U-16 honours for Baile Dubh Tíre
BAILE DUBH TIRE MOGUE O’RAHILLY’S 4-7 4-3
A POWERFUL Baile Dubh Tíre side claimed a deserved victory over a gutsy Mogue O’Rahilly’s in the Roban Financial ladies’ football Under-16 Division 2 championship final in Taghmon recently.
The victors were indebted to great performances all over the pitch. While the defence repelled the Fethard/Gusserane threat well as a team, there were excellent showings from Aoife Codd, Shauna Nolan and Róisín Kavanagh-Murphy.
A lot of what they created came from the tireless work of midfield duo Geri Rose O’Connor and Aine Redmond, while the battling forwards were led by the goalscoring heroics of Orlagh Kehoe and Niamh McHugh.
Plenty of hard work was done by Baile Dubh Tíre when they played with a light breeze in the opening half. With no lack of effort from the eventual runners-up, plus heroics from Mogue O’Rahilly’s goalkeeper Lauren Roche, the champs still went in at the break leading by 2-5 to 1-1.
The scores dried up in the second-half. Part of the reason for that came with the sensational performances by Heather Roche and Aisling Ryan.
Despite a stunning Eimear Gabbett individual goal, Mogue O’Rahilly’s still fell 4-7 to 2-3 behind heading into the final ten minutes.
With Fiona Ryan, an excellent performer all afternoon for her side, driving her team-mates on, they threatened a comeback.
Ryan found the net, as did Aoife Cullen, but Mogue O’Rahilly’s had left themselves too much to do.
In the end, after a great battle between two committed sides, Baile Dubh Tíre were able to hold on in the last few minutes and are worthy county champions.
For the runners-up, who battled right to the end, better days are surely around the corner.
Baile Dubh Tíre: Aoife Dunne; Michelle Kearns, Leah Fitzhenry, Lisa Kavanagh; Róisín Kavanagh-Murphy (0-1), Shauna Nolan, Breda Cushen; Geri Rose O’Connor, Aine Redmond; Katie Breen-Sherlock, Orlagh Kehoe (2-0), Lauren Roban; Aoife D’Arcy (0-2), Amy Smyth, Niamh McHugh (24), Aoife Codd, Ciara Roban, Ciara Walsh, Rebecca Savage, Nicola Dobbs, Katelyn Cowman, Emily Redmond, Laura Conroy.
Mogue O’Rahilly’s: Lauren Roche; Aisling Ryan, Neamh Mulligan, Heather Roche; Ella Cahill, Sarah Molloy (joint capt.), Storm Eaton; Fiona Ryan (joint capt.), Méadhbh Nunan; Alison Molloy, Jennifer Dunne, Jessica Ryan; Aoife Cullen, Eimear Gabbett, Shauna Hackett. Subs. - Amy Molloy, Shauna Whitty, Aideen Foley-Saunders, Eirinn Foley-Saunders, Eabha Cullen (all used), also Chloe Drougth, Laura Walsh, Cora Hackett, Libby Sutton, Ciara Murphy, Claire Chapman, Gráinne Kilcoyne.
Referee: Aiden O’Brien (Cloughbawn).