ladies jfc semi-final report sligo v clare

SLIGO 2-12

CLARE 1-14

 

STEPHANIE O’Reilly kicked two late points in
O’Connor Park on Saturday to fire Sligo to a third successive
TG4 All-Ireland ladies junior football decider. 

Sligo beat Clare by the narrowest of margins in Saturday’s
thrilling semi-final at O’Connor Park and will face either
Longford or Leitrim, who meet in the second semi-final at Dr Hyde
Park next Saturday, in the decider.

 

The Yeats County, who had a change of management in midseason
this year, have lost the last two All-Ireland junior finals and
so will be hoping it is third time lucky this time around.

 

They were pushed all the way by a gutsy Clare side on Saturday
though. Goals from O’Reilly and Therese Marren put Sligo
2-5 to 1-6 ahead at half-time. Myra Daly scored Clare’s goal.

 

Ultimately, it took two late points from O’Reilly to decide
the game. Clare were four points down after 43 minutes but they
staged a battling comeback with points from the impressive Aine
Kelly (3) and Niamh Keane hauling them level five minutes later.

 

The sides remained level with just eight minutes remaining when
O’Reilly floated over her first point to put Sligo in front
by the minimum. Then, with just two minutes on the clock the Geevagh
club player hit her second.

 

Myra Daly replied immediately for Clare and although the Banner
had a number of chances to grab an equaliser, Sligo held on to
make their third successive All-Ireland JFC final.

 

SLIGO: K Connolly; F Maye, G O’Gara, A Gerrity; T O’Hara,
C Kennedy, L Harte; S McTiernan, B Byrne; E Flanagan, T Marren
(1-1), A Doohan (0-2, 1f); I McNulty (0-3), N Gormley (0-3), S
O’Reilly (1-3). Subs: R Goodwin for Gerrity (24 mins); K
Maloney for Gormley (48 mins)

 

CLARE: E O’Driscoll; C Considine, L Kelly, Monica Lillis;
S Kelly, E Morrissey (0-1), S Eustace; L Henchy, G Lynch (0-1);
N Keane (0-1), M Griffin (0-2, 2f), M Considine; A Kelly (0-6,
4f), M Lillis, M Daly (1-2). Subs: H Quinn for Henchy (17 mins),
S Maher (0-1) for Griffin (26 mins), A Cavanagh for Majella Lillis
(37 mins ), M Kelly for Maher (58).

 

REFEREE: T Clarke (Dublin)