Latest victory insures a Connacht Final date for the Yeats County

Connacht Girls U – 14 Championship Round 4 Latest victory insures a Connacht Final date for the Yeats County Sligo 4 – 11 Leitrim 3 – 8

Sligo U – 14 girls qualified for this year’s Connacht A Final following this six point victory over Leitrim in Ballinagleragh on Saturday evening last. With Galway winning in Kiltoom it means that when both sides come face to face in Round 5 on this Thursday evening in Tuam Stadium the game will be a nothing at stake encounter with both sides thinking ahead to the May 2nd encounter probably at the same venue.
This latest success means that the Yeats County will contest the A Final for the first time since 2005 when they were defeated by Galway. A twenty minute period in which they scored 1 – 8 without reply in the first half laid the foundations for this success. The losers were first to raise a flag as Shauna Clancy sent over in the second minute. a well worked move which involved Sarah Reynolds, Emma Hansberry ended up with Grainne Casey pointing for the winners in the 6th minute. Some ninety seconds later the losers were ahead again as Niamh McKiernan flashed the ball to the net.
From there on the losers were to play second fiddle as by the time their next score would arrive Sligo would have added 1 – 8 to their total. Emma Hansberry started the scoring with a point from distance in the 8th minute and added another in the 11th. By the 13th minute the winners were in front and there they were to stay for the remainder of the game. A Lauren Boles ball hit in hope was chased into the corner by Grainne Casey with the Eastern Harps player keeping the ball in play before squaring it to Bernadette Connolly, with only the keeper to beat, Connolly rolled the ball into the net to give Sligo a 1 – 33 to 1 – 1 lead. Points followed through Connolly, Hansberry, Katie Hannon and Lauren Boles to have Sligo 1 – 9 to 1 – 1 to the good by the 27th minute. a rare Leitrim attack witnessed them hit the woodwork with Roisin Fowley pointing the rebound. Before the half time break a final sting was left in the tail as Caoimhe Gallagher a early substation for Marie Clare Doyle set up Emma Hansberry for Sligo’s second goal.
Into the second half and the Winners seemed to make heavy weather for the success. Within two minutes Emma Hansberry pointed them into a eleven point lead but there things seemed to slip a little as Leitrim tore into them. Points by Niamh Tighe, Roisin Fowley and Laura O’Dowd and a Fowley goal had the losers back to within 5 points. Another gear move by Sligo witnessed them score two goals in quick succession through the terrible twins Bernie Connolly and Emma Hansberry to extend their lead to double scores by the 17th minute.
Strangely the winners would only add a single point to their tally over the remaining minutes as the losers went on a late scoring spree adding another 1 – 3 to their tally, their goal coming from Emma O’Hagen following an error by Sligo net minder Michelle Brett. Sligo’s final point was registered by Bernie Connolly in the 23rd minute.

This coming Sligo travel to Tuam to play Galway already knowing that they will be contesting a Connacht Final on 2nd May, Leitrim meanwhile are traveling to Mayo to play a do or die contest with the winner there playing Roscommon in the Connacht B Championship Final on 1st May.
Scorers Sligo: Emma Hansberry 2 – 6, Bernie Connolly 2 – 2, Grainne Casey 0 – 1, Lauren Boles 0 – 1, Katie Hannon 0 – 1.

Scorers Leitrim: Roisin Fowley 1 – 3, Emma O’Hagan & Niamh Mc Kiernan 1 – 0 each, Laura O’Dowd 0 – 2, Naimh Tighe, Shauna Clancy & Sarah Gordon 0 – 1 each.

Sligo: Michelle Brett (Curry), Denise Conlon (Geevagh), Aisling Ewing (Drumcliffe/Rosses Point), Rachel Monaghan (Drumcliffe/Rosses Point), Clodagh McKeon (Owenmore Gaels), Grainne O’Loughlin (St Michael’s), Mary Walsh (Tourlestrane), Katie Hannon (Eastern Harps), Laura Gillespie (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Sarah Reynolds (Geevagh), Lauren Boles (St Michael’s), Marie Clare Doyle (Owenmore Gaels), Emma Hansberry (St Mary’s), Bernadette Connolly (Curry), Grainne Casey (Eastern Harps).
Subs used: Caoimhe Gallagher (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry) for M Doyle, Melissa Gillen (St Mary’s) for D Conlon, Leanne Dunne (St Farnan’s) for M Walsh & Marie Clare Doyle for L Boles.
Other Subs: Orla Coleman (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Kasie O’Reilly (St Mary’s), Shauna Brady (St Patrick’s), Lorna Towey (Curry), Edel Sheerin (St Mary’s), Gina Lynch (St Patrick’s), Emily Ryan (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Michelle Scully (St Nathy’s), Michelle Whire (Owenmore Gaels), Lisa Wynne (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Chloe Marren (Curry), Rachel Flannery (Curry), Sarah Kilcoyne (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Ciara Gilligan (Owenmore Gaels), Elisha Queenan (Eoghan Rua), Orla Gilligan (Owenmore Gaels), & Avril Clancy (Drumcliffe/Rosses Point).
Management: Ted Maloney, Martin Seery, Imelda McNulty, Jackie Clancy & Breege Boles,
Leitrim: Katie Byrne, Patricia Forde, Shauna McLoughlin, Kelly O’Brien, Grainne O’Malley, Deirdre Davitt, Ciara McWeeney, Niamh Tighe, Ciara Gaffney, Emma O’ Hagan, Caoimhe Quinn, Laura O’Dowd, Niamh McKiernan, Shauna Clancy, Roisin Fowley.

Referee: Gerry Sheridan (Cavan)