After a promising opening month of the new season, when his team won three of their five games, losing only to Old Alexandra and Loreto in the league, Pembroke Wanderers' coach Rudi Wortmann has set his sights on a top-three finish in Senior A.
Last weekend's Leinster Senior Cup win over Loreto, who were, admittedly, weakened by the absence of four international panellists, will, Wortmann hopes, boost his team's self-belief ahead of tomorrow's meeting with Hermes.
"This is a very good team and I think that result will help the players realise just what they are capable of - sometimes I don't think they know themselves just how good they can be - but even though we are still quite inexperienced I believe we are good enough to finish that high in the league," he said.
Goalkeeper Nikki King, who travels up from Waterford for every match, has been in superb form this season, not least against Loreto last week, but will need to be at her very best against a Hermes side yet to drop a point in the league.
Old Alexandra will expect to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the season against Railway Union at Milltown, while third-placed Loreto should recover from the disappointment of that Senior Cup exit to beat bottom club Glenanne at Beaufort.
In Ulster, Jeanette Turner's Portadown have emerged as serious title rivals to her old club Pegasus, proving their mettle on Wednesday night when they drew 2-2 with the defending champions at Edenvilla Park to stay top of the table on goal difference (Jill Orbinson scored twice for Portadown, the second six minutes from time to give her team a draw).
Wednesday night's other Ulster league fixture, between Victorians and Ballymoney at the University of Ulster, had to be postponed because one of the floodlights at the ground is pointing in the wrong direction, having been shifted by strong winds.
In Munster UCC, who have already dropped points to Lansdowne and the University of Limerick, will attempt to revive their title challenge by picking up maximum points in their two games this weekend - they play Harlequins II tomorrow and Church of Ireland II on Sunday.
