Agg confirms plans to stay with Athlone next season
By Kevin O'Neill
Athlone Town women’s head coach Lily Agg has committed her future to the club for next season.
The former Republic of Ireland international took over the reins in May, and has steered them to the Women’s Premier Division title. And the disappointing defeat against Shelbourne in the recent FAI Cup final is Athlone’s only domestic loss during Agg’s tenure.
Speaking after her team was presented with the league trophy – following a scoreless draw against Galway United last Saturday – Agg told the Westmeath Independent she is under contract with the club for next season and looks forward to further progressing the team.
“Yeah, I will be here,” she said.
“I am absolutely committed to the club and the players, and what we are trying to build here. The plan was always for it to be a long-term project and I’m happy here and looking forward to building on the success we have had.”
Agg had just watched her team recover from a somewhat shock 3-1 defeat in the FAI Cup final to lift the league trophy after a 0-0 draw against Galway Utd in front of a healthy attendance at Athlone Town Stadium last Saturday.
“We looked more like ourselves today,” said Agg when questioned about the FAI Cup final.
“The first half performance in the final wasn’t us. And I made that very clear to the players. I don’t know what happened, to be honest. Maybe being confirmed league champions the night before the final had a mental impact on the players. We can only put it down to that because the girls have been so consistently brilliant.
“My job, as a coach, is to always look internally first. To look at our preparations, the game-plan, and so on. And then the players have to be accountable for their side of it. We had honest conversations about the final last Monday and we had to go again, and I think we were back to ourselves this evening,” added Agg.
Athlone captain Hannah Waesch praised Agg for her contribution to Athlone’s latest league triumph, describing her impact as “amazing”.
“My main goal for the season was to enjoy and try to improve with every training session and every match. The rest of the team really uplifted me in that respect and the squad has grown really close together. I think that has shown on the pitch as well,” Waesch said.
The elephant in the room – the surprising first half slump that cost the team dearly in the FAI Cup final defeat – was also addressed by the captain.
“It’s okay to talk about it because it was a big topic,” Waesch said. “I think the scenario we found ourselves in was somewhat different and a bit strange, to be honest. We were made league champions the previous evening without having to kick a ball, and we then needed to quickly shift that mindset back to the cup final.
"But it was difficult and our first half performance against Shelbourne wasn’t our identity at all. We reflected on it earlier this week, as a group, and had to leave it behind us. We had to move forward and I think we have done that,” she added.