OTB Football
PEARL SLATTERY: "We'll give everything this year" | Fighting back for the title | New Manager | The Summer Football debate | LOI 2026 Season Launch
29 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Off the ball breakfast.
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Well, Paris Saturday, I suppose the first question I'm asking everybody is just your own general excitement and anticipation for the new season.
Yeah, it's brilliant. The new year brings a new campaign, which brings new opportunities. So I have to be very excited. I think every year when we play at Shells, we're always excited for a new season. Obviously a new manager in, a good mix of experience, new faces and youth in the squad now. So look, A few more hard works or weeks of pre-season now to come and I'm really excited to get going.
You turned 36 over the last year. There seemed to be some talk that you might continue into this year. So what was your own kind of thinking in sort of going ahead with signing for Shells for another new season?
yeah i suppose the way i look at it is i always find the end of season i wouldn't make a decision then it's fine to see how i feel but i never felt like i was going to retire to be honest i just don't feel the body stare yeah no one will have to tell me when to retire i know myself you know but look i've got a lot of advice from you know family i know a lot of people in the game over the years they've always told me play as long as you can nothing will ever match it and i know to be many years i'll be sitting in a stand they're involved some capacity wishing i was out on the pitch back in the dressing room with the girls so
Yeah, I'm going to play as long as I can. I love every minute of it. I still love it as if it's my fourth season.
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Chapter 2: What are Pearl Slattery's thoughts on the excitement for the new season?
The club, the girls, a big part of my identity the last decade really. Real privilege to captain the club for so long. And I suppose up to people don't see. More so, I'm always getting asked, last year are you going to retire? You're dedicated, you're putting the work in the off-season, you look after yourself.
Those are the things people don't see, the gym sessions, the recovery, to be able to play as long as you can, I suppose. I know a lot of people over the years, their career's been cut short with injuries and stuff, so I feel very grateful that I've been able to play for as long as I can at this level. It's hard work at times, but as I said, I love it.
I spoke to Emma Hansberry before yourself. She's gone 32. She'll be 32 in May. She was just even saying herself that she's had to make adjustments to her game. She's playing with so many young players and against so many young players. What kind of advice would you give to say somebody like that? They do have to make that adjustment to their game as the seasons go by.
Yeah, I suppose you do. Look, Hans is one of those OGs around the league as well, probably in and around my decade, if you like. And Hans is probably a different position than me in midfield, so I'm sure she would have to adjust her game in whatever way they play. But, I mean, just work hard, make sure the body's right.
Look, I'm a centre-back, so if you're clever enough, you can get the people in front of you and you talk enough to communicate. I just think it's the hard work, the dedication, the recovery, all that sort of things. It's a team game, isn't it, really? So it's just working together with the team and the coaches and what they want. I think we just have to enjoy it as much as we can.
I think you always had that ability to read the game. It's always about smelling danger as well, isn't it, as a defender?
Yeah, I wouldn't be the quickest either, but I think if you can read the game well, you can get yourself in a situation where you're not caught out or like that, reading the game. I've watched a lot of football over the years, I've been playing for a long time, so I think reading the game would help you and we can be doing that ourselves as well.
You can tweak and look, you've been around a long time, you know now what works for yourself and what doesn't, but I do agree with you, being able to read the game absolutely helps, or your communication with other players around you and stuff like that always helps.
You mentioned a new coach, so Sean Russell's coming in. What could have been made of Sean's impact so far on the squad?
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Chapter 3: How does Pearl Slattery feel about continuing her career at Shelbourne?
And look, women's football is very small and now a lot of people around the game that have played under him are not new of him and always spoke very highly of him. And we've seen a first hand now the last few weeks working with him, brings his own style, his own approach. I've learned a lot off him already as well, which is great. He's a great way around the group.
how he deals with the girls and look we'll be a different type of team this year I think when a new manager comes in he'll set his own style his own approach and we've really enjoyed it the last few weeks still early days still have a lot of you know weeks to go now pre-season that we'll continue to learn from him but you know he's been brilliant so far he's already there with him from last year good coach and group behind them as well but in terms of himself he's been brilliant I've learned a lot off him already and now we're really excited I'm supposed to be led by him going into the season
Do you think he kind of fully gets the fact that there's pressure on him going in on day one because Shells is a big, big club. You've had so much success over the last decade or so. Is that something you feel that he's aware of?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. That's... I was at Shell's fans forum with him last night and someone asked him that, you know, there was a lot of pressure, we didn't win at him last year and that's why he's here. You know, you want to be at clubs like this where you're expected to win things and, you know, he wants to be at the club, he likes that expectation. What manager wouldn't? What player wouldn't?
You want to be competing for everything. You know, that's why you're involved in the game so, you know, that won't bother him, you know, that'll probably bring him along even more, he'll bring us and lead us along even more because he knows those expectations.
I've always said when we play at Shell it's an expectation to win things but it's also in our dressing room, it's within us, we have that belief in us as players that every year we want to compete for everything and he'll want that as a coach, that's what you want as a manager isn't it?
Every week, every year to know that you're going to be competing for everything so as I said he'll bring his own style and I've been really impressed so far so Hopefully it can take us where we want to be. And I firmly believe we have a great chance every year. The girls' staff dedicate and will give everything. And yeah, please, God, we can get a bit of silverware.
What is that style that you mentioned?
I mean, I don't want to give too much away. Have you watched your retreat last year? No, we just, you know, there's a lot of demand and, you know, a lot of demands from your players, what he wants from you on the ball, off the ball. His formation and stuff will change.
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