Drogheda Independent

Square put it up to double winners

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Ardee Celtic scored against the run of play through Aoibheann Clinton who found the net after pouncing on a loose ball on the edge of the box.

Undaunted, Square responded brilliantl­y, equalising straight from the restart as Sarah Lynch fired home after latching onto an excellent through-ball that caught out the Ardee back line.

Square clearly had the momentum at this point and they were unfortunat­e not to take the lead through Ciara Martin when her shot went just wide, while Mischa Rooney’s free kick effort sailed just over.

Ardee Celtic started the second half brightly and took the lead once more, with Samantha McCarron scoring inside the first minute, and McCarron then doubled her side’s lead, leaving Square with everything to do.

The girls regrouped and worked relentless­ly to get back into the game. Aoibheann Byrne was tenacious up front, while Nicole Fitzgerald and Amy Fannin put in plenty of tackles to win back possession.

But despite their huge efforts Square couldn’t find a way past Ardee’s shot-stopper who pulled off a string of saves to keep out further shots from Mischa Rooney and Ciara Martin.

In the latter stages Ardee launched a number of fast counter-attacks, forcing a brilliant diving save from Square keeper Emma Goodman and excellent blocks from Robyn Williams and Ella Duff.

However, Ardee’s pressure paid off in the end, with Elli Smith finding her side another goal late on to put the decider beyond reach and bring to an end a very entertaini­ng derby featuring two up and coming and hard-working sides.

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