Adamstown halt slide
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy surge thwarted
ADAMSTOWN WITHSTOOD a stunning Davidstown-Courtnacuddy rally to snatch the Roban Financial ladies’ football Under-16 Division 2 title in the Halo Tiles Ferns Centre of Excellence.
The New Ross District club looked to be in control of the game, leading by 3-3 to 0-3 early in the second-half.
However, there was an incredible resilience and a real hunger in the Davidstown-Courtnacuddy girls, and they scored 2-4 unanswered to take a scarcely believable lead.
Yet the sign of really good teams is how they react to adversity. It took Adamstown a few minutes to come to terms with the predicament they found themselves in, but they finished out the game with 3-3 in just ten minutes to take the cup.
In truth, both sides found it impossible to get in a rhythm in the first-half. Referee Ian Plunkett is always going to blow for a lot of frees, all the nit-picky stuff, as that’s his M.O., but this was too much, as it killed the flow of the game completely and both sets of girls looked befuddled at the break.
It probably held Adamstown back more. After Katie Whelan and Mia Kelly opened the scoring for Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, the eventual champions got an early goal from hat-trick hero Méadbh Wickham’s free.
A long Sinéad Roche run ended in a well-taken point, but Kelly’s second dead-ball made it 1-1 to 0-3 at the start of the second quarter.
Still, the pressure was mounting. Faye Codd pointed, and Taragh Cooper made an excellent save from Wickham but could do nothing to deny Leah Furlong moments later as Adamstown went in 2-2 to 0-3 in front.
Wickham took just three minutes to add a further 1-1 and her side looked on their way to victory.
However, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy got up a head of steam, as Anna Roche and Lucy Kehoe netted, while Amy Murphy and Ava O’Connor added their names to the scoresheet as their side took a shock 2-7 to 3-3 lead.
Adamstown didn’t come this far to throw in the towel. Wickham drew them level before Karolina Jaglarz put them in front with a pointed penalty.
From there on they dominated, and Ellie Kehoe, Roche and Wickham all added further late goals as they completed a powerful victory in style.
Adamstown: Caitlyn Mernagh; Leah Bradley-O’Connor, Ella English, Lisa Murphy; Caoimhe Quigley, Lizzy Dempsey, Muireann Stafford; Leah English (1-1), Rachel Power (capt.); Ellie Cloney, Faye Codd (0-1), Katie English; Róisín O’Neill, Méadbh Wickham (3-2, 1-2 frees), Sinéad Roche (1-1). Subs. - Ellie Kehoe (1-0) for Stafford (16), Isobel English for O’Neill (31), Karolina Jaglarz (0-1 pen.) for Quigley (41), Niamh English for Cloney (56), Alannah Staunton for Roche (60+1), Quigley for Bradley-O’Connor, inj. (60+5).
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy: Taragh Cooper; Aoibhinn Cooper, Ellie Jevens (capt.), Nadine Power; Anna Jevens, Lauren Delaney, Tara Ennis; Donna Delaney, Anna Roche (1-1); Amy Murphy (0-1), Mia Kelly (0-3 frees), Katie Whelan (0-1); Ava O’Connor (0-1), Norah McGinty, Martha Dunne. Subs. - Lucy Kehoe (1-0) for Dunne (25), Niamh Rooney for McGinty (27), Guevara Hughes for Murphy (50), Catherine Moitie for Rooney (60+1), Rooney for Delaney (60+5), also Hannah Polson, Leah Nolan.
Referee: Ian Plunkett (Marshalstown-Castledockrell).