TG4 All Ireland Junior Semi Final – Report

TG4 All Ireland Junior Semi Final

Leitrim 1-17 Longford 1-8

The TG4 All-Ireland ladies junior football final will be an all Connacht affair after Leitrim set up a meeting with neighbours Sligo following a semi-final victory over Longford at Hyde Park on Saturday.
Leitrim produced a sensational second half performance to overwhelm a Longford side who were looking good for the first twenty minutes of the game. Longford, minus star player Sharon Treacy because of injury, led 1-5 to 0-6 at half-time with the goal coming from a 20th minute Denise Murtagh penalty. The Leinster side started the second half positively and points by Murtagh and Edel Quinn extended their advantage to leave a goal between the sides after 34 minutes. However, they failed to score again until the 53rd minute during which time a rampant Leitrim side hit 1-9 without reply. Leitrim were simply unstoppable during that period ? winning pretty much every ball and Longford couldn?t get outside their own 45 metre line.
Sinead Quinn started the Scóring spree with a 36th minute point to leave it 0-7 to 1-7. Quinn and Mary McKeown tagged over a point apiece inside the next two minutes to leave the minimum between the sides before Lorraine Brennan rattled home the all important goal. The Cloone girl gathered possession just around the 14 metre line and as she ran through she unleashed an unstoppable shot to the top right hand corner of the Longford goal in the 40th minute.
It was the first time Leitrim led in the match after chasing Longford from the off but once they took control there was only ever going to be one winner. Player of the match Eimear McGlade, Quinn (3), Aoife Kelly and Maeve Quinn all scored points over the next seven minutes to put Leitrim out of reach with a 1-15 to 1-7 lead in the 52nd minute. A converted free by Murtagh ended Longford?s drought a minute later but it was too little too late as Mary McKeon and Ann Marie Cox added further points to ensure a well deserved win.

Leitrim: Louise Loughlin, Emer Kelly, Sinead Brennan, Mairead Stenson, Teresa Mylott, Eimear McGlade (0-2), Amanda Sweeney, Maeve Quinn (0-1), Sarah McLoughlin, Mary McKeon (0-2), Lorraine Brennan (1-0), Sharon Kerrigan (0-1), Aoife Kelly (0-2), Sinead Quinn (0-6), Ann Marie Cox (0-3) Subs: Carla Creegan for Amanda Sweeney, Anna Conlan for Sharon Kerrigan, Emer Horan, Alanah Bohan, Erin Farrell, Naomi Faughnan, Phillipa Maguire, Camilla McDonagh, Lisa McGowan, Michelle McNulty, Claire Owens, Eilis Quinn.

LONGFORD: M Kilkenny; S Moran, M Carrigy, M McElvaney; A Matthews, Y Barden, D Leavy; S McGowan, AM Bratten (0-1); F Farrell, E Powell (0-1), E Dooley; C Delaney, E Quinn (0-1), D Murtagh (1-5, 3f, 1 penalty). Subs: S Gilligan for Matthews (26 mins); C Hannon for Farrell (42 mins)
REFEREE: E Jones (Tyrone)

 

 

11-Sep-06 by Patricia Bohan – Ladies PRO