REPORT: Sullivan and Aherne star as Syls book final slot

Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Senior Club Championship Semi Final

 

St Sylvesters 3-08 Thomas Davis 0-09

 

By Nigel McCarthy

 

St Sylvesters are through to the Dublin LGFA Senior club championship final for the very first time as a single identity after winning a tense and highly competitive semi-final against Thomas Davis in Broomfield on Wednesday evening.

 

Goals proved crucial for the Malahide outfit this evening, particularly the two in the latter stages of the second half from Sinead Aherne and Kate Sullivan which put a halt to any momentum that Thomas Davis had begun to build up as they tried to haul themselves back into the contest.

 

A first half converted penalty from Aherne put St Sylvesters in the driving seat in the first half and they led at the break by six points with the score 1-07 to 0-04.

 

Both sides moved the ball well from defence to attack, but with both defences extremely solid, it was Sylvesters greater patience on the ball to find those pockets of space to create scores that won out in the end.

 

Thomas Davis played their part in a very entertaining game, but will rue a missed penalty in the second half and will be disappointed that having worked the ball really well upfield with strong runs from deep and off the shoulder running, too many of their attacks broke down just inside the twenty one metre line due to a combination of good defending and too many loose or misplaced passes.

 

St Sylvesters started the game brightly and took the lead in the second minute with a fine point from Kate Sullivan. That lead was doubled in the eight minute when former Dublin Senior star Niamh McEvoy finished off a sweeping full pitch move to score the Malahide sides second point.

 

Thomas Davis were finding it difficult to break through the home sides defence with numerous attacks breaking down in and around the twenty one metre line, Sarah Brennan intercepted a loose Davis pass, the ball was worked down the left and then switched to the right to Kate Sullivan who scored her second point of the half.

 

Sylvesters almost grabbed the games opening goal in the eleventh minute, Nicole Owens who was conducting things from the centre off the park and spraying passes around like Malahide’s version of Tom Brady, picked a wonderful pass from midfield to Kate Sullivan, the lively forward collected the ball, spun towards goal and let fly, but Davis goalkeeper Caitlin Staunton brilliantly tipped the goal bound effort over the bar for a point.

 

Davis finally got off the mark with a converted free from Ciara McGuigan in the fifteenth minute, seconds later and McGuigan repeated the trick with another well taken free.

 

Two converted frees from Kate Sullivan either side of a point from play from Sarah Brennan stretched the Sylvester’s lead.

Davis responded with a point Tammy Corbally Quinn and a successful free effort from Ciara McGuigan to leave three points between the sides with five minutes to go to the break.

 

But three minutes from the short whistle and Sylvesters worked the ball down the left to Nicole Owens who picked out Kate Sullivan with a sublime pass, as the forward tried to turn and shoot, she was fouled inside the square and the referee awarded a penalty which Sylvesters and Dublin stalwart Sinead Aherne buried into the top left corner of the net to give the Malahide outfit a 1-07 to 0-04 lead at the break.

 

It was an even tighter affair in the second half for scores, Thomas Davis enjoyed the better of the the opening twenty minutes of the second half, holding Sylvester’s scoreless with some tigerish defending.

 

Again their movement of the ball from defence through the lines to the attack couldn’t be faulted, but they just couldn’t conjure up enough scoring opportunities to put a real dent on the deficit.

 

Ciara McGuigan swung over another free in the forty first minute to reduce the deficit to five points. It looked like they had grabbed a lifeline three minutes later, the ball was played into McGuigan, she offloaded to Olwen Carey who picked out Rachel Newell with a hand pass in front of goal, Sylvesters keeper Sophie Rickard rushed out off her line and took down Newell inside the square for the games second penalty.

 

But Rickard redeemed herself diving to her right to palm Sinead Deegan’s shot wide for a 45’. It was a cruel blow for Thomas Davis who had begun to build up a head of steam.

They dusted themselves down and Olwen Carey made no mistake with the next attack, hitting a fine effort over the bar to reduce Sylvesters lead to four points.

 

With eight minutes to go to the final whistle Sylvesters turned over a Davis kick-out, ball was played to Kate Sullivan just to the right of the goal and she hand passed to the onrushing Sinead Aherne who palmed the ball to the net and suddenly there was seven between the sides.

 

Ciara McGuigan reduced it to a two score game with a converted free kick, but Nicole Owens won the subsequent kick-out in the middle of the park, kicked a fine pass to Aherne, she switched it inside to second half substitute Katie O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan found fellow second half substitute Ellie Doyle running off her shoulder and Doyle offloaded to Kate Sullivan in front of goal who finished low past the keeper to put the game to bed.

 

In fairness to Thomas Davis they never let their heads drop and pushed to the final whistle and added two further pointed frees from Ciara McGuigan, but it wasn’t enough to stop St Sylvester’s reaching their first Senior final as a single identity, having played the 2007 final as a merged team with neighbours Naomh Mearnóg.

 

ST SYLVESTERS SCORERS: Kate Sullivan 1-06 (2f), Sinead Aherne 2-00, Niamh McEvoy 0-01, Sarah Brennan 0-01.

 

THOMAS DAVIS SCORERS: Ciara McGuigan 0-07 (7f), Olwen Carey 0-01, Tammy Corbally Quinn 0-01.

 

ST SYLVESTERS: Sophie Rickard, Cliona Fitzpatrick, Sinead Tracey, Chloe Bryan, Caitlin Guiden, Dannielle Lawless, Keeva Kenehan, Sasha Kennedy Kambic, Nicole Owens, Clodagh Fox, Niamh McEvoy, Sarah Brennan, Kate Sullivan, Sinead Aherne, Marion Hernon.

 

ST SYLVESTERS SUBS: Ellie Doyle for Sasha Kennedy Kambic (49), Katie O’Sullivan for Sarah Brennan (53), Aimee Hazley for Niamh McEvoy (64).

 

THOMAS DAVIS: Caitlin Staunton, Emma Phillips, Cliondhna McCabe, Rachel Brady, Kerri Owens, Siobhain McGrath, Tammy Corbally Quinn, Olwen Carey, Jade Sweeney (C), Lauren Young, Rachel Newell, Sophie Palmer, Ciara McGuigan, Orlagh McGuigan, Sineaid Deegan.

 

THOMAS DAVIS SUBS: Niamh Goldrick for Emma Phillips (41), Keeva Donavan for Lauren Young (58).

 

REFEREE: Finbarr Shanahan (St Sylvesters)