Clare Ladies Football Senior League Semi-Final 29/04/2007 Venue: Lissycasey Referee: Shane Hehir Cooraclare 2 - 9 The Banner 1 - 10 The Banner will be kicking themselves following this thrilling league semi- final played in Lissycasey on Sunday 29th April. The Ennis side were dominating affairs and five points to the good with just over ten minutes to play but a combination of Cooraclare's greater experience and the Banner's wastefulness in front of goals saw the West Clare side thunder back to wrest the match from the clutches of the Ennis team. Super sub Ann Marie Callinan was instrumental in the game's turn around as the Sky Blue player helped herself to a goal and a point following her introduction late in the match. The game opened at a blistering pace and had a championship feel about it throughout. The Banner, still smarting from their 2006 Clare final defeat to their opponents, threw everything at Cooraclare in the opening quarter. And opened up a five points to no score lead after twenty minutes. Two of these scores came from play from the boots of Niamh Keane and Louise Henchy with the remainder from the boot of thirteen year old footballing sensation Niamh O'Dea. Significantly though for the Banner they spurned several goal chances but credit here must go to the excellence of Máiréad Griffin in the Cooraclare goals. Cooraclare opted for a five man forward line in this first half with at times Majella Lillis and Eithne Morrissey drifting back as extra defenders. This left lots of space up front for the West Clare team on the occasions that they counter attacked. This space was fully exploited in the twenty eight minute when a Banner attack was broken up on Cooraclare's twenty metre line and Cooraclare swept downfield and out ran the Banner defence for a brilliant Niamh Chambers goal. Prior to this Cooraclare had pointed frees on twenty four and twenty seven minutes from Eithne Morrissey and Chambers. Thus Cooraclare found themselves level on the half hour at 1 - 2 to 0 - 5. Chamber's goal encapsulated the difference between the two teams and indeed Cooraclare's end of first half performance was to be mirrored again in the final ten minutes of the second period. Down the centre of the park many intriguing battles were taking place with midfield a real cockpit as both the Banner's Jane Kennedy and Louise Henchy had a tremendous joust with Cooraclare's Tammy Hehir and Sally Glynn. Things got a little heated in this area on occasions and referee Shane Hehir did a good job in maintaining a good degree of control on affairs. The frantic pace of the game continued on the resumption with Niamh O'Dea and Eithne Morrissey exchanging a brace of points before a speculative lob from Banner midfielder Jane Kennedy found its way to the Cooraclare net on forty two minutes. A brilliant point from play from O'Dea followed immediately and when Louise Henchy kicked another point for the Ennis side on forty five minutes things were looking good for the Banner. Credit Cooraclare though for not panicking in the face of possible defeat. They battled grimly and made some astute switches on the line. When Eithne Morrissey floated in a high ball on forty eight minutes it had point written all over it. Morrissey's shot however cannoned off the crossbar and back into play where first to react was substitute Ann Marie Callinan who coolly placed the ball past Maria Hennessy in the banner goals. This score roused the Sky Blues and caused the Banner to panic. Points for Cooraclare from Sally Glynn and Niamh Chambers soon levelled the game. Entering the final minute of normal time Niamh O'Dea again pointed a free to throw the Banner a one point life-line. This was immediately cancelled when Morrissey used all her craft and guile to win her team a late free at the other end which Niamh Chambers duly despatched over the bar. Three minutes added time were allowed by referee Hehir and during all this time there was only one team in it as Cooraclare completely dominated. A poor Banner clearance from goalkeeper Hennessy saw Áine Pyne put her name on the score sheet and give Cooraclare the lead for the first time in the match and moments later up popped super sub Callinan to score the insurance point for the winners. Referee Hehir then sounded the final whistle leaving the score at the end Cooraclare 2 - 9 to the Banner's 1 - 10. While not the dominant team throughout the game Cooraclare it must be said deserved their narrow victory if only because they took their goal-scoring opportunities when presented. The Banner's front three missed at least four excellent goal chances in the course of the game and if any of these had been converted the outcome could have been much different. Apart from Niamh O'Dea the banner offered little of a scoring threat up front where Niamh Keane with a first half point was their only other forward to score. Contrast this with Cooraclare where Eithne Morrissey, Helen Quinn, Niamh Chambers and the introduced Ann Marie Callinan always looked threatening when on the ball. Cooraclare have laid down a marker that they will be a strong force again this season and they now progress to a league final meeting with arch rivals Miltown. Shane Hehir's overall handling of the game was good even though both sides will grumble over a few of his close in calls. Cooraclare: Mairéad Griffin, Monica Lillis, Bernie Kelly, Fiona McMahon, Aoife Donnellan, Aifric O'Neill, Orla Kelly, Tammy Hehir, Sally Glynn, Áine Pyne(0-1), Niamh Chambers (1-4), Rachel Garry, Majella Lillis, Eithne Morrissey(0-3), Helen Quinn. Sub: Ann Marie Callinan (1-1) The Banner: Maria Hennessy, Edel Griffin, Niamh Martin, Niamh Cavanagh, Michelle Delaney, Mary Tierney, Louise Henchy (0-2), Jane Kennedy (1-0), Niamh O'Dea (0-7), Niamh Keane (0-1), Aoife Cavanagh, Irene Hehir, Emma O'Driscoll, Sonya Maher. Dr. Paul McKenna, PRO, Clare Ladies Board. Tweet

Most Read Stories