Teenage stopper Katie Keane keeping Athlone calm

Katie Keane has only recently turned 17, but the Athlone Town goalkeeper exudes a quiet confidence that will give the midlanders belief they can go all the way in this year's Sports Direct FAI Cup.

Last year Athlone were beaten 2-0 by Shelbourne in the final at Tallaght Stadium as they ended a brilliant campaign without any silverware. That was tough; Athlone had also finished second in the league to Shels and had been a breath of fresh air all season.

To compound the disappointment, they lost a number of key players to rival clubs over the course of the winter, with boss Tommy Hewitt ultimately stepping away last June, to be replaced by Ciaran Kilduff.

However they've been galvanised by a run to the cup semi-finals, with Sligo Rovers standing in their way as they look to get back to the showpiece decider.

"There's plenty of excitement in the camp," says 17-year-old Keane, Kilduff's first signing along with another goalkeeper, American Kat Hess.

"Sligo are a great team, it's going to be a great game, we're all going to prepare the exact same way as we would for any other team. It's another game in the books, it's our sole focus and we are looking forward to it big time."

Keane came to Athlone from Shels' underage setup. She's an established underage international and was called into Vera Pauw's senior training camp in Marbella in February ahead of the friendly against China.

"It's been an amazing move," she adds. "I love the girls, it's a great atmosphere. Coming from Shels, they were amazing girls as well and I loved every minute with them. To be in a new scene it's incredible. There's such a good buzz.

"It was always going to be a tricky decision [to leave Shels]. At the end of the day it was the best decision I could make for