Louth ladies celebrate Croke Park triumph
WHAT a difference a year makes. TWELVE months on from heartbreak, Louth claimed the All Ireland Junior title in emphatic fashion.
Captain fantastic Kate Flood lit up Croke Park almost singlehandedly, leading her troops to a ten-point victory over Ulster champions Fermanagh.
Flood looked set to be the difference between the sides from early on. One-on-one inside the full forward was highly dangerous, so much so that she was quadruple marked at times. Yet with four Fermanagh players surrounding her, she still found enough space to rack up 1-8!
The goal with less than six minutes remaining in the first half gave the contest an air of inevitability such was the intent in the strike.
Collecting an Eimear Byrne pass the Pats star turned and fired the ball high into the net, clipping the crossbar on the way in.
Beside Flood, dynamic Cooley corner forwards Niamh Rice and Lauren Boyle enjoyed the extra space provided in the second half to plunder 1-2 apiece, the full forward line combining for all but one of Louth’s total on the day.
Both teams found it hard to settle but with last year’s experience to draw on Louth didn’t panic and that acquired learning allowed them to grow into the game.
Flood opened up a three point lead with the first three scores of the game but it must be stated the importance of Una Pearson’s left shin, when she pulled off an excellent save from Eimear Smyth.
A goal at that stage would have given Fermanagh the upshot of confidence they so desperately sought. Instead, it took their star forward Smyth 19 minutes to get them off the mark.
Defensively Louth were solid, keeping Fermanagh scoreless from play in the opening half. The structure which Darren Bishop has introduced has really paid off and under his tutelage Ceire Nolan excelled as sweeper and the returning Sarah Quinn was a colossus at full back.
Michelle McMahon was key to Louth’s approach, with numbers back she had the freedom to drive out from centre back and get Louth up the field in transition.
LOUTH Fermanagh 3-13 2-6
Niamh Rice profited most from these counter attacks, with Flood giving the Wee county a convincing 1-6 to 0-2 lead at half time.
Susan Byrne was rewarded for her trojan work on the forty with Louth’s third point of the second half.
Such was Louth’s meanness at the back they didn’t concede from open play till the 39th minute, they could afford to lived dangerously when Lisa Maguire found the net a minute after she had a goal disallowed.
Once Maguire did eventually find the net Rice responded in defiant fashion. Patiently working an opening, Susan Byrne with a foot pass to Lauren Boyle who gave it to Rice to fire in from 21 yards out.
That provided the relief and the cushion Louth would need to see out the game even though sub Aisling Woods would fire 1-1 for Fermanagh.
Lauren Boyle squeezed between two Erne defenders to equal her Cooley team mates tally of 1-2 with a neat finish to apply the adequate gloss on a glorious day for Louth.
LOUTH: Una Pearson; Eilis Hand, Sarah Quinn, Shannen McLaughlin; Ceire Nolan, Michelle McMahon, Deirbhile Osborne; Eimear Byrne, Aoife Byrne; Rebecca Carr, Susan Byrne 0-1, Aoife Russell; Lauren Boyle 1-2 (1f), Kate Flood 1-8 (5f), Niamh Rice 1-2. Subs: Áine Breen for Carr (37), Sinead Woods for A Byrne (48), Seoda Matthews for Breen blood (56) Jennifer McGuinnes for Rice (57).
FERMANAGH: Shauna Murphy; Shannan McQuaid, Erin Murphy, Molly Flynn; Aisling Maguire, Courtney Murphy, Molly McGloin; Róisín O’Reilly, Aoife Flanagan; Lisa Maguire 1-0, Joanne Doonan, Danielle Maguire; Aisling O’Brien, Eimear Smyth 0-5(5f), Blaithín Bogue 0-1. Subs: Aisling Woods 1-1 for McGloin (32), Danielle McManus for O’Brien (40), Noelle Connolly for L Maguire (48), Maria Maguire for McQuaid (54), Áine McGovern for D Maguire (58).
REFEREE: Kevin Phelan (Laois)