Bonagee United are aiming to reach the semi-finals of the FAI Women’s Amateur Cup this weekend.
On Sunday, Bonagee welcome Ballingarry AFC from Limerick to Dry Arch Park (kick-off 3pm).
There is a double carrot on offer this weekend with the winners of the quarter-finals also set to get a place in the FAI Women’s Senior Cup.
Bonagee have started the new season well, but manager Chris McNulty has warned that a tough afternoon awaits his side.
“We’ve started this year positively, although it has been somewhat stop-start,” the Bonagee manager said.
“We’re delighted to have the game at home, first and foremost. We had a lot of big away days last year so it’s fantastic for the players and the club to get a game of this magnitude at our own ground.
“We’ll have to be at our best on Sunday. Nothing less than the ‘A’ game will get us over the line. We’ll have to battle hard and work hard. Ballingarry are a well experienced and well-drilled outfit.”
Bonagee reached the semi-finals last season, losing out to Douglas Hall in Cork and also played in the Senior Cup, falling to League of Ireland side Cork City.
Bonagee have added some new faces this year with GAA All-Star Geraldine McLaughlin returning to the club alongside goalkeeper Roisin McCafferty.
Irish Deaf Woman’s Futsal ace Catherine Grier – who will go to the World Cup in Brazil later this year – was brought in to bolster the rearguard.
“We have some young players who are also biting at the senior players’ heels for involvement in these games,” McNulty said. “We are very proud of our own conveyor belt – last year, ten players who came through our own ranks won League and Cup medals with the club.”
Bonagee have risen steadily in recent years, winning the North West Women’s Super League in 2019 and adding a domestic League and Cup double in 2022.
“We’re looking to build and improve all the time,” McNulty said. “The club has given us the backing and a platform to do that and the players we’ve brought in fit in so well.
“We said last year that we wanted ‘big’ games to become the norm at Bonagee United. We have a chance to get a couple more with a win on Sunday.”
