Garrycastle: 2-8
Mullingar Shamrocks: 0-8
Goals in either half from Aoife Dolan and Vicki McEnery proved decisive as Garrycastle overcame Mullingar Shamrocks at Milltown last Saturday evening to qualify for the senior ladies football final.
Revenge was sweet for the Athlone-based outfit who were dethroned as county champions by Shamrocks at the same stage of last year’s championship. However, joint-managers Gary Flanagan and Tom Browne won’t be getting carried away and will know that a big improvement is needed if they’re to beat Milltown in the final. The holders made light work of Tyrrellspass in the other semi-final in Killucan last Friday evening and easily accounted for Garrycastle when the teams met in the Division 1 league final earlier this summer.
In contrast to that final, which was played in sweltering conditions in mid-June, a biting wind blew straight down the field at Doolin Park last Saturday. It favoured Garrycastle in the first half, but a five-point lead, 1-6 to 0-4, at the interval didn’t look like it would be enough, especially when Shamrocks got to within a point with 10 minutes remaining.
But the green and reds kept their composure and scored 1-2 without reply in the closing stages to seal a victory which would have been greater had they not spurned a host of scoring opportunities in the first half.
SHAMROCKS BRIGHT START
Despite playing against the wind, the losers started the stronger to open up an early 0-3 to 0-0 lead. Emma Morris opened the scoring in the sixth minute before slotting over a brace of frees in the 11th and 12th minutes. Lisa Fitzpatrick got Garrycastle off the mark a minute later when her shot clipped the top of the crossbar on its way over and Aoife Dolan immediately followed up with a second point.
County star Karen Hegarty restored Shamrocks’ two-point advantage after the upright had denied Sarah Dolan and Garrycastle an equalising score at the other end.
DOLAN’S CRACKING GOAL
At this juncture, Garrycastle were gaining the upper hand at midfield and they took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the 17th minute when Fitzpatrick and Anne-Marie Igoe combined to set up Aoife Dolan for a cracking goal.
That score really sparked the winners into life as Dolan added a point before turning provider for Fitzpatrick to split the posts. The full forward could have had two more three-pointers before half-time but had a rasping shot brilliantly tipped over by Shamrocks ‘keeper Siobhan Kiernan and then fired wide with a goal at her mercy.
With the wind to their backs, Shamrocks – who deployed full forward Lisa Burke as a third midfielder – dominated the third quarter, but they struggled to make it count on the scoreboard. Emma Morris had a couple of bad wides from frees before redeeming herself with a fine right-footed effort from play.
Niamh Kennedy supplied Karen Hegarty for their sixth point before wing back Lorna Morris came forward to kick a great score. When Emma Morris finished a well-worked move that had been started by her sister Lorna to leave the minimum in it, 0-8 to 1-6, with 10 minutes to go, it would have been difficult to back against the charges of Paul Ahearne and Paul Christie.
But Garrycastle, who had gone nearly 25 minutes without scoring, broke their momentum when Vicki McEnery took a return pass from Aoife Dolan and fired over. It remained in the balance until two minutes from the end when McEnery nipped in ahead of Siobhan Kiernan to toe-poke Sarah Dolan’s inviting delivery to the net.
A minute later, long-serving midfielder Anne Duignan added gloss to the scoreline with the game’s final score.
Scorers – Garrycastle: Aoife Dolan 1-3, Vicki McEnery 1-1, Lisa Fitzpatrick 0-3, Anne Duignan 0-1. Mullingar Shamrocks: Emma Morris 0-5 (0-2 from frees), Karen Hegarty 0-2 and Lorna Morris 0-1.
Teams – Garrycastle: Aisling Flynn; Amy Duncan, Aine Lynn, Lorraine Duncan; Lauren Kennedy, Orla Connaughton, Laura Brennan; Aoife McCormack, Anne Duignan; Lisa Fitzpatrick, Anne-Marie Igoe, Sinead Walker; Vicki McEnery, Aoife Dolan, Sarah Dolan. Subs: Ciara McCormack for Sinead Walker (20 mins) and Elisha Hunston for Ciara McCormack (59 mins).
Mullingar Shamrocks: Siobhan Kiernan; Linda Gilmartin, Carole Finch, Tara Fagan; Lorna Morris, Niamh Spellman, Jean Kenny; Aine Melody, Michelle Buckley; Niamh Kennedy, Emma Morris, Elaine Faughan; Karen Hegarty, Lisa Burke, Gemma Kerrigan. Subs: Kirsty Dunne for Faughan (40 min) and Cliona Spellman for Kerrigan (50 min).
Referee – Michael Gordon (Shandonagh).
