Bohemians WNL player Rebecca Cooke shared a secret little bit of happiness for her old club Shelbourne, when Bohs came from behind to beat Peamount United 2-1 at Dalymount Park.
The winger who plays her football with American college Quinnipiac Women’s as part of a scholarship programme netted a brace to give Bohs a massive three points and leave Peamount without a win in their last five outings.
Speaking on the Women’s National League show, Cooke said there was a little part of her happy to do the favour for her old club.
“I hold Shels very close to my heart obviously. It was brilliant to get the win for Bohs but there was a little part of me that was happy on the side to be doing a favour for Shels.”
When asked if she had received any texts from her former teammates congratulating her regarding her heroics, she replied, “a lot” and laughed.
In response to her two goals against the 2020 champions and her form since returning home from America, Cooke has been delighted with her form.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better return to the league. Obviously a new club, and just kind of back for the summer, I couldn’t have thought for a better way to start my short enough journey with Bohs.”
The winning goal and Cooke’s second was a peach of an effort and she revealed how she found herself in that position for a strike on goal.
“The reason I was probably picking up there was because I was wrecked. I was tired enough and I actually didn’t make the run forward in the first place. It just came to me and I said listen, ‘I am just gonna hit this first time’, and it ended up in the goal.”
The 19-year-old is known around the national league scene as ‘Bambi’ and she was asked to put the Rebecca or Bambi debate to bed by declaring which she goes by.
“Everyone in the league knows me as Bambi so that is what I am going with”, she laughed.
Bambi was asked about her decision to join Bohs during the summer months as opposed to Shels who she featured for over the same period last year. She revealed a strong factor in her decision was the management team in place at the north Dublin club.
“I just wanted to be getting game time this summer. A high standard coaching and I felt the best club for that for me was Bohs. Sean, Pat, and Cameron, all them. I’ve been coached under them before with the emerging talent programme. I knew a few of the girls already on the team as well, and I thought that would be the best option for me in terms of playing time, personal growth, and what I can give to a team in the short time I’m back.”
Bambi commented on her manager, Sean Byrne who has been involved with the girls side for a few years now. She praised Byrne for his “old-fashioned” approach and likes how he coaches.
“A coach like Sean isn’t in the FAI, Bohs and the emerging talent for no reason. I’d say he is an old fashioned coach but in the best way possible. I like the way he will call you out and tell you make sure to do this next time, you’ll make sure you do it. He would have been one of the bigger reasons I signed for the club. I knew what type of coaching I would be getting from him. His coaching style definitely suites me as a player personally.”
Cooke feels the growth in interest about the Women’s National League is a massive thing for the girls who participate. She was quick to praise the added media interest in terms of podcasts and the fact that games can now be streamed too.
“When I came back last summer, the likes of Aaron with the WNL show, I think that was a massive thing for the girls. I think that was the first big step and then the matches being streamed, and then a few on television. Even this year, the coverage and stuff, it is great for the girls to feel like ‘I’m not just training 2/3 times a week then playing a match on a Saturday and it’s forgotten about.'”
She believes the introduction of other new Bohs additions such as Rachael Kelly and Sinead Taylor have improved performances this season.
“Definitely. Personally, without Rachael Kelly, one of the best keepers in the league, if not the best. If we didn’t have her in the first half [Peamount], she was unbelievable. Rachael Kelly was probably the only reason we could keep it down to 1-0 and then go on to win.
“Sinead Taylor, she was great especially even up in training. She’s brilliant to have for the girls. That is someone who has the experience and knowledge of how games go. She was really important the other day too.”
On the differences between college football in America and playing for a WNL team in Ireland, Bambi thinks the fact that in America, college and football is so intertwined is a big pull factor for girls to go on scholarships to America.
“The biggest difference I see in America is that there are girls saying, ‘I’m going to go to school here and play football here.’ Your class and your football are all intertwined. But, for here, if you have lectures all day and then it interferes with your training, and then you have to travel across the county to go to training, I think that is the biggest difference. It is so independent.
I think if there was something more concrete put in place for girls to be able to say, ‘I’m going to play here and go to college here, and I am not going to have any interferences.'”
Bohs travel to face Athlone this Saturday who have won six out of their last seven in another big game.
“I’ve played against Athlone a few times and they are definitely not an easy side to play against. They are hard-working and even when I was with Shels, we never had any easy game against them.”
