17 March 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork City WOMENS Football Club
Cork City WFC begin their 2017 campaign with a visit to 2016 Continental Tyres Women’s National League Champions Shelbourne LFC this Saturday 18th of March at 7.00pm at the Morton Stadium.
After a strong finish to the 2016 season with two wins from the last three games City will hope to carry that form into this coming season. Cork City WFC manager Frank Kelleher spoke about the preparation that went into the preseason; “CCWFC had a very strong end to last season and we certainly brought that momentum into preseason. We put in place a 10-week preseason plan that involved training 3 days a week and the players also did a S&Q session in our training base.
The preseason was based on key areas analysed from last season and specific areas for improvement. It has gone very well. The commitment from the players has been great.
We played a number of preseason matches against opposition that would test our intensity and playing style. These games gave us more feedback. Now as we come to the end of preseason this week, the squad is well prepared for the season. The squad has been strengthened. We identified key positions that needed strengthening and have signed 4 players. The squad now has more strength in depth. The competition for places is very high. Players are focused as they know performance in training and on match day has to be consistently high. ”
On the season ahead he said; “Looking forward to the season, we know we have closed the gap on the top teams. We must, as a group, turn this into better results and finish higher up the table. We must ensure that our performances are constantly improving game after game. Our group is motivated, more experienced and seriously committed. Our club still has to continue to develop and push further to be successful. “Success happens when the group decides to work together in the toughest moments to achieve their goals”
On Saturdays match he said; “Saturday is a great test. We are looking forward to it. Shelbourne are the team we measure ourselves against as they were the top team last year. We have prepared well and are looking to improve our results against them from last season. We have to focus on our own game and maintain complete concentration for the entire game.”
Injuries: Angie Carry
Suspended: None