FAI Women's Cup preview: Athlone Town v Wexford Youths

It's been quite a campaign for Athlone Town.

Tommy Hewitt's youthful outfit are fourth in the SSE Airtricity Women's National League, just six points off leaders Wexford Youths, who they face in the FAI Cup semi-final on Saturday evening.

Not bad for a team that was only formed two years ago - and they'll tell you this is only the start.

Hewitt has harnessed a production line of exciting young talent mixed with a few seasoned footballers to close the gap on the traditional big three of Wexford, Peamount United and Shelbourne.

They blew the title race wide open by beating Shels 2-0 last weekend. Tomorrow, they will look to shatter Wexford Youths' double dreams and reach a first ever FAI Cup final.

"At the start of the season, we would have been delighted with the position we're in now," said goalkeeper Niamh Coombes, formerly of Kilkenny United, Bohemians and Icelandic side Volsungur.

"I don't think we could even believe it ourselves. The confidence has grown throughout the season, getting wins and putting more points on the board each game. I think the girls have been putting in the work since pre-season. We're not in this position for no reason, it's fully deserved."

Route to https://t.co/oUemRNe8jP FAI Women's Cup Semi-Finals