Cork City women's team on a roll after six successive victories

THEY may have won their last six games in a row in all competitions with five of those coming in the Women’s National League but Cork City manager Rónán Collins insists his side can still get even better.

City continued their sensational winning run by beating Bohemians 3-1 in Dublin last weekend to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s FAI Cup.

The Leesiders, who are currently third in the league table and just three points behind leaders Peamount United, host Galway in their final game of Phase One in Bishopstown on Saturday afternoon (2pm) with their place in the top stage of Phase Two already confirmed.

“We can’t argue with the way the results have been going but we would always have the mantra that ‘winning is being better today than you were yesterday," Collins told The Echo.

“We have been winning for quite a while but it is just that everyone else is getting to see it now.

“Galway really like to challenge you physically, they’ll play the game in your half of the pitch, they will try to put you under pressure and they will try to punish mistakes.

“Defensively they are very good, they don’t give you many opportunities so we will have to clean up on that, not make any mistakes and improve on how we attack.

“We know we have it in us so it’s about getting those elements right so we can bring them to the performance this weekend.

“There has been a good maturity to our performances this year but a key element has been in the squad as a whole.

“We have had six players score two or more goals. I think no other clubs have three so it shows how the squad is all benefitting from each other and it’s become a real squad effort that is superb.

“We have had a really good impact from the players off the bench, we have players not even making the squad some days and they are really pushing us on as well.

“We are still young so we know there is still more in us, it’s just going to take time to keep building and keep building, we just have to keep pushing to get better and better.” 

City’s last league outing saw them defeat Wexford Youths 2-1 at Ferrycarrig Park largely thanks to a player-of-the-match performance from Danielle Burke.

Burke, who helped the club lift the FAI Cup back in 2017, has been switched to centre-back this season and Collins was keen to praise how well she has adapted to her new role.

“It’s funny that Danielle is 20 and she is one of our most experienced players in the squad,” he added.

“This season there has been a change of position for Danielle. We have always looked to play football as a squad and I think that is something she has really been able to bring because she has played so much in midfield and full back.

“But she is also technically a very good footballer and she can read the game very well.

“It was a really big change to make in her game but she has done it really well. She is young so there is still much more to come from her.”