Down Ladies continue their winning ways

SUNDAY 27TH FEBRUARY

The Down Ladies Football team continued their
winning ways in the Suzuki National League with
a convincing win over a spirited Antrim side in
Carryduff on Sunday February 27th. The game got
off to a frantic start with a goal from Kyla Trainor
following a neat interchange with Castlewellan
woman, Lisa Morgan. Suzanne McKerr quickly responded
for Antrim with a fine point. This was then followed
by with a good individual goal from Michaela Downey.
The Bosco player chased her own kick to block
the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance, with a simple
tap in being the result.

The Down Ladies Team

The
Antrim girls came back into the game well with
a scrappy goal and two points but Down’s solid
backline prevented any further scores from the
saffrons leading into the break, with notable
performances coming from Aine Keary and Eilish
McConville. However, some wasteful shooting from
Down saw only two further scores added before
the break – a free kick from Lisa Morgan and a
point from play from Emma O’Reilly, with both
scores coming as a result of good work by Aoibheann
Downey.

The second half saw the mourne county girls move
up a gear with both their passing and shooting
greatly improved. Star of the show for Down, Kyla
Trainor (Downpatrick) coolly slotted home a quick
goal and point. The Down forwards scrapped for
every ball and got their just rewards – excellent
points from Karen Keown, Michaela Downey and Lyndsey
Cunningham. Quick thinking from midfielder Denise
Maguire also sent Kyla Trainer straight through
from a sideline ball for a good point. As the
game drew to a close, quick interplay between
the forwards and midfielders resulted in points
being scored at will from Lisa Morgan, Karen Keown
and substitute Michelle Fearon. Kyla Trainor’s
physical presence in the square also saw her punch
a further goal and emerge with an eventual tally
of 4-5.

Down manager Gregory McGonigle will have been
heartened by the improvement from the team across
the two halves but there is much work still to
be done if the Down Ladies are to prevail in tough
games against Mayo B and Fermanagh in the coming
weeks.