PRESSURE RISES ON SLIGO AFTER A FOURTH LOSS
SLIGO’S RESULTS SO FAR
Lidl Ladies NFL
Division Three – Round Five Antrim 2-15 Sligo 3-6
SLIGO Ladies Footballers’ already stuttering season has taken a turn for the worse. Without a win going into last Sunday’s away fixture against fellow strugglers Antrim, Sligo’s sixpoint loss, 2-15 to 3-6, means that Cormac Reape’s charges are bottom of the Division Three table after five rounds of the Lidl Ladies National Football League.
Because two teams will make the drop to Division Two, Sligo can survive by winning both of their remaining games – against Wexford and Louth – or at least beat Louth and then hope that other results go their way (namely losses for Louth and Antrim).
Sligo goaled three times at the Coláiste Feirse all-weather pitch (the venue used instead of the scheduled Davitt Park in Belfast) but even their best return this year in
LIDL LADIES NFL DIVISION THREE
Offaly 1-8, Sligo 1-8 (January 21); Clare 4-11, Sligo 2-6 (January 28); R3: Sligo 1-9, Down 1-10 (February 11); Sligo 0-8, Roscommon 0-17 (February 18); Antrim 2-15, Sligo 3-6 (March 3).
SLIGO’S REMAINING GAMES LIDL LADIES NFL DIVISION THREE
R6: R7: goals – scored by Cora Gilligan inside the opening five minutes – helped Sligo lead 1-1 to 0-1 early on. At half-time the sides were level, 1-4 to 0-7, with Sligo’s four first-half points coming from goalscorer Megan McCormack and Rianne Smith (0-2).
The visitors made a brilliant start to the second-half when Rianne Smith and Megan McCormack both netted and these scores pushed Sligo two points clear, 3-4 to 0-11, by the 36th minute.
But four unanswered points from Antrim swung the pendulum back in favour of the Ulster county – a period when Cora Gilligan was in the sin bin – as they led by two points, 0-15 to 3-4.
With five minutes of normal time left Sligo drew level thanks to scores from Rianne Smith (a converted free) and Tara Breheny.
Two goals in the last five minutes gave Antrim the win. Sligo goalkeeper Macayla Burke, on for the injured Ellen McGuire, was deemed by the referee Brendan Rice to have used a foot block when making a save and was yellow-carded.
Aoife Morrisroe took over between the sticks and was unable to stop Antrim’s spot-kick as Hanna Donaghy converted. Then Ana Mulholland netted from a rebound after her initial effort came off the crossbar and bounced back into play. Sligo are next in action on Sunday, March 17, when they are away to
Wexford.
Sligo LGFA squad (v Antrim): Ellen McGuire, Aisling Molloy, Ellie McDermott, Jennie Creegan,
Jade Lyons, Aoife Morrisroe, Tara Breheny (0-1), Sarah Cunney, Sinead Regan (c), Cora Gilligan (1-0), Leah Duffy, Megan McCormack (1-1), Rianne Smith (1-4,
2f), Nicola Brennan, Rachel O’Brien, Ella Boland, Cara King, Amy Kennedy, Eimear Hunt, Sarah Curley, Ciara Gorman, Macayla Burke, Isabella Henry, Lauren Normanly, Claire Dunne, Aife Haran, Fiona Feeney, Nisha McDonagh
The number of goals scored by Sligo in their five Lidl Ladies NFL Division Three games.
STANDINGS
LIDL LADIES NFL DIVISION THREE P D F 5 1 68 5 1 70 5 0 56 5 1 60 5 1 33 5 1 57 5 0 63 5 1 58
Diff +32 +28 +7 -7 -10 -12 -11 -27