Shelmalier keen to atone
SHELMALIER 4-8 ADAMSTOWN 1-5
SHELMALIER WILL have the opportunity to reclaim the ladies’ football Senior championship crown after easing their way past Adamstown in St. Patrick’s Park on Tuesday.
The Hollymount side fell to a surprise defeat to St. Anne’s in last year’s decider and will be keen to avoid a similar fate this time around. However, a repeat of this performance is unlikely to get the job done as they struggled to get near top gear against Adamstown.
While it’s of no consolation after a semi-final loss, the New Ross District side have had an excellent season just getting this far. They were the underdogs of the four sides left in contention but they still came out and gave it a good go.
It was one of those games where Adamstown had chances but needed to take pretty much all of them to have any hope. Their opponents could afford to be profligate in front of goal, knowing they had the depth of quality to create another opportunity later.
Siobhán Doolan had already seen an effort crash off the crossbar for the Shels, but there was no stopping Sarah Harding-Kenny’s rocket to the roof of the net in the fifth minute.
Sandra Thorpe and Ann Marie Dunphy both missed goal chances for Adamstown while Deirdre McMahon was having trouble with her shooting radar at the other end.
Doolan and Ellen O’Brien exchanged points at the end of the opening quarter but Shelmalier made important inroads when Harding-Kenny netted again and former Wexford Youths winger Doolan goaled herself moments later.
Cathy O’Brien did get a second Adamstown point but late scores from Ailis Neville and Leona Tector meant their side held a 3-4 to 0-2 advantage at the interval.
Any small hope of a revival ended two minutes into the second-half when Eleanor Neville was quickest to react and fire home after Doolan’s initial shot was saved by Leanne Delaney.
Deirdre McMahon and Kellie Kearney points sandwiched scores from Katie White and Dunphy at the other end but Adamstown did get the goal their efforts deserved when Cathy O’Brien slalomed through and drilled past Deirdre Fox (4-6 to 1-4).
McMahon and Siobhán Cloake rounded out a comfortable evening for Shelmalier with points in the last ten minutes as the Wexford District club booked their county final place opposite Clonee on September 1.
Shelmalier: Deirdre Fox (capt.); Shauna Murphy, Eadaoin Fitzgerald, Ceara O’Brien; Michelle Harding, Siobhán Cloake (0-1 free), Eleanor Neville (1-0); Róisín Murphy, Kellie Kearney (0-1); Clara Donnelly, Sarah Harding-Kenny (2-0), Ailis Neville (0-1); Siobhán Doolan (1-1), Deirdre McMahon (0-3, 1 free), Leona Tector (0-1).
Adamstown: Leanne Delaney; Róisín Dillon, Cat McCabe, Áine Shannon; Lynn Bradley, Rachel Buckley, S.J. Flood; Róisín Stephenson, Ann Marie Dunphy (0-1 free); Ellen O’Brien (capt., 0-1), Sandra Thorpe, Cathy O’Brien (1-1); Katie White (0-1), Jasmine Martin, Chantelle Martin (0-1). Subs. - Róisín Barden for Shannon (40), Grace Cloney for McCabe (42), Kelly Whelan for J. Martin (55), Cora Flood for Dillon (60).
Referee: Damien Donovan (Volunteers).