Athlone Town players and staff celebrate winning the league title after victory in their SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division match against Cork City last night. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.

Offaly players help Athlone Town secure league title

Adrian Cusack

Published: Thu 2 Oct 2025, 11:18 AM

Athlone Town copperfastened their status as the best women's football team in the country by winning their second League of Ireland title in a row last night - and four players from Offaly were part of the title triumph.

Tullamore duo Aoife Murphy O'Connor and Emma Mooney, Birr's Isabel Ryan, and Lucy Fitzgerald from Blueball/Mountbolus are part of the Athlone squad which is now hoping to complete the domestic double in the FAI Cup final against Bohemians on October 19.

Athlone have not been beaten domestically all year and they made sure of the league title by defeating Cork City 4-0 on Leeside last night (Wednesday), in a game in which three of the four Offaly players featured.

Tullamore College student Emma Mooney, a former player with Killeigh Schoolboys/Girls Soccer Club, was brought on as a sub at half-time. In July, Mooney became the youngest player to score two goals in a Women's Premier Division game when she accomplished that feat in a 2-0 Athlone win against Wexford Youths.

Isabel Ryan, a former Killavilla United player from Birr, and Aoife Murphy O'Connor, were both introduced with just under 20 minutes to go in last night's landmark victory.

Lucy Fitzgerald, a former player with Mucklagh Schoolboys/Girls Soccer Club and an Irish underage international, is also part of the league-winning squad.

Athlone recorded victories against Welsh, Croatian and Serbian opposition during a memorable European run recently.