Saturday evening’s match in Tallaght Stadium kicks off at 5pm. Tickets are still available, and entry is free to Season Ticket holders.

The team got off to the best possible start in Sligo on Saturday and it’s always a great feeling to score a late winner isn’t it?

“It is, a late winner like that in the last minute always feels that little bit more special than getting it in the 70th or 80th minute. It adds an extra dimension to it.”

It was a good move for that goal too, both the cross and header by our captain Aine O’Gorman?

“It was a brilliant cross by Lia first of all. There was great quality in the goal and it was one of those things where we probably knew the goal was coming because of the extra training and extra work that we’ve done. We have that extra threat now when we have a set piece in the 80th or 90th minute, and we’re pushing and still driving forward. So we knew we’d get more and more chances as the game progressed. We’d liked to have got it a little bit sooner but it was a good goal, a great cross by Lia. It was nice to see she had the speed and the legs to get by the full-back, and it was a great header by Aine.”

Rovers controlled most of first half and could have easily added a couple more goals to Shauna Fox’s opener. Did we play some of our best stuff in that first 45?

“We were probably a little bit more comfortable in the first 45 and we did create some chances. It was a theme of some of our pre-season games where we just haven’t been ruthless enough in front of goal but on the positive side of it, we were creating chances. On Saturday there were loads of chances created but it wasn’t ruthless enough to make it a little bit more comfortable for us”.

Sligo’s equaliser in the second half was unfortunate as it took a big deflection. How did you feel the team performed at 1-1 when they were back on level terms?

“I felt there were two aspects of it. One was that goal gave Sligo a bit of an extra push. They did get plenty of corners and set pieces where they got a chance to try and test us and put balls into the box, but the positive side, from our point of view, we defended very well everything that they threw at us.”

Was it a good night for you personally as it was your first game back in management in a long while?

“It was enjoyable to be back. I would have maybe liked a 6-0 win to make it a little bit more comfortable! The blood pressure hasn’t been great since the game but it was good to get back at it. It was good to see some of the stuff that we were working on in pre-season being implemented during the game, so overall, it was a positive thing.”

What sort of opposition are Treaty United tomorrow and who are their danger players in your view?

“There’s an awful lot of new players in relation to last year so it’s a different make-up, especially with a new manager coming in. We’ve already done our analysis on them for their game last week against Bohs. They’re going to be very tough to break down, they’re going to sit in a 4-1-4-1 shape, make it difficult for us and look to hit us on the counter-attack and from set pieces. They have an awful lot of internationals in the team and I think one of the players who stood out from the Bohs game would be Claire Winter. She’s very comfortable on the ball and an awful lot of their good play comes through her, so she’s one we’ll need to nullify if we want to get a result on Saturday.”

Are all the players and staff excited for the first home game of the season?

“We’re buzzing to get going now in Tallaght. We had a little pre-run on Tuesday night, we played the Under 14s boys so that everyone could get familiar with the stadium and the pitch. It’s such a fabulous arena for the players to play in and I think every single one of them are looking forward to it.”

A number of the players know Tallaght nights well from the international games. Hopefully over a period of time, that kind of support towards the club side will develop, starting with an encouraging crowd Saturday?

“That is the plan and that is what we hope to do. The club has done a great job with bedding into the local community within Tallaght, and when you look back to the very first night the men’s team played in Tallaght, the crowds have grown and grown, year on year. It’s something that we’re looking to replicate on the women’s side so hopefully we can have a good start on Saturday. We’ll try and put on a nice brand of football, make it entertaining so that they’ll look forward to coming back again to see something that is progressive and positive.”

What is the latest on injuries?

“Jess Gargan came on for a couple of minutes on Saturday and she’s trained very well this week and done an extra little bit. She’ll be in contention for a starting spot this coming Saturday now. Maria Reynolds is still a couple of weeks away, and Summer Lawless the goalkeeper, she’s currently on her way back and we hope to have her training next week.”