The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
First win of the season for Ladies
LIDL LADIES NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2 ROUND 3
KERRY recorded there first win in the group with a strong second half against a spirited Laois on Sunday.
The away side were forced into a change before throw in with Aislinn Desmond replaced by Tara Breen. It was the home side who were first off, the mark. Emma Lawlor with two points one from a free and play before Sarah Houlihan opened Kerry’s account from a free in the sixth minute.
Houlihan and Lawlor exchanged points before Laois struck for the first decisive score of the half. Shannon Costello with a goal in the twelfth minute to give the home side a four-point lead.
The home side’s direct running causing the Kerry defence plenty of trouble early on. To their credit they quickly responded with points from Sarah Houlihan and Erica McGlynn first of the afternoon to reduce the deficit to two points.
Kerry had a chance to draw level, but shot the next two wides. Megan Dunne responded for the home side to increase there lead to three. Another Sarah Houlihan point had the deficit down to two before Kerry took the game by the scruff of the neck.
Two quick fire goals the first by captain Amanda Brosnan was soon followed by Sarah Houlihan in the 20th minute to turn Kerry’s two-point deficit into a four-point lead. Laois 1-4 (7) Kerry 2-5 (11).
Kerry had now got to grips with the Laois attack and were putting their defence under pressure by pressing up on their kick-outs. Kerry were now playing with a swagger and were full of confidence with Niamh Carmody getting in on the action by registering her first score of the afternoon.
Emma Lawlor who was Laois go to player responded for the home side with a free. By this stage Kerry were now up to the speed of the game and were not going to let the lead slip Kerry’s Erica McGlynn and Laois’ Megan Dunne with their second points of the afternoon to keep the distance between both sides to four points.
Emma Lawlor had the deficit down to a goal coming up to half-time, but Kerry responded with two pointed frees from Sarah Houlihan. Laois rallied for one final push in the first half, but Kerry’s net minder Laura Fitzgerald pulled off a great save to make sure the away side went in at the break leading by five points, Laois 1-7 Kerry 2-9.
Kerry made two substitutions at the start of the second half. Hannah O’Donoghue and Fiadhna Tagney coming on for Erica McGlynn and Niamh Carmody. The introduction of Hannah O’Donoghue would turn out to be an inspired substitution.
The game had barely restarted, and she had already found the back of the net to increase Kerry’s lead and give them a firm grip of the game. Sarah Houlihan registered her fifth point of the afternoon to give Kerry a nine-point lead and make Laois’ task all the more difficult.
The home side were not about to throw in the towel and responded with two points from Emma Lawlor and Eva Galvin sandwiched in between Laura Fitzgerald’s second save of the afternoon to keep the home side within distance.
They made further inroads into Kerry’s lead in the thirty seventh minute when Emma Lawlor pointed another free. By this stage Kerry were able to find that extra gear and up popped super sub Hannah O’Donoghue with another well taken goal.
Any hopes of Laois mounting a comeback were to take another serious blow as Aoife Newell first point of the afternoon along with Hannah O’Donoghue third goal gave Kerry a ten-point lead with only eleven minutes gone in the second half.
Kerry began to make changes at this stage as Laois scored the next three points on-the-trot to reduce the deficit to seven.
Despite the changes Kerry were making they always seemed capable to responding with an answer and it was no different at this stage with Sarah Houlihan finding the net for the second time in the afternoon to register Kerry’s sixth goal of the afternoon.
By now Kerry’s lead stood at thirteen points and with further substitutions it disrupted Kerry’s rhythm, but credit to Laois for not throwing in the towel and outscoring the away side 1-4 to 0-2 in the closing six minutes with substitute Alannah Havill with the goal.
While Kerry will be disappointed to concede 2-17 scoring six goals away from home will give this Kerry team full confidence heading in to Sunday’s home game against Wexford in Killarney.
KERRY: L Fitzgerald, C O’Brien, K Cronin, L Coughlan, B Ryan, A O’Connell, T Breen, L Scanlon, A Brosnan (1-0), A Newell (0-1), S Houlihan (2-8; 0-6f), N Carmody (0-1), A O’Callaghan, E McGlynn (0-2), A Foley Subs: H O’Donoghue (3-0) for E McGlynn (h-t), F Tagney for N Carmody (h-t), C Murphy for A Brosnan (42), M O’Keeffe (0-1) for K Cronin (47), K Maher for L Scanlon (48), E Dineen for A Foley (56), A O’Reilly for B Ryan (57)
LAOIS: Aoife Conlon-Hyland, Mary Cotter, Maureen Young, Aimee Kelly, Ellen Healy, Clodagh Dunne, Anna Healy, Joyce Dunne, Jane Moore, Shannon Costello (1-0), Emma Lawlor (0-12), Erone Fitzpatrick, Laura Nerney, Megan Dunne (0-4), Eva Galvin Sub: Alannah Havill (1-0), Aisling Kehoe (0-2)
REFEREE: K O’Brien