Sunday 13th May 2019
Kildare and District Ladies Football League
Edenderry Town 2 v 5 Newbridge Colts
On what was a glorious Monday evening for football in Father Paul park Edenderry Town ladies kicked off their 2019 Kildare and District football league (KDFL) division 1 home season against last year’s Division 1 and shield winner Newbridge Colts. With over half The Colts team making up the KDFL panel Edenderry knew there were in for a tough game.
Edenderry started the game well and kept position of the ball and were using the width of the pitch with some great runes from both wingers Danielle Dempsey and Sophie Falco. It didn’t take The Colts long to open the scoring when in the 8th min of the game a mix up between Edenderry’s centre back Ger Connell and goalkeeper Avril Stafford allowed Brooke Burke to tap the ball home from close range as both Edenderry players left the ball to each other to clear. Edenderry were playing all the football and a ball down the line on 2 occasions seen Danielle Dempsey race towards goal only to see her shots sail over the bar when Farrell was free on the back post on both occasion.
Edenderry midfield was working hard to try and keep the opposition quiet, when in the 15th min Burke got her second and the Colts 2nd goal of the game. The goal came from a fortunate situation when a scramble in the middle of the filed for position Burke have a shoot from 40 yards out dropping under the crossbar just out of range of Stafford in the Edenderry goals.
Edenderry didn’t drop their heads and kept playing football. Yet another game and another debut for Edenderry seeing Shauna O’Brien making her first competitive appearance for the lady’s team. O’Brien was putting in some great tackles and breaking up a lot of the Colts play much to their frustration. Alongside O’Brien in midfield was the ever-hard-working pair of Tara Dunne and Alicia Kavanagh. Dempsey was having a field day on the Colts defence and her runs were causing them all sorts of problem.
On 32 min Dempsey got the ball on the wing and beat 1 defender before whipped a ball into the Colts box trying to find the loan figure of Niamh Farrell, but the ball was over hit and over Farrells head. From the resulting clearances a long ball found The Colts forward Stacey Harris in what looked like an off-side position, but with no whistle Harris slotted the ball past the helpless Stafford leaving the Colts 3 – 0 with only 32 mins gone. As the Colts were celebrating the Edenderry girls were having an honest chat with each other on how to try and rescue the game.
Edenderry finally had something to cheer about on 40 min when a quick ball from Stafford found Dempsey on the wing. As Dempsey eased her way past one defender she floated in an inch perfect pass for Niamh Farrell. Farrell still had a lot of work to do, as she controlled the ball with her first touch, the Colts centre half Joanna Kelly tried to closer Farrell down, but she calmly lobbed the advancing keeper for a great finish.
In the dying mins of the first half Edenderry was throwing everything at the Colts. This forced the Colts into changing their team formation and putting last year’s division 1 player of the year and KDFL team captain Jess Tuner into the back line to man mark Dempsey. As Edenderry chased the 2nd goal to get them back into the game the Colts winger had a shot from the edge of the box that eluded Stafford in the Edenderry goals and a bad bounce took the ball past her for the fourth time and the 4 goal of the game and first half to The Colts.
Edenderry changed personal at half time with Mandy Fleming replacing the injured O’Brien. The back line of Jess Brereton, Sarah Lloyd O’Neill, Ger Connell and Molly Furey were dealing with the pressure the Colts were throwing at them and keeping the ever-threating Harris very quiet. The team were build the play out from the back and were starting all Edenderry attacks and defending as a unit in the 2nd half.
Edenderry were winning their induvial battles all over the field and kept pushing forward looking to get back into the game. Aoife Tyrrell replaced the tiring Dempsey and continued to terrorise the Colts defences with her electrifying pace as did Dempsey before her. Tyrrell won the ball on the half way line and left the Colts defence in her wake only to see her shot just clear the cross bar as the keeper was routed to the spot. Farrell, Fleming and Tyrrell all went close for Edenderry but without hitting the target.
With only 10 mins left to play Edenderry got their 2nd and well-deserved goal of the game. Dunne went on a run from inside her own half beating 3 Colts tackles and running onto her own through ball, as the keeper came to claim the ball Dunne took the ball around her and finished a fine solo goal to make the score 4 – 2 to The Colts.
The Colts were not finished and in the last min of the game from a well worked goal corner the ball was played to the edge of the box and The Colts left full found the back of the net for The Colts.
The match then ended Newbridge 5 – Edenderry 2.
This is a very young and quite inexperienced Edenderry team with the average age of the of the team just 21-years-old. There are 5 girls playing soccer for the first time with another 2 only playing their 2nd season. There is a lot of quality in this Edenderry side and with time and game these girls are going to be a very hard team to beat.
Edenderry Team. 1.Avril Stafford, 2. Jes Brereton, 3. Molly Furey, Ger Connell, 5. Sarah Lloyd O'Neil, 6. Alicia Kavanagh, 7. Sophie Falco, 8. Tara Dunne, 9. Niamh Farrell, 10. Shauna O’Brien, 11. Danielle Dempsey, 12. Kiah Farrelly (for Furey 65 mins), 13. Mandy Fleming (for O’Brien 46 mins), 14. Ciara Braddock (for Farrell 65 mins), 15. Megan Sullivan (for Falco 63 mins), 16. Aoife Tyrrell (for Dempsey 55 mins)
Herbalife Player of the Match was Tara Dunne
Next up for Edenderry is last year’s cup winners Naas United away on Monday 27th May 2019 at 7:15.
