Glory for Éire Óg ladies footballers after extra-time epic with Aghada
Éire Óg celebrate their win over Aghada, at MTU Sports Stadium. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
The long wait is finally over for Éire Óg as they won their first Cork Credit Unions senior ladies football championship final at MTU on Saturday.
Last weekend it ended all square but this time Éire Óg didn’t let it slip as they finally got their hands on the trophy in their fifth final in a row.
There is nothing between these two sides and it was no great surprise to see extra time needed to find a winner, but in extra time Éire Óg were the better side.
They had many outstanding performances, but Shauna Cronin was simply outstanding. She drove her side forward from midfield and showed why she is on the Cork panel.
Aghada got the perfect start when Abigail Ring pointed in the first 20 seconds but the response from Éire Óg came a minute later when they scored the game’s opening goal.
They worked the ball down the pitch and Lisa Murphy got on the end of a good team move to find the back of the net, to make it 1-0 to 0-1.
Hannah Looney replied with a point for Aghada and they were back on level terms by the sixth minute, when Rachel Leahy got their third point.
Cronin replied to put Éire Óg back in front and they increased their lead when Emma Cleary was played in by Orlaith Cremin to score – 1-2 to 0-3.
Éire Óg then had keeper Ruby Halligan to thank as she saved superbly to deny Kaitlin Smith a goal. Cleary got her second of the game to put three between the sides before Halligan made her second great save, this time denying Yvonne Burgoyne.
Laura Cleary increased Éire Óg’s lead from a free, but with 26 minutes gone Aghada were back in contention.
Brianna Smith burst through the Éire Óg defence to score a goal to put only a point between them, 1-4 to 1-3.
Just before half-time they were back on level terms when Sally McAllister scored a magnificent point from distance to see them level at the break, 1-4 apiece.
Ring put Aghada back in front early in the second half before Éire Óg had the crossbar to thank as Smith’s shot blasted off the bar and the danger was cleared.
Laura Cleary replied for the Ovens side with another Ring free putting Aghada back in front.
Orlaith Cahalane had the sides level again, after 53 minutes in a low-scoring second half, 1-6 each.
Another Ring free put her side in front, before Murphy scored late on to level it and take it to extra-time.
Sadbh McGoldrick put Éire Óg in front and Eamma Cleary added a second to put two between the sides.
Roisin Phelan replied for Aghada, but this was their only score in extra time. Orlaith Cremin added another for the winners, to see them lead 1-10 to 1-8 at half-time in extra time.
Points from Isobel Sheehan and Cremin made sure for Éire Óg as the long wait is finally over at the fifth time of asking in the final.
L Murphy 1-1, E Cleary 0-3, L Cleary (0-1 f), O Cremin 0-2 each, S Cronin, O Cahalane, S McGoldrick, I Sheehan 0-1 each.
A Ring 0-4 (0-3 f), B Smith 1-0, H Looney R Leahy S McAllister, R Phelan 0-1 each.
R Halligan; R Sheehan, J O’Gorman, I Sheehan; A Hayes, M Cahalane, E Crowley; S McGoldrick, S Cronin; E Cleary, O Cahalane, O Cremin; L Cleary, L Murphy, A Rodgers.
G Young for A Rodgers (45), K Cahalane for E Crowley (53), D Walsh for A Hayes (69), M McGoldrick for L Murphy, E Healy for O Cremin (both 78).
S Walsh; K O’Farrell, S McAllister, A Cooper; M McRae, S Leahy, R Leahy; R Phelan, H Looney; Y Burgoyne, K Smith, A Coughlan; A Ring, C Walsh, B Smith.
A Smith for Y Burgoyne (41), B McGrath for C Walsh (52), L Linehan for R Phelan, C Walsh for A Coughlan (both 78).
Justin Murphy, Grange.
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