Megan grabs winning goal
Ballygarrett pip Castletown
THE CRUELTY of sport was witnessed deep in injury time in Clonee on Saturday, as a late goal from Megan Cahill saw Ballygarrett take home the ladies’ football Junior ‘A’ championship title, consigning Castletown to a heartbreaking 2-12 to 3-7 defeat in the process.
Castletown seemed to have gotten their game management spot on, systematically picking away at their opponents’ rearguard with intelligent, quick, handpassing routines against the wind in the second-half, with the sublime Amy Wilson supplying all bar one of their scores.
Indeed, she had brought her tally to a super 3-6 with a nice point off her left boot a minute short of full-time to open up a 3-7 to 1-12 cushion.
Ballygarrett pushed forward in numbers in an effort to win the game at the death, but when they won a tricky free down the left flank two minutes into injury time, the immediate danger wasn’t apparent.
However, when Sherene Hamilton’s floating delivery was connected to mid-air by Cahill, it veered beyond the despairing Lauren Kelly for the decisive goal.
That late sucker-punch was particularly cruel on Kelly, as she had made a couple of vital saves, and was generally solid under the dropping ball, as she repelled everything her opponents threw at her. At the same time, Castletown didn’t quite recover from a below-par firs- half which saw Ballygarrett deservedly race 1-8 to 1-1 clear by the 21st minute.
Despite Wilson crashing home her first goal after only 80 seconds, Ballygarrett were far more vibrant, as points from Hamilton (three, one free), Cahill, Leanne Naughter, Tara Doyle (two, one free) and Anna Doyle, and a well-taken penalty from Cahill after Naughter was impeded, developed that early ascendancy.
But Castletown received a lifeline when Wilson found the net from a David Beckham-style freekick, and when she emphatically fired home her hat-trick at the half-hour mark, it left things finely poised at 3-2 to 1-8 at the break.
Anna and Tara Doyle resumed with a point apiece, but Hayley Murphy became only Castletown’s second different scorer when nudging them 3-5 to 1-10 in front early in the second-half.
In hindsight, they over-relied on Wilson’s talent, but that isn’t to take away from Ballygarrett’s never-say-die attitude to clinch victory in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Ballygarrett: Sarah Donnellan; Ciara Breen, Caoimhe Joyce (capt.), Ciara Doyle; Shauna Lawless, Lorna Doyle-Naughter, Róisín Timmons; Tara Doyle (0-3, 1 free), Sandra Lawlor; Megan Cahill (2-2, 1-0 pen., 0-1 free), Eimear Prendergast, Sherene Hamilton (0-4, 3 frees); Leanne Naughter (0-1), Niamh Newens, Anna Doyle (0-2). Subs. - Sinéad O’Loughlin for Lawless (HT), Niamh O’Connor for C. Doyle (HT), Kate O’Loughlin for Newens (42), also Ailish O’Connor, Fionnuala Cosgrave, Caragh Clarke, Anne Doyle, Jackie Cousins, Shauna McCarthy, Ciara Malone, Claire Kennedy, Aideen Egan, Kate O’Loughlin, Yvonne Tighe-O’Loughlin, Latoya Byrne, Kellie Doyle, Leanna Quinn, Jennifer Redmond, Laura Warren, Aishling Doyle, Eve Loughlin, Ellen O’Loughlin.
Castletown: Lauren Kelly; Donna Morrissey, Saoirse Condren, Cáit Kavanagh; Susan Boyle, Sarah Whelan, Denise Byrne; Doireann Kavanagh (capt.), Laura Stafford; Niamh Spencer, Hayley Murphy (0-1), Rosie McGuckin; Amy Wilson (3-6, 1-1 frees), Dawn Bergin, Cailín Fitzpatrick. Subs. - Aoibheann Merrigan for Boyle, temp. (6-17), Alex Young for McGuckin (48), also Louise Weekes, Eimear O’Hagan, Joanne Byrne, Lucia Merrigan, Ava Young, Ellen Kinsella, Teighlour Fegan, Bethany Renwick, Eileen Byrne.
Referee: Mag Doherty (Shelmalier).