WNL preview: New faces & old foes prepare for battle

Last November, a few days before the FAI Women's Cup final, Shelbourne manager Noel King sat down with reporters to look ahead to the game at Tallaght Stadium.

His team had just pipped Peamount United to the title on a remarkable final day, with Shels beating Wexford Youths 3-2 while Peamount blew a 2-0 lead at home to Galway United, eventually losing 5-2.

Nobody saw it coming; and King had no intention of dampening the celebrations as his squad prepared for a cup decider against Wexford Youths.

"I'd like to see you try settle it down!" he laughed at the time. "The place is going mad. Mad. I'm still buzzing, the house is still buzzing, everyone's in a different place. It was a hard-won and miraculous victory and success and we have to enjoy that."

That weekend, an impressive Wexford Youths burst Shels' bubble as a 3-1 win denied King the double.

It was a performance that further strengthened the feeling that the league is getting stronger and more competitive all the time. There are at least three viable contenders to be champions.

The healthy competition is further reflected by the international-quality players who continue to ply their trade on these shores.

In Vera Pauw's most recent Republic of Ireland squad Abbie Larkin, Jess Ziu (both Shels), Eve Bandana (DLR Waves) and Savannah McCarthy (Galway) all made the cut, while others who cut their teeth in the division before moving across the water were present too: Ciara Grant (Rangers), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Isibeal Atkinson (Celtic) and Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool).

Among the targets laid out in the FAI's recent strategic plan was the establishment of a second tier in the Women's National League and making Tallaght a sellout for the FAI Cup final.

These are commendable