomorrow night (Saturday, kick-off 7.35pm), are one point ahead of second-placed Shelbourne with a game in hand.
Shelbourne will have home advantage when they meet Athlone on Saturday, September 27. But with Shels only having four games left, Athlone are very much in pole position at the moment.