Leydon Brothers Roscommon LGFA Junior A Final
Padraig Pearses 2-10 Oran 1-8
Their uninspired showing for the first 35 minutes of this game proved why Pádraig Pearses, giants of the Roscommon footballing landscape and 15-time LGFA senior champions in the county, had loitered and lingered in the junior ranks of the local club scene for so long.
Their emphatic finish proved exactly why the Woodmount club look to be on track towards putting a bleak two-decade run behind them, and why they look destined to return to greater relevance in the next couple of seasons.
It wasn’t the swashbuckling, free-scoring football that saw Pearses put Strokestown, Castlerea and Northern Harps to the sword over the previous three weekends. Instead, this was a win where their free-scoring forwards (largely) didn’t play to their potential, but it was the resilience and indefatigability of Ciara Lohan, Gráinne Lohan and Sarah Dooley along the spine of the team that carried them through to victory, allied to a very impressive showing from 16-year-old Esme Halpin in the corner of the attack.
That Pearses didn’t have everything their own way owed a lot to Oran bouncing back from the concession of the first two points to really take control of the game up to half-time, 0-4 to 0-2 in front. Pearses didn’t help their own cause with some poor shooting and some dreadfully narrow attacking play, but Oran looked very solid defensively and they deserved their lead, with Hazel Kelly and Gráinne Whyte kicking good points to put them there.
Two Pearses scores before half-time were undone when Áine Ryan picked up a yellow card and an enforced ten-minute break, and when Oran took advantage with a Becky Cassidy goal and a Hazel Kelly point after the restart, it was the mid-Roscommon side who had all the advantages.
A brace of frees mitigated the damage and gradually, once Ryan returned and the sides were evened up numerically, Pearses took over from there. Ryan showed her worth with some fine high catches, Sarah Dooley scrambled in a close-range goal, and the Lohan sisters in defence continued to dominate in their pivotal individual battles. Former Galway underage player Caitlin Malone never got the space she needed to thrive but she still caused chaos in the Oran backline, and a run of frees from Galvin and Kenny pushed Pearses’ lead out to three points.
Hazel Kelly, a hugely promising young cross-country and track athlete, had one more scintillating run to open up the Pearses defence and the goal chance they needed suddenly presented itself, but Tia Cronin’s effort sailed mere inches over the bar.
So the goal-hunt continued, and as often happens, Oran’s all-out chase meant it was Pearses who instead struck on the break, with Lorraine Kenny their finisher.
“Girls cancelled holidays, gave up weddings, made huge sacrifices and I think we got our just reward” was the summary of Pearses manager, and former stalwart defender, John Whyte. “I’m proud of our girls and I’ve sympathy for Oran as well, it’s a hard place to be, I’ve lost plenty of county finals, but as a Pearses man, I’m so proud today”.
Pádraig Pearses: Niamh Ryan; Kieara Dunne, Ciara Lohan, Kate Moore; Sarah Killeen, Gráinne Lohan (0-1), Emma McGreal; Sarah Dooley (1-0), Áine Ryan; Blathnaid Kelly, Caitlin Malone, Amanda Mannion; Áine Galvin (0-5, 0-4f), Lorraine Kenny (1-3, 0-3f), Esme Halpin (0-1). Subs used: Michaela Keogh for McGreal (half-time), Chloe Mulryan for Kelly (44 mins).
Oran: Shauna McDermott; Anna Hussey, Steph Patterson, Ciara Owens; Áine Earley, Mella Lawless, Erin McDermott; Niamh Walsh (0-1), Hazel Kelly (0-2); Clara Staunton, Becky Cassidy (1-0), Orla Connolly (0-3, 0-2f); Megan Flynn, Gráinne Whyte (0-1), Aisling McGrath. Subs used: Tia Cronin (0-1) for McGrath (half-time), Taylor Kelly for Cassidy (59 mins), Aoife Conneely for Earley (59 mins).
Referee: Declan Hunt.
STAT ATTACK
Red cards: Pádraig Pearses 0; Oran 0
Yellow cards: Pádraig Pearses 1 (Á Ryan); Oran 0
Wides: Pádraig Pearses 11; Oran 6
Player of the Match: Sarah Dooley (Pádraig Pearses)
by Kevin Egan
