Leinster Ladies Club IFC Semi-Final Report

AIB LEINSTER LADIES INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
SEMI-FINAL

Full-Time Score Killoe Young Emmets (Longford) 3-05 St.
Conleth’s (Laois) 1-09

 

Report by Cóilín Duffy

Following a nail-biting encounter played at Kilbeggan Shamrocks
grounds on Saturday evening its Killoe of Longford who progress
to the Leinster Final following their two point victory
over St. Conleth’s of Laois. This game was played in warm,
sunny conditions and it was the St. Conleth’s girls from
Laois who got off to the better start after a point from
Tracey Lawlor from a free in the third minute after two
attacks on the St. Conleth’s defence proved fruitless for
the Killoe girls both resulting in wides early on.

Tracey Lawlor put St. Conleth’s two points in front with
a point from play in the 5th minute. Then directly from
the resulting kickout from Killoe keeper Donna Fox, Lianne
Fallon won possession for St. Conleth’s and had no hesitation
in sticking the ball over the bar. 0-3 to 0-0 in favour
of St. Conleth’s. Edel Quinn opened the scoring for the
Longford side after seven minutes with a pointed free before
in the 16th minute Longford player Sharon Treacy broke through
the St. Conleth’s defence scoring a goal to put the Killoe
side ahead midway through the half 1-1 to 0-3.

Ashling Brophy levelled matters after 18 minutes with a
well taken point before a pointed free from Claire O’Connell
gave the Emo and Portarlington parish’s combination a one
point lead once again. Louise Clarke then pointed in the
23rd minute for Killoe to level the game.

Then less than a minute later St. Conleth’s
were back in front once again with an expertly taken goal
from 12 year old Emma Bracken to give St. Conleth’s a three
point lead 6 minutes before half-time. The St. Conleth’s
girls pressed and pressed for scores in the closing stages
of the half and points from Tracey Lawlor and Claire O’Connell
in the 29th and 30th minutes respectively gave St. Conleth’s
of Laois a five point lead at half-time.

Half-time: St. Conleth’s (Laois) 1-07 Killoe (Longford)
1-02

Killoe regained composure at the start of the second half
and they clawed back into the St. Conleth’s lead with a
point from Longford player Edel Quinn three minutes into
the second-half. Claire O’Connell pointed for St. Conleth’s
after 6 minutes to restore their lead to five points once
again. But St. Conleth’s were not to score again for a further
25 minutes of the game despite numerous chances for scores.
Longford county stars Sharon Treacy and Edel Quinn added
a point each in the 10th and 14th minutes to narrow the
gap to just a goal.

Sharon Treacy was then booked minutes later for a heavy
tackle on a St. Conleth’s player before the third goal of
the game was produced. Killoe were pressing the St. Conleth’s
defence as the ball was moved from forward to forward as
the Longford girls pressed for a score. The ball eventually
broke to Edel Quinn who found herself free and she headed
for goal and slammed the ball to the back of the net and
the sides were now suddenly level once again for the third
time in the game. The score standing at St. Conleth’s 1-08
Killoe 2-5 after 20 minutes of the second half. Then two
minutes later and Killoe were through for their third goal
of the day. A brilliant save by Cassie Dunne in the goals
for St. Conleth’s saw the ball move out. A scramble in the
square for the ball ensued with goalie and her defence struggling
for the ball together with the Killoe attack and it was
Sabrina Hackett who managed to toe poke the ball to the
back of the net. It was a very suspect goal in that a free
out could have been given for a square ball. Also in the
process Cassie Dunne was fouled and play had to be held
up for a few minutes as Cassie was injured but thankfully
the St. Conleth’s No. 1 was able to continue on playing.

That goal coming seven and a half minutes from time and
gave Killoe a three point lead. St. Conleth’s pressed and
pressed at the Killoe defence but Killoe stood firm. Sharon
Treacy was sent off for a second bookable offence on the
stroke of full-time and with seven minutes of injury time
to follow and St. Conleth’s with a one player advantage
found it hard to get the scores the final score of the game
coming from Tracey Lawlor with a pointed free almost two
minutes into injury time.

Credit is due to the St. Conleth’s girls who played some
outstanding football in their campaign which started last
May with a one point win over Park/Ratheniska in the Laois
County Final. Senior Club football in Laois now awaits these
girls in 2004 and no doubt they will certainly rise to this
test.

Full-Time Score: Killoe (Longford) 3-5 St. Conleth’s (Laois)
1-09

St. Conleth’s: Cassie Dunne, Maria O’Reilly, Sinéad
Murphy, Lizzie Keogh, Claire Whelan, Fionnuala Gleeson,
Sandra Ramsbottom, Catriona Murphy, Lianne Fallon 0-1, Louise
Whelehan, Aisling Brophy 0-1, Claire O’Connell 0-3, Emma
Bracken 1-0, Tracey Lawlor 0-4, Gemma Wilson. Subs: Sarah
McCormack for C. Whelan, Laura Fallon for G. Wilson.

Killoe: D. Fox, D. Cahill, C. Kiernan, A. Carrigy,
C. McCormack, M. Carrigy, A. Brady, E. Brady, C. Carrigy,
S. Hackett (1-0), S. Treacy (1-1), A. Kenny, L. Clarke (0-1),
E. Quinn (1-2), A. Brereton.