SAINT Michael’s fell short by two points, 2-12 to 1-13, in a nail-biting contest against Mayo’s Breaffy in the Connacht Ladies Football Intermediate Club Championship final on Sunday last.
After letting slip a six-points lead in the second-half of a tit-for-tat decider at the Mayo club’s pitch, the Sligo Intermediate champions outscored Breaffy by 0-5 to 0-2 in an amazing 10 minutes of injury-time thanks in no small part to a brace from top scorer Eilise Codd and Caroline Benson.
Prior to that late but unsuccessful comeback, St Michael’s had seen their hopes evaporate when they conceded 2-3 in a five-minutes spell as the home side went from six points down to three points up with 12 minutes left.
With the rain-drenched pitch making for an error-strewn match, it took a six-points haul from the winners’ leading forward, Maria Walsh and 1-3 from Sinead Murphy, to put some distance between the sides.
St Michael’s responded strongly to a couple of early Breaffy scores with a brace from the outstanding Eilise Codd to leave the sides level at 0-2 apiece after 13 minutes.
The first major incident occurred a minute later when St Michael’s won a penalty which goalkeeper Shauna Kelly stepped up to take, however she hit her effort straight at Breaffy goalkeeper Sandra Kenny and with that some confidence was sapped from the east Sligo side.
Breaffy kicked three points without reply before St Michael’s awoke from their slumber two minutes before half-time.
Midfielder Nicola Haran-Brehony turned the game on its head with a sweetly struck point before following it up with a speculative 25-yards punt into the square that somehow slipped through the grasp of goalkeeper Kenny and into the back of the Breaffy net.
Emerging from the half-time break leading by two points, 1-4 to 0-5, St Michaekl’s did not ease off with points from Lauren Boles and Eilise Codd extending their lead even further.
Six points to the good and dominant in midfield, St Michael’s were threatening to turn the final into a rout but then as suddenly as they inexplicably stopped playing in the first-half, Breaffy took control once more although they were almost caught at the death.
BEST FOR ST MICHAEL’S: Eilise Codd ST MICHAEL’S: Shauna Kelly, Nicola O’Loughlin, Mairead Brennan, Louise Taaffe, Mairead Carty, Deirdre Haran, Lorraine McGoldrick, Nicola Haran-Brehony (1-1), Caroline Benson (0-2), Lauren Boles (0-2, 1f), Caitilín Carty, Sara Feeney (0-1), Grainne O’Loughlin, Eilise Codd (0-7, 4f), Emma Collery Subs used: Sabrina Kelly, Louise Haran
RESULTS
Game played on Saturday, October 17 CONNACHT JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL MARKIEVICZ PARK: Drumcliffe-Rosses Point (Sligo) (1-8) 1-9, Dromahair (Leitrim) (0-4) 0-12
Game played on Sunday, October 18 CONNACHT INTERMEDIATE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL BREAFFY: Breaffy (Mayo) (0-0) 2-12, St Michael’s (Sligo) (0-0) 1-13
FIXTURES
Saturday, October 24 CONNACHT JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL REPLAY Dromahair (Leitrim) v Drumcliffe-Rosses Point (Sligo) Venue: Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon, 3pm
