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Superb win for ladies


Clare 3-17   Kildare 1-22

THERE is a beauty, a certain mystique even, attached to championship knockout football whether it is in the men or the ladies’ game. The backdoor system employed of late was designed to offer perceived weaker counties a second bite at a cherry that, in reality, mightbe well beyond their reach.

Comprehensively beaten by both Cork and Kerry in the Munster Football Championship, most pundits gave the Clare ladies an outside chance at best of recording a morale-boosting creditable defeat.

Clare were rank outsiders for this game and as the ebb and flow of the first half exchanges ensued, things appeared to be going according to script. Kildare were physically stronger and were bossing things all over the field. With less than 60 seconds on the clock, their captain and talis-woman Maria Moolick had fired them into the lead.

Already Clare were living on scraps as the Kildare short passing and possession game had the Banner outfit chasing shadows. Kildare missed a few early chances and were made to pay as early as the fourth minute when a direct Clare move involving captain Considine, Henchy and Niamh O’Dea ended with the Kilfenora and Banner Ladies’ lass planting the ball in the back of the Kildare net. When O’Dea added a pointed free a minute later, things looked good for John Burke’s charges.

Not so said a dominant Kildare who scored four unanswered points to leave it 1–1 to 0–5 on the quarter hour. O’Dea then hit an equalising free but, at this stage, Clare were hanging on by their fingernails. Credit to the Clare defence for some magnificent defending and none more so than fullback Emma O’Driscoll, who thwarted many a Kildare salvo forward. She was ably assisted by goalkeeper Susan Higgins, Laurie Ryan, Lorraine Kelly and Fiona Lafferty in this regard.

Still Clare were overwhelmed in the pivotal midfield diamond and it seemed just a matter of time before Kildare would make their dominance pay.  This duly happened and they outscored Clare 0-5 to 0–2 to the interval, to build up a 1–4 to 0–10 half time lead. 

Clare were hard done during this period when an excellent Minnie Considine point was somehow waved wide by the umpire. Despite the linesperson’s intervention the referee allowed the wide to stand. 
Clare needed a good start to the second period but again Kildare were first out of the blocks with a point from Moolick. Niamh Keane cancelled this two minutes later before Kildare’s top scorer, Áine Gately, pointed again. 

Then came a pivotal moment in the game. Clare’s Roisín Howley gained possession some 40m from the Kildare goal. Her path blocked, she looked for passing options and seeing none she launched a speculative shot at the Kildare posts. A point looked secured but at the last minute her shot fell short and caught the unfortunate Kildare keeper, Aoife Hedermann, off balance to sneak in under the crossbar for a fortuitous goal. Suddenly Clare were just 2–5 to 0–12 in arrears despite being out-played all over the park. Kate Leahy for Kildare and the magnificent Róisín Looney for Clare exchanged points before a revitalised Eimear Considine leveled matters.

Kate Leahy for Kildare and Considine then exchanged points before Considine and Róisín Byrne swapped scores. Áine Gately and Michella McKenna then put Kildare two in front only for Clare captain Minnie Considine to pull one back.

Kildare then hit a purple patch and hit three points without reply to leave themselves in a seemingly unassailable lead, 0–19 to 2–9 with just over five minutes remaining. 

In a quicksilver attack, the otherwise outstanding Niamh O’Dea was put through on goal but her rasping left footed shot somehow scorched wide of the right-hand upright.  Clare’s faint hope of redemption could have dissipated with this but the team somehow galvanised themselves for one final throw of the dice.

Captain Considine scored an inspiring 55th minute point and an O’Dea pointed free a minute later narrowed the gap to two. Then up stepped Kilmihil’s Eimear Considine (now plying her footballing trade with Naomh Mearnóg in Dublin), to narrow the gap to just a single score. 

The excitement was palpable as Emma O’Driscoll collected a short kick out from goalkeeper Higgins to launch a perfect right-wing attack via Louise Henchy and on to O’Dea, to enable the Banner Ladies star (and ultimate player of the game) to cut inside from the right corner and score a magnificent equalising point to leave it Clare 2–13, Kildare 0–19.

Extra time beckoned and in the humid and sweltering conditions of Páirc Seán Mhic Diarmada, everybody knew all scores would be vital.  Eimear Considine put Clare in front a full six minutes into overtime only to see her effort cancelled out less than a minute later by Moolick. Áine Gately then put Kildare, who had been reduced to 14 by the straight red card to Aisling Savage, in front only for Marie Kelly to equalise just on the stroke of extra-time half-time.

Gately put Kildare ahead with a point shortly after the resumption but five minutes later, Niamh O’Dea struck for a wonderful goal. 

Róisín Looney added a point a minute later and Clare seemed on their way to victory. But this was a game that was never going to end quietly and when Lorraine Kelly was harshly penalised for a supposed push in the back, Kildare mounted a quick free attack that saw wing-back Aisling Holton send an absolute scorcher past Susan Higgins in the Clare goal. 

A replay seemed inevitable as the clock ticked down. Clare launched one last attack and with less than 50 seconds remaining, Kilfenora’s Niamh O’Dea somehow contrived to score a match-winning point.

A proud day at last for Clare Ladies Football as the perceived minnows of the game had slain a great foe.

Clare: Susan Higgins, Lorraine Kelly, Emma O’Driscoll, Laurie Ryan, Marie Foran, Fiona Lafferty, Kayleigh McCormack, Minnie Considine (0–2), Niamh Keane (0–1), Róisín Howley (1–0), Louise Henchy, Róisín Looney (0–2), Marie Kelly (0–1), Niamh O’Dea (2–7), Eimear Considine (0–4).
Subs: Amy O’Brien, Emer Hillary, Katie Connole, Aisling Corbett, Orlaith Lynch, Rebecca Culligan, Sinéad Considine.

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