AGB power on to Minor championship semi-final
AGB Minor ladies took on Baltinglass, in Baltinglass, on Friday, in the second round of the 2016 Minor championship.
Having beaten Valleymount in the opening round, the girls were now competing for a semi-final spot. Referee John Bermingham got proceedings underway promptly at 7.30pm and with the Baltinglass pitch in good condition for this late stage of the season the pace of the game was lively from the start.
The biggest problem for the girls was the dew which caused the grass to be slippery with both sides having early handling errors and turning over possession.
Emma Furlong opened the scoring for the Arklow side with a well taken point in the second minute of play and this was swiftly followed by a point form the boot of the on-form Marie Kealy for Baltinglass.
A seventh minute goal, created by Chloe O’Reilly and finished by Annie Conroy extended the Arklow lead. Emma Furlong added her second point for Arklow in the ninth minute and Marie Kealy pointed again for Baltinglass in the tenth.
A quickly taken 45 saw Baltinglass in a dangerous position in front of the AGB goal, the corner-forward made no mistake and the teams were level. Annie Conroy tacked on another point for Arklow and then Chloe O’Reilly fired a rasper of a shot at the brave Baltinglass keeper, Rachel Kenny, which she diverted over the bar for a point. This was a disputed score as the ball appeared to go into the top of the net rather than over the bar and the decision to change the original award of a goal to a point kept Baltinglass hopes alive.
The awarding of a penalty at the opposite side, when Laura Rice in the Arklow goal was judged to have fouled the incoming forward, changed the complexion of the scoreboard as Baltinglass pulled ahead 2-2 to Arklow’s 1-4.
AGB’s Áine O’Reilly redressed the balance in favour of Arklow with a super goal in the 26th minute. Marie Kealy added a point for Baltinglass and further points from Róisín O’Reilly, Annie Conroy, Emma Furlong and Ann-Marie Keegan left the half-time score 2-8 to 2-3 in favour of the visitors.
With all to play for the Arklow girls were urged to push on and that is what they did in the second half.
Goals from Ann-Marie Keegan, Abbie Doyle, Eve Rogers and Grace Hurley compounded Baltinglass woes as they played the first nine minutes of the half with only 14 players due to having a player yellow carded in the final minute of the first half. There were points from Emma Furlong, Róisín O’Reilly, Abbie Doyle and Eve Rogers to seal the victory for AGB.
A third Baltinglass goal and another point for a determined Marie Kealy was not enough to get the west Wicklow side back in contention.
Arklow now face St. Patrick’s in the semi-final and the girls are up for the challenge. Baltinglass showed determination right up to the final whistle in this game and both sides served up a sporting and skilful encounter for their supporters. The future of Minor and adult ladies football in the county looks promising if these girls, many of whom are still under-16 grade, are encouraged to continue developing their skills going forward.
AGB: Laura Rice, Róisín O’Reilly, Kayleigh Earls, Annie Conroy, Doireann Kavanagh, Lisa Keegan, Ann-Marie Keegan, Emer Curran, Becky Hayden, Emily Mitchell, Ciara Forde, Emma Furlong, Chloe O’Reilly, Katie Hurley, Amy Guilfoyle, Méadbh O’Connor, Muireann O’Connor, Grace Hurley, Rebecca O’Sullivan, Caoilfhinn Kavanagh, Zoe Takacs, Emma Cox, Becky Bermingham, Eve Rogers, Abbie Doyle, Eimear Kelly, Sarah Garnett, Áine O’Reilly, Clodagh Healy, Casey Young, Orla Hayes, Aoife O’Reilly, Keelin Stafford, Kayleigh Carter, Nicole Storey.
Baltinglass: Rachel Kenny, Orla Hanlon, Jorja Malone, Marita Burke, Leah Sheridan, Louise Mc Geer, Emily Hanafin, Mary- Kate Burke, Béibhinn Wilkins, Nicole Sinnott, Anna McGrath, Hanna McHugh, Niamh Horgan, Mia Kavanagh, Chloe O’Neill, Niamh Oliver, Emily McDonald, Marie Kealy, Shefali Daly Danne, Katie Murtagh, Molly Kennedy, Katie Edwards.