Martin Byrne Women’s Shield Final
Newbridge Colts FC 2-1 Edenderry Town AFC (after extra-time)
This was a great game of football played out between 2 great squads and a great advertisement for ladies football.
Division 1 champions Newbridge Colts faced Division 2 title challengers Edenderry Town in the shield final last Saturday evening in Portarlington and this proved to be a very tight match. Edenderry fielding a team of experiences and youth. The opening 10 min off the game was a very tight affair with both teams keeping position and teasing out each other. The first chance of the game fell to The Colts when Carmela Morey went close to opening the scoring in the 14th minute when her header hit the bottom off the post from a Brooke Dunne cross. Over the next 10 mins the game started to open up and both teams started to carve out chances. Rebecca McDonnell took on 2 Colts defenders and eventually fouled on the edge of the box. Shauna Ward stepped up and watched as her shot went agonisingly just over the bar. Colts skipper Sinead McBride tested the Edenderry keeper Ciana Mangan with a free-kick and five minutes later she saved well from Colts winger Jess Turner.
Anto Fay’s Edenderry side responded well however and created a couple of good chances of their own straight away. Danielle Dempsey made a great run down the left wing from the halfway line and showed some great foot work leaving 2 Colts players in her wake only for to see her shot come off the bottom of the post and the Colts keeper O’Connor to clear the rebounding ball. Rebecca McDonnell and Shauna Ward then went close for Edenderry only for O’Connor in the Colts goal produced two good saves in as many minutes to deny the division 2 side the lead. Jess Turner went close again before the break but it was Mangan that made a great save to leave it scoreless at half time.
Colts introduced Stacey Harris for the second half and she had an immediate effect, lifting the tempo and intensity of the Colts play. A number of chances were created in the opening minutes of the half as Colts looked to take control of the game. A corner from the right in the 62nd minute led to a scramble in the Edenderry goalmouth where Colts were denied the lead goal on two occasions with goal-line clearances. The opener did arrive soon after in fortuitous circumstances. Colts centre back Kim Turner took a free-kick from near the half way line but it was directed too centrally allowing the keeper to advance to collect the ball. Mangan blinded by the sun misjudged the flight of the ball however and the bounce evaded her giving Colts the lead.
Edenderry introduced Mendy Fleming in the 65th min and she made a big impact from the get go and the well organised Edenderry side were not about to capitulate however and levelled the match only four minutes later. Rebecca McDonnell made a great run down the right wing and played a fantastically timed one two pass with Shauna Ward to put McDonnell in behind the Colts defence. O’Connor saved the initial effort but the McDonnell reacted first to poke the ball into the empty net for a deserved equaliser and he 16th goal of the season (finishing joint top goals scorer for the team along with Danielle Dempsey). As Colts brought on Lorraine Foran to the wing and went to 3 at the back in search of a winner and Harris almost provided it with the last kick of normal time when her right footed shot sailed just wide of the far post.
The opening period of extra time was another tight affair and penalties seemed likely with efforts now few and far between. The winner came in the first minute of the second half. As Edenderry were caught cold from the kick off when Harris picked up possession 30 yards out from goal. With a little space in front of her, she advanced towards the edge of the box just to the right of goal and decided to shoot. Her strike across the goal into the far top corner gave the Mangan no chance. The goal was worthy of winning any match. Edenderry changed formation to 4, 3, 3 in search of an equalising goal and threw everything at the Colts. Some great work down the wing by player of the match Danielle Dempsey resulted in a last minute free kick. The free was whipped into the box and was nervously cleared by the Colts just as the final whistle blew.
What a season it has being for Edenderry ladies, only dropping 5 points in the league and narrowly losing out in the final off the shield after extra time. This bunch of girls has come on leaps and bounds over a short space of time. Making their debut this season was Alicia Kavanagh, Rebecca McDonnell, Tara Dunne, Jessie Brereton and a few more familiar faces returning to the club in Mary Buggle, Ger Connell, Shauna Ward and Danielle Dempsey. The girls are already planning on more success next season and are looking for more new members to come along and play.
Player of the game: Danielle Dempsey
Edenderry Town: 1. Ciana Managan, 2. Sarah Llyod O'Neill, 3. Jessie Brereton, 4 Geraldine Connell, 5. Mary Buggle, 6. Alicia Kavanagh, 7. Danielle Dempsey, 8. Tara Dunne, 9. Rebecca McDonnell, 10. Shauna Ward, 11. Shauna Doyle, 12. Ciara Braddock, 13. Mandy Fleming, 14. Drew Moss, 15. Fiona Darby, 16. Meg Higgins, 17. Ruth Fleming 18. Sandra O'Connor
Squad: 1 Lesley O’Connor 2 Kim Roche 3 Pauline Fox 4 Joanne Kelly 5 Kim Turner 6 Sinead McBride 7 Carmela Morey 8 Sarah Duignan 9 Audrey Neilson 10 Brooke Dunne 11 Jess Turner 12 Meaghan Hegarty 13 Lorraine Cross 14 Kellyann Murphy 15 Audrey Byrne 16 Stacey Harris 17 Lorraine Foran 18 Shannon Doheny
