Éire Óg squeeze past St Vals into Cork ladies football final with Aghada
Niamh McNabola, St Val's, tackles Shauna Cronin, Éire Óg, in the Cork LGFA Senior A Football semi-final at Carrigadrohid. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Éire Óg will face Aghada in the Cork LGFA Senior A final.
For the first time in 11 years, standard-bearers Mourneabbey’s absence from the latter stages of the Senior A championship raised the stakes for all four county semi-finalists.
This season’s Division 1 league winners St Vals took on Éire Óg in Carrigdrohid with the latter eager to end a run of three consecutive senior county final defeats. A cracking game from start to finish, Laura Cleary’s free-taking ability coupled with a late Orlaith Cahalane goal proved the difference before a large attendance.
Lisa Murphy was denied an early goal by Vals goalkeeper Chelsea Love before Vera O’Connor opened the scoring at the opposite end. Both sides were wasteful until a Laura Cleary free levelled matters. The same player repeated the feet prior to Orlaith Cremin edging Éire Óg 0-3 to 0-1 ahead after 10 minutes.
Cleary’s work-rate continued to cause the Vals defence problems as the centre-forward extended her side’s lead from another free. Bríd Stack (free) reduced the deficit and then Aisling Kelleher made it a one-point game as the tempo increased.
Laura Cleary (free) and Shauna Cremin kept Éire Óg’s scoreboard ticking over but a brace of Ciara McCarthy scores and fine Bríd Stack effort made it six points apiece close to half time.
Amid intermittent showers, Laura Cleary’s fifth free and Lily O’Shea’s reply saw the teams change ends tied 0-7 to 0-7.
Amy Sheppard and Cleary (free) swapped scores to begin the second period before the former squandered a goal chance under pressure from two defenders. A Ciara McCarthy free pushed St Vals back in front but a yellow card for Alice Buckley temporarily reduced the hosts to fourteen players.
Another Cleary free preceded a Briege Corkery score as St Vals saw out a difficult spell and moved 0-11 to 0-9 ahead courtesy of another McCarthy placed ball.
Laura Cleary’s eighth free made it a one-point game once again as St Vals were restored to their full complement. It mattered little to a rejuvenated Éire Óg as Sadbh McGoldrick equalised 5 minutes from the end.
Then came the semi-final’s major turning point as Éire Óg forced a turnover deep in St Vals' territory and worked the ball to Orlaith Cahalane. The Cork dual star found the bottom corner to send the Ovens club through to another county final.
A late Ciara McCarthy point and blocked goal attempts saw a delighted Éire Óg see out injury time to reach a fourth consecutive senior county final.
The second semi-final, an East Cork derby between Aghada and Glanmire, needed extra time before Aghada emerged 0-12 to 1-8 winners in Rostellan.
L Cleary 0-8 f, O Cahalane 1-0, O Cremin, S Cremin, S McGoldrick 0-1 each.
C McCarthy 0-5 (0-3 f), B Stack 0-2 (0-1 f), V O’Connor, A Kelleher, L O’Shea, A Sheppard, B Corkery 0-1 each.
R Halligan; A Rodgers (jc), J O’Gorman (jc), S Sheehan; C O’Brien, S McGoldrick, M Cahalane; S Cremin, E Cleary; L Murphy, L Cleary, M Kelleher; A Hayes, O Cremin, O Cahalane.
E Sheehan for M Kelleher (45), G Young for C O’Brien (58).
C Love; M Cotter, M Ring, A Keane; A Corkery, C Hughes, B Cotter; N McNabola, A Kelleher (c); V O’Connor, B Corkery, L O’Shea; C McCarthy, B Stack, A Shepard.
A Buckley for M Cotter (21), A O’Mahony for B Cotter (h-t), L Buttimer for L O’Shea (47).
Deirdre Cronin (Naomh Fionnbarra).
App?
