Lidl Ladies National Football League Another nearly day for Sligo
Ladies Footballers lose by a point to Down and are still winless after the opening three rounds of the NFL Draw is made for the Junior Championship
Lidl Ladies NFL
Division Three - Round 3 Sligo 1-9 Down 1-10
THE anxiousness has begun. Already this year’s Lidl Ladies National Football League feels like last year’s campaign – another struggle.
In 2023 Sligo won once in seven games and just about avoided relegation. With three games played so far Sligo have yet to record a victory and although they could take four wins from their remaining four games, the signs are ominous.
With two teams (instead of one) making the drop to Division Four, Sligo have to get their act together – and fast.
Last Sunday’s one-point loss to Down at Fr Kevin Brehony Park in Keash, a 1-10 to 1-9 setback, was a rerun of last year’s sad theme – the team played well in parts but unable to decisively pin down results.
Sligo should have beaten Offaly (but didn’t) and ought to have taken the spoils against Down, with a difficult away loss to Clare in between.
Down, last year’s LGFA TG4 AllIreland Junior Championship winners, were no world-beaters yet the possessed that most precious commodity – a deadly full-forward.
Natasha Ferris, Down’s gifted number 14, scored 1-5 at the Keash venue. She provided what proved the winning point in the first minute of stoppage time – a converted free after a foul by Sligo full-back Ellie McDermott, a challenge that referee Siobhan
Coyle deemed to be worthy of a yellow card.
STANDINGS
The number of games that Sligo have failed to win in this year’s NFL Division Three campaign.
LIDL LADIES NFL DIVISION THREE P D F 3 1 43 3 1 38 3 1 48 3 0 15 3 0 36 3 0 22 3 1 35 3 0 28
Earlier in the second-half Ferris found the net with a fantastic finish to a sweeping 48th minute move as Down, subdued by Sligo’s improved second-half, needed this goal to go back in front, 1-9 to 1-7.
Sligo have to be chuffed at how they almost turned things around. The hosts were four points down after 17 minutes, 0-5 to 0-1, as a breeze-assisted Down played direct and exploited Natasha Ferris’ presence. It took a fortuitous goal from midfielder Sinead Regan to kickstart Sligo – her point attempt at the end of the first-half dropped short and squirted into the net – and they were only a point down at half-time, 0-6 to 1-2.
Too often Sligo tried to move the ball through the
Diff +20 +18 +6 -5 -8 -9 -12 -10 cluttered centre but they had more joy in the second-half – wing-back Tara Breheny added an excellent point to go with her equally adroit first-half effort, while free-taker Rianne Smith oozed composure and kicked 0-4 in all.
Smith’s third free put Sligo ahead for the first time after 47 minutes, 1-7 to 0-9, although this would be a shortlived advantage, and her fourth point of the day brought Sligo level again, 1-9 each, with five minutes of normal time left.
When Sligo moved the ball with purpose during that second-half there were good points from Leah Kelly, who lashed a shot over from a Jade Lyons pass, and Nicola Brennan, who got a pass from her Tourlestrane clubmate Lauren Normanly.
Down also finished with 14 players
SLIGO have been drawn in the fiveteam group of this year’s LGFA TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship. Cormac Reape’s charges are in
Group ‘A’ and will face games against London (Sligo will travel to Ruislip for this fixture), Fermanagh, Derry and Carlow. Group ‘B’ features Kilkenny, Louth, Limerick and Longford.
The top two teams in Group ‘A’ and Group ‘A’ qualify for the championship semi-finals. Sligo, who last won the All-Ireland Junior Championship in 2006, having been runners-up in 2004 and 2005, failed to reach the knockout stages of last year’s competition – they were in Group ‘B’ along with Kilkenny, Limerick and eventual champions Down. as Clara Mulvenna was sent to the sin bin as time ran out.
Sligo manager Cormac Reape and the players can’t afford to panic – yet – but there are only four games to go. Reape took positives from the onepoint loss to Down. He stated: “We would be delighted with about 90% of that game – I think, collectively, that is the best I’ve seen Sligo play in the last two years. But I think it is just those little things up top [in attack] that we are lacking.
“There was also that bit of experience where Down slowed things down. That’s two losses now but I think this performance was our best from the three games so far.
“We lost twice to Down last year and they went on to win an All-Ireland Junior title. We should have beaten
them here so I think we are on the right track.”
Roscommon are Sligo’s next opponents, with Sligo having another home game at Fr Kevin Brehony Park this Sunday (2pm). The Rossies, who were relegated from Division Two last year, have yet to lose in Division Three this year. They won 0-11 to 0-4 against Down and scored 15 times when beating Louth by 11 points, 1-14 to 0-6 (Roscommon were at home for both of these games). Roscommon took a draw from their trip to Clare – it finished 1-7 apiece at Cusack Park, Ennis, last Sunday. Reape added: “Even a repeat performance should give us a good platform to compete with Roscommon. If we can tidy up a few mistakes then who knows what could happen. We don’t like losing and we have to try to stop this rot.”
Best for Sligo: Sinead Regan
Sligo: Ellen McGuire, Aishling Molloy, Ellie McDermott, Aoife Morrisroe, Cara King, Claire Dunne (c), Tara Breheny (0-2), Sarah Cunney, Sinead Regan (1-1), Rianne Smith (0-4, 4f), Leah Kelly (0-1), Jade Lyons, Lauren Normanly, Nicola Brennan (0-1), Leah Duffy
Subs used: Eryn Lavin, Rachel O’Brien, Megan McCormack, Fiona Feeney
Down: Amy McGivern, Aimee Greene, Orla Boyle, Paige Smyth, Natalie McKibbin, Meghan Doherty, Orla Duffy, Clara Mulvenna, Aoife Laverty, Niamh Scullion (0-1), Niamh King (0-2), Laoise Duffy (0-1), Aine Smyth (0-1), Natasha Ferris (1-5, 2f), Niamh McClory
Subs used: Katie Howlett, Niamh McGrath Referee: Siobhan Coyle