Sligo U - 14's record second win

Connacht Girls U – 14 Championship Round 2 Sligo U – 14’s record second win Sligo 3 – 10 Roscommon 1 – 7

A week on from their surprise win over Mayo in the Connacht Championship, Sligo recorded their second win and first at home ironically their only home game of the campaign. Corran Park, Ballymote was the scene for this latest success as the Yeats girls kept on their winning ways with this 9 point victory over Roscommon on Saturday evening last in front of a large attendance.
A strong breeze which appeared to be going cross field was in fact heading more towards the road end goals with the winners having first assistance of it. A blistering start which yielded 1 – 2 inside the opening four minutes, in the corresponding game a year ago in the opening four minutes the Black and White hit the crossbar twice with no returns with Roscommon going down field with their first attack and finding the net en route to an All Ireland Final.
Emma Hansberry picked up where she left off against Mayo by sending over in the second minute and finding the net in the 3rd. A brace from Lauren Boles soon followed with Sarah Reynolds chipping in with one also to give the winners a commanding 1 – 4 to no score lead by the 11th minute.
Prior to the commencement of the Game the winners received a timely boost with the news that Curry’s Bernadette Connolly was fit to line out. The previous week the management was forced to withdraw her through injury at half time. They did however have to make a change from the starting line out with Katie Hannon out through flu. Her replacement though Caoimhe Gallagher had a stormier of a game while her Eastern Harps colleague Grainne Casey ran herself to a stand still before being finally replaced with around five minutes to go.
While Connolly may not have had the movement she is capable of having she did manage to lay of some timely passes which yielded some valuable scores none more so than in opening minutes of the second half when she placed Grainne Casey for Sligo’s opening score of the half. She also had a major part to play for Emma Hansberry’s second goal and Sligo’s third in the 14th minute and also in Caoimhe Gallagher’s point in the 16th minute. Sligo’s second goal, a long range effort from Marie Claire Doyle in the 13th minute had the winners in dream land as the visitors had yet to register a score or for that matter put the Sligo defence under pressure.
Kayleigh Dunning finally opened the visitors account in the 14th minute as Sligo’s regard were caught napping. Things could have been a lot worse for them in the 20th minute as a shower of Roscommon forwards rained down on the Sligo goal hunting like wolves for a goal. A rocket of a shot from Caroline Gunning was distant for the top corner of the net but once again Curry’s Michelle Brett came to the rescue with a finger tip save at the expense of a point. The added another point in the 21st minute through Saffron Coll.
The Visitors ploy to bring back a sweeper against the breeze backfired a little in the 24th minute as Sligo’s Rachel Monaghan sent over her side’s sixth point. The final act of the half was left to Caoilionn Beirne who converted a close in free on the call of half time.
Having the breeze with them for the second half, one felt Roscommon would eat into the Sligo lead and thus come out guns a blazing. A full 5 minutes has passed before they tagged on their first score of the half through Rebecca Coyle. The next three points were to go the way of the home side, all three from the boot of Grainne Casey between the 6th to the 14th minutes, The pick of them been her third effort as she slotted over from an almost impossible angle. As the visitors kept raiding for their scores, the home back line held firm holding them to just a single score over the next quarter of an hour. That point from by far their best player Gillian Dufficy arrived in the 15th minute. Sligo did manage to go forward on a few occasions, on one such of those attacks Marie Clare Doyle finished of what was a sweeping move from defence involving a number of players.
As the game ticked towards it finally Roscommon pierced the Sligo regard as substitute Jennifer Kelly shot to the net and Gillian Dufficy sent over. Both scores helped to put a little respectability on the scoreboard as at that stage the home side was assured of three more points and a place at least in a Connacht B Final. After the game both teams retired to the Loftus Hall in Ballymote for refreshments. The County Board wishes to thank Ballymote for the use of both their Pitch and Hall last Saturday and in particular Pat Mc Grath for having everything in order, a word of thanks also to all the parents who helped out with the refreshments for Saturday evening.
This coming weekend Sligo have a bye in the Connacht Championship with most of the players returning to Club action on this Wednesday evening in the opening round of the U – 14 Leagues and again on Saturday when the opening rounds of the Feile competition will be held. Eastern Harps duo of Grainne Casey and Katie Hannon and St Michael’s duo of Lauren Boles and Grainne O’Loughlin have a bigger date on Sunday when they contest the 2007 U – 16A Championship Final. A Final that will have a new Cup to play for thanks to the kind sponsorship of Pauric O’Dowd Transport in Gurteen.

Scorers Sligo: Emma Hansberry 2 – 2, Marie Clare Doyle 1 – 1, Grainne Casey 0 – 3, Caoimhe Gallagher 0 – 1, Sarah Reynolds 0 – 1, Lauren Boles 0 – 1, Rachel Monaghan 0 – 1.

Scorers Roscommon: Jennifer Kelly 1 – 0, Gillian Dufficy 0 – 2, Rebecca Coyle 0 – 1, Kayleigh Dunning 0 – 1, Caroline Gunning 0 – 1, Saffron Cull 0 – 1, Caoilonn Beirne o – 1.

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), Caoimhe Gallagher (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), 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: Lisa Wynne (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry) for C Mc Keon, Chloe Marren (Curry) for B Connolly, Rachel Flannery (Curry) for G Casey.
Other Subs: Orla Coleman (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Aine Stenson (Curry), Kasie O’Reilly (St Mary’s), Shauna Brady (St Patrick’s), Lorna Towey (Curry), Edel Sheerin (St Mary’s), Gina Lynch (St Patrick’s), Melissa Gillen (St Mary’s), Emily Ryan (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry), Michelle Scully (St Nathy’s), Michelle Whire (Owenmore Gaels), Katie Hannon (Eastern Harps), Sinead Flannery (Curry) & Sarah Kilcoyne (Cloonacool/Tubbercurry).
Panel Members: Ciara Gilligan (Owenmore Gaels), Elisha Queenan (Eoghan Rua), Orla Gilligan (Owenmore Gaels), Leanne Dunne (St Farnan’s) & Avril Clancy (Drumcliffe/Rosses Point).
Management: Ted Maloney, Imelda McNulty, Jackie Clancy, Breege Boles, Martin Seery & Thomas Keane.
Roscommon: Richael Timothy, Aishling Callaghan, Gillian Dufficy, Sorocha Dowd, Charlene Banahan, Gillian Wall, Daraca Beirne, Rebecca Coyle, Saffron Cull, Caoilionn Beirne, Laura Fleming, Caroline Gunning, Hayleigh Dunning, Shona Tiley, Judy McDermott. Subs used: Jennifer Kelly.

Referee: Malachy McCarron (Mayo)