Stapleton heads for Spain with glory still sinking in

Jessie Stapleton will hardly have time to fully absorb Shelbourne's double glory as she heads straight for Spain to link up with the Republic of Ireland.

The 17-year-old defender bundled home the opening goal to set the Reds on their way to a 2-0 win against Athlone Town in Sunday's EVOKE.ie FAI Cup final, as Noel King's team followed up last week's title triumph in style.

It's all action for Stapleton now as she flies to Marbella first thing Monday morning to link up with Vera Pauw and Co in their training camp, desperate to make a good impression ahead of Monday week's friendly against Morocco.

World Cup places are at stake - and there's no time to rest on any laurels.

"I'm buzzing," Stapleton said after the victory in Tallaght.

"It was a great match, it showed how good women’s football can be. Athlone gave us a great game, we’re delighted to come out on top. They've come on so much this season so it’s tough on them."

Stapelton admitted she didn't know too much about her first-half goal - "I turned around and it was in the back of the net so I just went off celebrating!" - but she was just happy to atone for the loss Shels suffered against Wexford Youths in last year's cup final.

"I think we were more prepared for it this year," she said.

"While we were celebrating the league we had this in mind. It’s even better now we’ve done the double.

"Every game you play at a high level… you take those experiences on. Hopefully it helps you in the future. As a club we just want to keep pushing and pushing and hopefully to do more in the Champions League as well."

Shelbourne take the lead against Athlone Town in the FAI Cup final as Alex Kavanagh's free kick ends up in the net ⌨️ Updates: https://t.co/bJeT6ywW0I