O’Boyle praise for winners’ triumph
GLENVIEW Stars were over the moon but also hugely relieved after the narrow win that secured them the double in the inaugural season of the Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s League.
League winners, with the trophy presented last month, and now Cup winners thanks to the 1-0 defeat of Gurteen Celtic, who were stubborn and also adroit in a fascinating game of chess at MacSharry Park on Saturday last.
“We are delighted but we have to give huge credit to Gurteen, they pushed us to the very limit,” said Glenview boss Gino O’Boyle afterwards.
“This was our toughest challenge [all season], we were put to the test and thankfully we came through it. We went unbeaten in the league and we’ve trained hard for these titles – there was great commitment from the players.
O’Boyle reflected on the team’s run in the Sligo Bay Lobsters Cup – a competition for the top six teams in the Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s League. They defeated Yeats United 4-1 in the quarter-final – Sarah O’Boyle, Dahanna Feeney, Mollie Costello and Michaela Gaffney scored – and were 5-1 winners over Arrow Harps in the semi-final.
Their semi-final goals came from Sarah O’Boyle (2), Dahanna Feeney, Gemma McDonagh and Shanarah Burns.
He continued: “We’ve done the double and I think it is thoroughly deserved. We worked hard for this. I’m delighted for the players, their families and the management team.
“This win is great for everyone involved, especially people from up the ‘Hill’ [Forthill]. Someone is going to have to beat us some time and I’m assuming that’s going to be next season.
“We will have to challenge ourselves again. This competition is great – players coming through at U-16 and U-18 level now have something to aspire to.
“Credit to Noel M Kennedy and the Sligo-Leitrim League for getting it off the ground – fair play to Owen McLoughlin of Sligo Bay Lobsters for sponsoring it.”
The manager added: “I would also like to dedicate this win to the late Frank Kennedy, a former Glenview Stars player, who is sadly missed by his family and friends.”
He praised defender Laura McGuinn for her overall display and goalkeeper Karin Roddy for making several excellent saves to prevent Gurteen from going ahead.
O’Boyle also thanked Glenview’s management/coaches who included Seamie O’Boyle, Clive O’Donoghue, Alan Collum, Paul Kelly, Tanya Wallace and Anto Johnston.
Meanwhile, Gurteen’s run to the Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Cup final saw them record wins over Manor Rangers (4-0, quarter-final) and Kilglass-Enniscrone United (3-0, semi-final). Gurteen’s goalscorers in these two games were Katie Walsh (4), Katie Hannon (2) and Claudia McGovern.
NOW unbeaten after a season that has produced a memorable double, Glenview Stars were almost beaten by a gutsy Gurteen Celtic in last Saturday’s enjoyably tense Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Cup final at MacSharry Park.
Top scorer Sarah O’Boyle’s 56th minute goal separated these wellmatched finalists as Glenview completed the season with two trophies and a marvellous unbeaten sequence of 14 games (13 wins, one draw).
But Glenview were so grateful that Katie Walsh’s equaliser attempt for Gurteen – a memorable shot from outside the box after 76 minutes – crashed off the inside of the upright and flew back into play.
Former Sligo LGFA ace Katie Walsh, this season’s top scorer in the Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s League with 18 goals, was Gurteen’s main source of attacking acumen, while defender and team captain Sarah Gallagher was exceptional.
Along with the input of the aforementioned Sarah O’Boyle, a consistent goalgetter throughout the campaign, the winners were led to victory by the midfield guile of team captain Gemma McDonagh, who was outstanding in the first-half, the defensive graft of Laura McGuinn, who was brilliant in the second period when Gurteen turned up the heat.
Goalkeeper Karin Roddy and Michaela Gaffney, a stylish midfielder, also impressed. Having become the firstever winners of the Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s League with a near perfect record, Glenview Stars were stifled for much of this contest as Gurteen worked feverishly at both ends of the pitch.
Even with Gemma McDonagh pulling the strings for Glenview in the central areas in the first-half, it was Gurteen who could have opened the scoring. Katie Walsh’s first shot in anger lacked power but when she later pounced on a cross – after work from Katie Hannon and Leanne McGowan – Glenview goalkeeper Karin Roddy made the first of several important saves.
Another effort from Katie Walsh was denied by Karin Roddy and the netminder was also composed when dealing with a strong drive from Claudia McGovern. Glenview were failing to ask similar questions of Gurteen’s goalkeeper, teenager Catherine Gallagher, who was finally called into action when Sarah O’Boyle’s header after Gemma McDonagh swung in a cross.
Gurteen still looked like scoring but their intentions were being shut down by Laura McGuinn, whose influence began to grow. Katie Walsh continued to get into shooting positions but a cross-cum-shot flashed wide.
Glenview finished the first-half on an attacking note – Shanarah Burns started the move that led to Sarah O’Boyle getting a shot on target from a Tammy McGwynne pass.
Having dominated most of the