Kate Flood the difference maker as Louth Ladies remain unbeaten

Lidl Ladies National League Division 3 Round 4

Kildare 0-7 Louth 1-5

Louth remain unbeaten in this year's Lidl Ladies National League, following a hard-fought win away to Kildare which leaves them flying high at the top of Division Three.

The story of this game was straight forward. After a tight opening half, the Lilywhites pushed on and took control of this game. However, their command of possession and chance creation didn’t result in scores as the home team kicked 10 wides in the second half, with 14 overall.

The Wee County were there to take full advantage, a goal from Kate Flood giving them a valuable half time lead, while at the death the Former AFLW star bagged the winning point with the game in the melting pot.

Chances and scores were scarce in the opening exchanges as Louth set up in a tight defensive structure that is now seemingly more and more commonplace in the GAA.

Kildare’s big early chance came to Ellen Dowling as she found space, that was hard to come by, in the Louth defence, but saw her effort well saved by goalkeeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan.

Leading by a point following a score from Aoife Russell, the Girls in Red would have a goal chance of their own on 12 minutes as Laura Collins got in behind the Kildare defence. Collins took aim, but saw her powerful effort saved by Mary Hulgraine.

The home’s team's attempts to break down the stern Louth defence were sloppy in the opening minutes, but they got their first score after 13 minutes when Neasa Dooley got them off the mark. Five minutes later, Ellen Dowling would give Kildare the lead as she popped over a free.

They increased their lead with perhaps the score of the game. They moved the ball with pace, dragging Louth defenders where they pleased. Yet there was still plenty to do as the ball was off-loaded to Aoife Rattigan, who took aim from a tight angle but converted for a superb score.

The sides were level at 0-3 a piece following a Lauren Boyle effort and Louth showed no signs of deviating from their game plan to absorb pressure and hit them on the break. It had worked to that point and would continue to do so, as the visiting team were given a gift just before half-time.

Kildare held possession of the ball deep in their own half. The ball was played back into Mary Hulgraine, who looked further up the field for options but misplaced her effort and was now stranded far from her goal line.

The stray pass fell into the arms of Kate Flood, who still had plenty to do from well outside the 21’. But the Louth centre-forward superbly lobbed her effort over Hulgraine as well as the many rapidly retreating Kildare bodies, to sink it into the net. It left Louth three up at the break.

Kildare substitute Elaine Keogh would get her side’s scoring under way in the second half with a fine point. However, her side’s lack of a clinical edge on the day was showing, as Keogh’s score wasn’t followed by another until seven minutes later as the Lilywhites' wides mounted up.

The next score crucially came Louth’s way, as Laura Collins got their first point since the restart. Kildare had bodies forward to try to break the Louth defence but failed to do so, meaning the visitors could counter at will.

And the eventual winners appeared to be able to always get a score at the right time for their team. The home side were pouring on the pressure, but four wides in a row followed, as Louth’s organised set-up forced them into low-percentage shots.

The only worry was that if Kildare did get their shooting boots sorted, many in the ground felt they would hit back at the Wee County hard. But that purple patch never came, as a dogged Louth continued to frustrate Kildare wonderfully.

Ellen Dowling’s last action before her substitution was to close the gap between the teams to one as she knocked over a score with five minutes to go. It was a moment of quality when Kildare needed it and it set this game up for a grandstand finish.

However, it was Louth goal-scorer Kate Flood who came up trumps for her side when it mattered most. Her point towards the end of 60 minutes helping them eke out a well-earned victory.

Next up is another huge tie for Kit Henry’s side, as they host Wexford this Sunday at 2PM (venue yet to be confirmed). With just one loss from four, they are sure to pose another huge question. But so far, Louth have answered any questions asked of them.

LOUTH: Rebecca Lambe Fagan; Eimear Murray, Rachel Berth, Eilish Hand; Mia Duffy, Shannen McLoughlin, Caitlin O'Reilly; Aoife Halligan, Derbhla O'Connor; Aoife Russell (0-2), Kate Flood (1-1), Ceira Nolan; Lauren Boyle (0-1 free), Aine Breen, Laura Collins (0-1 free). Subs: Niamh Rice for Boyle (25), Grace Traynor for O'Connor (48), Hannah O'Neill for Aoife Russell (58), Lucy White for Halligan (63), Abi Keenan for Nolan (65).

KILDARE: Mary Hulgraine; Aoife Clifford, Laoise Lenehan, Lara Gilbert; Triona Duggan, Ruth Sargent, Sarah Munnelly; Grace Clifford, Aoife Rattigan (0-2); Claire Sullivan, Róisín Byrne, Amy Larn; Ellen Dowling (0-2, 0-1 free), Neasa Dooley (0-1), Lara Curran. Subs: Elaine Keogh (0-1) on for Claire Sullivan (20), Ciara Price for Amy Larn (47), Roisin Forde (0-1) on for Ellen Dowling (55).

Referee: Paul McCaughey