Lynn Craven will find it a strange experience walking into the away dressing rooms at Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday but she has no regrets about swapping Wexford for Dublin.
The defender will line out at the ground she called home for three years when DLR Waves take on Wexford Youths on Saturday evening.
Dundalk native Craven, following a stint at Shelbourne, signed for Youths in 2019 and was pivotal as they beat league champions Shels to the FAI Cup last year.
The five-hour daily commute for training from her home in Dundalk, where she works as a teacher in her old primary school in Bay Estate, was far from ideal.
And she’s now feeling the benefits of cutting her commute in half as she, like fellow Dundalk native Sophie Watters, is flourishing at Waves.
Graham Kelly’s side have had an up-and-down start to the WNL season but big wins over champions Shels and Cork City have instilled confidence in the group.
Defeat at home to Athlone Town in the middle put a dampener on the otherwise upbeat mood. But Craven feels it was a turning point in their season.
“We had some really big highs. Obviously that Shelbourne game stands out as a really big high,” she tells Dublin Live ahead of Saturday's tie in Wexford.
“And then there's been games we've been really disappointed with, Obviously the Athlone game, we knew we were completely off the mark.
“It was just one of those games where we have to hold our hands up and say we weren't good enough. We've learned from the lows and learned from the highs as well.
“We're hoping to build on that now on the weekend against Wexford, and we're hoping to build on the performances against Shels and Cork and really show the team we are.”
A problem Waves have had in the past couple of years is the ability to lift their game for the likes of Peamount and Shels but dropping points against teams below them.
The defeat to Athlone might feel like a return to form but there’s a confidence within the group that they can compete on all fronts in 2022 and challenge for the title.
“That's something I spoke to Graham about at the start of the season and it's good we can lift our game to match the big teams.
“I find sometimes we might just match the team we're playing and hope to put in a performance.
“But I think after that Athlone game, and after that win against Cork, the 6-0, we really did show that's not the team we are this year.
“We're not just going to match the teams we're playing - we're going to bring our game to them and let them try to match us.
“If everyone puts in 100% I don't think there's any team in the league that can match us when we're on our day. So it's looking really exciting for the rest of the season.”
She added: “It that was probably my favourite footballing time with Wexford. I'm looking forward to going to the pitch.
“I know it's going to be a tough game but I'm still close with all the girls and I've made friends for life.
“Once you go there, as they say there's no friends, but before and after the game, they're a brilliant bunch of girls and I can't fault them.
“I'm looking forward to going back to Ferrycarrig. It'll be a bit strange going into the away dressing room but I know it's a game we need three points from.”
