Hard-fought and well-deserved win on the road

LIDL LADIES NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2 ROUND 1 Cavan 3-10 Kerry 4-8

KERRY got their Lidl Ladies National Football League off to the perfect start with a hardfought and well-deserved win against Cavan away from home on Sunday.

With the format of the league changing this year by having no semi-finals and the top two teams going straight to the final to determine who goes up a win was even more crucial against a side that had beaten Kerry in Killarney last year.

Both teams lined out as selected with Kerry’s Fiadhna Tagney opening the away side’s account.

Aisling Gilsenan levelled for the home side before Kerry scored the first of four goals. Hannah O’Donoghue in the fourth minute to get Kerry off to the perfect start.

Kerry were hungry from the start and were putting pressure on Cavan all over the field. Both sides exchanged points before Kerry struck for a double blow. Hannah O’Donoghue with her second and a Louise Ní Mhuireachtaigh goal opened up a commanding nine-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the half.

Such was Kerry’s dominance and with Cavan guilty of some poor wides, it forced the home side into three substitutions late in the half. It had the impact they so badly wanted as points from Aisling Maguire (free) and Laura Fitzpatrick and a goal approaching half-time from Aisling Gilsenan ensured the home side went in at the break just four points down – Cavan 1-4 Kerry 3-2.

Kerry started the second half in similar fashion to the first. Louise with her second goal and Hannah O’Donoghue with her first point of the afternoon increasing the visitors lead to eight with only five minutes gone in the second period.

Cavan substitutions late in the first half were beginning to have more of an impact in the second period with the sides exchanging scores. Cavan struck for their second goal of the afternoon to bring themselves right into the game.

Sinead Greene raising the green flag to the delight of the big crowd in attendance. As the match ticked on so did the confidence and intensity of both sides. Two well taken points from Eilis O’Leary either end of Cavan points from Donna English and Laura Fitzpatrick left five between the sides at the midway point.

As both sides made further changes captain Anna Galvin extended Kerry’s lead to six as things were beginning to take a turn for the worse for the away side.

Substitute Niamh Carmody was sin binned with eleven minutes remaining handing the advantage to Cavan at such a critical stage of the game. This reflected on the scoreboard as Cavan made the dominance count.

Scoring 1-3 without reply, the goal coming from full forward Aisling Maguire would ultimately prove too little too late as Kerry held on for a deserving victory by the slimmest of margins. Credit to both sides for providing a terrific game of football on their first game of the campaign.

For a young side Kerry can take great encouragement so early in the season heading into Sunday’s fixture away to Wexford

in Enniscorthy at 1pm.