Former Ballaghaderreen student savours special night for Athlone Town

Former St. Nathy’s College student, Roisín Molloy, has said that Wednesday night’s historic UEFA Women's Champions League victory against Cardiff City was an “unreal” experience.

Molloy — a native of Gurteen, South Sligo — scored two of her side’s goals just before half time during the emphatic 4-0 first qualifying round win at a sold-out Athlone Town Stadium, Lissywollen.

The result catapulted Athlone Town, who were only formed five years ago, into another crucial home tie against Croatian outfit, ŽNK Agram, next Saturday where Molloy — who won two Connacht LGFA Senior titles with St. Nathy’s, Ballaghaderreen, in 2019 and 2020 — is hopeful that her side can produce another big performance to continue the club’s fairytale journey.

“It was so special, an amazing atmosphere. Personally, I’ve never played in front of a special crowd. It was unreal.

“The club has enjoyed a special few years. Winning the league was huge for us. That obviously played a big role in us getting here. It’s a really special night. It probably hasn’t sunk in yet.

“But now we’ve got to look to Saturday. It will mean so much more if we can get to the next round. We need to win on Saturday. It’s really special but the focus has shifted to Saturday.

“We just had to get through tonight. Now we realise the scale of just how big this is for the club. Getting through would be huge for us. It’s a massive game but we need to be ready for it.

“You just try and focus on what you can control. Colin (Fortune) told us tonight to go in and enjoy it. Have no fear and express yourselves. I think that’s when we’re at our best.

“We’ll try to bring that again to Saturday. We’re expecting another really tough test, but hopefully we can put in a really good performance and get the club to the next round,” she concluded.