The energising beats of Brewing Up a Storm reverberated around the stadium last Saturday evening, accompanying Athlone Town’s football team as they triumphantly stepped onto the field to receive the SSE Airtricity Premier Division cup. As an apt anthem, it metaphorically sounded out the tempest this squad had indeed brewed throughout the season.
Their latest victory over Bohemians resulted in a 2-0 triumph, thanks to early strikes by Madie Gibson and Kellie Brennan, securing the championship with one more match left to play. Shelbourne, trailing by three points, stands no chance of outpacing Athlone on the last day due to the latter’s superior head-to-head performance. The two teams had a draw in March, but the telling game was in August at Tolka Park. Here, Athlone reversed the script and defeated Shels thanks to a last-minute penalty by Kerryanne Brown.
Ciarán Kilduff, Athlone’s manager, expressed his elation on TG4 on Saturday. He proclaimed, “It’s incredible. I am absolutely proud of the team – they’ve earned this. It has been a long time coming; many of these players have been on this journey since its inception. One of the most difficult hurdles was instilling self-belief, but they’ve proved they could do it, and for that, they are truly deserving.”
When asked about this accomplishment’s rank in his football history – a history that saw the Kildare native crowned champion with Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk – Kilduff had a quick response. He confessed, “This is the pinnacle. I could not have foreseen this outcome; it’s one of the most joyous moments I’ve ever had. We let our actions on the field do our speaking. Not by boasting to the media, but by amassing 43 out of the possible 48 points in recent games, we’ve become champions. I can’t express how proud I am.”
Kilduff’s impressive tenure, which began just 16 months ago following Tommy Hewitt’s departure, has already seen Athlone secure many notable achievements. Last November, they earned their inaugural FAI Cup, overcoming Shels in a tense penalty shootout at Tallaght Stadium. Under his leadership, they have now clinched the league title, with the possibility of a double prize on the horizon as they face off against Shels in the upcoming FAI Cup final, marking their third consecutive year in the final.
The club didn’t even participate in the main National League until 2020, their journey since being of a fluctuating nature. First two seasons saw them finishing in seventh place, then a glimpse of their potential shone through when they came second to Shels in 2022. However, a significant decline followed the next season, they ended in the fifth position, with a 17-points gap from champions Peamount.
Ahead of this season, they had to navigate the setback of losing top scorer Dana Scheriff. They also saw Casey Howe, Northern Ireland international, move to Nottingham Forest during summer. The winning game against Shels in August added insult to injury when crucial midfielder Chloe Singleton sustained an injury, ending her season.
Nevertheless, Athlone managed to handle these obstacles. Brenda Ebika Tabe, the striker from Cameroon who came in July, and American Madie Gibson scored a collective 11 goals in the last seven matches that proved crucial in their success. The team has been studded with stars, including captain Laurie Ryan, who marked her centenary of appearances for the club last Saturday.
A perfect ending to the season could be a couple of players from Athlone getting selected for the Republic of Ireland squad that Eileen Gleeson will announce for the Euro 2025 playoff matches against Georgia next Thursday.
Courtney Brosnan will join the camp in high spirits, especially after saving three penalties in the Everton-Newcastle United League Cup draw’s follow-up shoot-out. Not to mention her performance on Sunday where she managed a clean sheet at the Emirates, helping Everton secure their first point away from Arsenal since 2009.
However, it is disheartening that Kyra Carusa, Ruesha Littlejohn, Megan Campbell and Chloe Mustaki are all sidelined due to injuries. Similarly injured are Jamie Finn and Jess Ziu, but Finn is closer to recovering from her anterior cruciate ligament damage than Ziu.