Fortune favours brave Bree
Amazing recovery wrests control from Castlebridge
BREE CASTLEBRIDGE 2-5 2-1
TWO SUPERB Aoife Fortune second-half goals inspired Bree to a dramatic four-point victory over a battling Castlebridge in this exciting Allianz Rackard League girls’ football Roinn B final in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy, on Tuesday.
This game saw both sides enjoy periods of dominance, but Castlebridge looked comfortable having stormed into a five-point lead early in the second-half.
Then came the amazing Bree recovery. When the game seemed to be slipping away from them, they somehow managed to up the tempo, particularly in attack, and corner-forward Aoife Fortune thundered into the game.
Always a real threat in possession, she took both goals superbly, scores that turned the game her side’s way, giving them a dramatic but deserved victory in the end.
During this closing 15-minute spell, Bree were simply unstoppable as their midfield pairing of Grace Donohoe and Casey Cullen began to win lots of possession, in the process giving their attack a plentiful supply of ball.
This ensured they had sufficient opportunity to haul their opponents back in, with Fortune’s goals giving them their third title in this grade over the past four years, a truly magnificent record.
Castlebridge played all their quality football through the opening half. They moved the ball at speed through their attack, but they were unlucky with many of their scoring attempts which left their opponents always within touching distance.
Once Bree took the initiative, they were very much pinned back on the defensive, being unable to create sufficient attacks to lift the siege.
Scoring was in short supply through the opening half as defences generally were on top. One had to wait until the twelfth minute for the opener when Bree’s Amelia Furlong pointed.
Castlebridge were enjoying lots of possession in attack but were unable to translate this into scores, only managing a solitary first-half point through Kitty Roche after 18 minutes.
But it was Bree who finished the half strongest, with an Ava Whelan point giving them a 0-2 to 0-1 interval lead.
The second-half was only two minutes old when Kitty Roche slotted home a fine goal for Castlebridge, a score that seemed to settle the side.
Castlebridge now seemed to have taken control, spending most of the opening minutes of the second period on the attack, and creating a number of chances, but on each occasion their scoring attempts drifted the wrong side of the posts.
Seven minutes into the new period they got the second goal they had been threatening. Having won possession deep in midfield, they moved the ball quickly into the attack and Cara Parker pounced on a break close to goal to fire low to the net, giving her side a 2-1 to 0-2 led after 32 minutes.
Two minutes later, Bree responded with an attack, resulting in the ball being played across the goal. Aoife Fortune won possession to the right of the posts, and held off a number of tackles before slotting home an excellent goal, leaving it 2-1 to 1-2, with the game having now taken on a whole new look.
Fortune minutes later brought a fine save out of Castlebridge ‘keeper Isabelle Morris, who had denied her opponents on several occasions with fine saves.
It was now relentless pressure from Bree, with both Amelia Furlong and Aoife Fortune adding points to bring the sides level (1-4 to 2-1) after 37 minutes.
Bree went on to build further attacks, and Fortune picked up a crossfield ball close to goal and kept her composure as she slotted home a superb shot, giving her side a 2-4 to 2-1 lead with nine minutes remaining.
The closing minutes were tense, producing quality football from both sides, but a late Casey Cullen point secured the title for the Bree girls.
Bree: Emily Dunne; Cora Finn, Sadbh Crean, Sarah O’Leary; Emer Doyle, Lucy McCormack, Ella Doyle; Grace Donohoe, Casey Cullen (0-1); Emily Murphy, Amelia Furlong (0-2), Ava Whelan (0-1); Ella Fitzpatrick, Emma Reville, Aoife Fortune (2-1). Subs. - Lucy Higgins for Fitzpatrick, Clodagh Dempsey for O’Leary, Leona Carr for Whelan, also Chelsea Doyle, Lucy Reville, Sacha McCauley, Riona Kehoe, Libby Coxon, Saoirse Byrne.
Castlebridge: Isabelle Morris; Amy Cullen, Aoife Cullen, Anna Corrigan; Sophie Donohoe, Ellie Roche, Nicole Murphy; Zara Corrigan, Niamh O’Brien; Ava McCormack, Cara Parker (1-0), Kitty Roche (1-1); Shauna Somers, Chloe Whelan, Laura Canning. Sub. - Mary Harding-Kenny for Somers, also Carla Dunne, Rhona Kelly, Bronagh Hearne, Lulu Roche, Lucy McCormack, Mia Murphy, Mia Denton.
Referee: lights). Dickie Murphy (Star-