Slattery switches from skipper to supporter for Shels' quest

Pearl Slattery says she'll be in with the Shelbourne "ultras" this Sunday as the men's team aims to complete an FAI Cup double for the club.

Slattery helped the Reds win the EVOKE.ie FAI Women's Cup final on Sunday, nodding home from close range in a 2-0 win against Athlone Town.

That sealed a double following last week's title glory, and it also means Shels will have the chance to become just the second club, after Cork City in 2017, to win the men's and women's FAI Cup in the same season when they face Derry City at the Aviva Stadium.

Captain Slattery will be in the thick of it cheering Damien Duff's charges on.

"To win the double and bring the two trophies back to Tolka Park, I'm lost for words," said Slattery.

"Next up is the men’s cup final. We will all be there with the ultras. We will enjoy our celebrations and take a well-earned rest. We’ll go again in 2023.

"It's unbelievable to win the double. At the start of the season there are two trophies up for grabs, and to win both is just amazing. It was a proper cup final.

"We made our pressure count in the first half. Athlone cane for us, we knew they would, and we had to ride our luck a few times. Cup finals are all about winning, it didn’t have to be pretty.

"I’m so proud of the squad, staff and fans. This is for all of them. The supporters have been immense, our away games have felt like home games at times to be honest."

Shelbourne lost last year's decider to Wexford Youths. They were going for a double that day too, but harsh lessons were learned.

"People thought we celebrated too much last year but we wouldn’t change a thing Wexford deserved it," Slattery admitted.

"Athlone were tough, I’ve so much respect for them. We didn’t want to be talking about their story though, we