Hennessy relishing cup final opportunity against old friend Shelbourne 

Jessica Hennessy’s reputation around Mullingar as a rising talent in her teens drew attention from Dublin powerhouse Shelbourne but when a college opportunity coincided with a club change, home comforts prevailed.

NO FEAR: Athlone Town’s Muireann Devaney, Manager Tommy Hewitt, Jessica Hennessy, Maddison Gibson and Laurie Ryan with the EVOKE.ie FAI Women's Cup. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Few players get to leave the national champions on their own terms and Jessica Hennessy will discover whether the risk was worth it in Sunday’s FAI Women’s Cup final.

Hennessy’s reputation around Mullingar as a rising talent in her teens drew attention from Dublin powerhouse Shelbourne but when a college opportunity coincided with a club change, home comforts prevailed.

The 21-year-old hasn’t looked back since.

Reunited with her Gaynor Cup manager Tommy Hewitt for Athlone Town’s maiden season in 2020, Hennessy combined her football with studying at the local institute of technology.

It was easy to yearn for the success of Shelbourne when her new club were suffering heavy defeats along the way, languishing in seventh place last season.

Hennessy – as a towering 6’1” presence in defence or midfield part of Vera Pauw’s home-based Ireland squad – could easily have abandoned ship for an easier life yet stuck to her principles by staying local.

Faith has been rewarded, for the Midlanders transformed their fortunes, taking the title race to last Saturday’s final day. They don’t want to finish runners-up again when they face the double-chasers at Tallaght on Sunday.

“I really enjoyed my time at Shels; playing in the same team as Jess Ziu that won the U17 Cup,” explained Hennessy. 

“I got to train with their experienced players such as Pearl Slattery and Rachel Graham. I was asked to sign for the first-team but I was doing my Leaving Cert and played county GAA for Westmeath at the time too so I couldn’t really. I didn’t leave on bad terms or anything like that. They were all so lovely to me.” 

 Now she’s ready to scalp the Reds and with reason to feel confident.

“It’s mad,” she declares about their upsurge. “Our goals at the start of the season were a good cup [run], as well beating the top teams in Peamount and Shelbourne at home.

“All of that has been achieved, which is brilliant for a team only a few years in existence.

“Tommy is a great manager. If you make mistakes, it’s not the end of the world. He lets us do whatever he thinks is right.

“There is no ‘do this or do that.’ He lets us play our own game and that benefits us all.

“We are not afraid to put a foot wrong and we’ll enjoy the experience of this final. I used to attend the Cup finals with my Dad Seamus at the Aviva and here I am playing in one.

“As Tommy says, we’ve to cherish every moment and anything can happen on the day - especially in a cup final.”