Old manager secures the bragging rights as Louth Ladies defeated in Clare

LIDL LADIES NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION 3 ROUND 6

Louth 1-5 Clare 1-14

Louth suffered their second consecutive league defeat in slippery and downcast weather conditions away to a Clare side managed by former Wee County boss Wayne Freeman.

It was the aggressive early start from Freeman’s current side which set them on their way to a 1-12 to 0-0 half time advantage, one which they never looked like relinquishing.

Playing with the wind advantage in the opening half, the Banner took full advantage and opted to press up on Louth, forcing the visitors to cough up possession 15 times in the first half.

Caoimhe Harvey and Chloe Moloney were running the show, supported impressively by wing backs Louise Griffin and Joanna Doohan, while Siofra Ní Chonaill made life difficult for Louth sharpshooter Kate Flood.

The home side opted to play Chloe Moloney on the edge of the square in that first half, and the midfielder alongside the lively Lizzy Roche and Ciara McCarthy were a handful throughout, forcing Louth manager Kit Henry to withdraw defenders Dearbhla O’Connor and Rachel Beirth at the break.

While Louth struggled playing into that tumultuous first half breeze, Clare could do no wrong, converting 13 scores from 16 shots in that first half, with the Wee County failing to register a single score from nine efforts at the posts, which includes late replacement Roisin Maguire firing wide from close range early on.

Clare’s aggressive press saw Louth turned over time and time again following short kickouts, with Chloe Moloney in sparkling form with five first half scores.

The Banner Girls had five points on the board by the time the game reached the 10th minute, with Joanna Doohan grabbing the opening score, following excellent support play through the hands from Moloney and Lizzy Roche.

Another turnover from a short Louth kickout saw Chloe Moloney drive through the centre of the Reds’ rearguard for their second point, and Moloney was once again involved in the next Clare score, combining with the hard running Amy Sexton, to set up Ciara McCarthy for another white flag.

Meanwhile another turnover from a Louth kickout saw Cliodhna Blake set up Moloney for her third effort of the afternoon, moments after Fidelma Marrinan had split the posts with a sweetly struck free kick.

The common motif of Clare turning over a Louth player on the short kickout continued, with the excellent Caoimhe Harvey setting up Moloney for the first of two consecutive scores from the number 9, making it 0-8 to no score in the home side’s favour after 22 minutes.

Minus key forward Laura Collins, Louth continued to falter from scoring range in that ferocious breeze, and Clare also broke up attacks and moved forward through the hands, with Caoimhe Harvey, and half back backs Doohan and Griffin breaking at pace.

It was Harvey who broke from deep following a Doohan turnover, which set up the industrious Amy Sexton whose right footed effort fizzed passed Louth keeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan for the first major of the afternoon.

Moloney and Ciara McCarthy found the range with further efforts, as did Fidelma Marrinan and Lizzy Roche, as Clare took a seemingly insurmountable lead of 1-12 to 0-0 into the interval.

Even with that wind aid in the second period, Louth’s task of finding a way back into proceedings was also going to be an arduous one.

However, a Shannen McLaughlin turnover in defence saw forward Kate Flood subsequently end Louth’s wait for a score with a finely taken point three minutes after the restart.

Lauren Boyle, who continued to carry the fight for the Wee County, converted a free moments later as Louth tried to find some parity in the game.

The Cooley ace, whose previous exploits saw her college Dundalk IT win the Moynihan Cup in the Connacht GAA Dome nine days earlier, struck another free over the crossbar to keep the scoreboard ticking over at the very least.

However, Clare who were deserving winners on the day, could even afford the luxury of having only six attacks in the second half, as they prioritised maintaining possession, managing the game, and avoiding low percentage shooting into that swirling wind.

Goalscorer Lizzy Roche teed up Ciara McCarthy for her third score of the day, while a delightful foot pass from Chloe Moloney saw Louise Griffin convert from play to conclude the scoring for the Banner County.

To their credit and despite a sense of inevitability about the outcome, Louth refused to throw in the towel, and Niamh Rice, who returned to the pitch following her early sin bin, drove the ball soccer style to the bottom corner of the net to put some sort of respectability on the board at 1-14 to 1-3.

That Rice sin bin was the first of two suffered by Louth, with second half substitute Ciara Woods also receiving a yellow card late on.

Rice went close to grabbing another goal for Louth, with her fizzing effort from a close range free blocked bravely on the line by Clare’s Siofra Ní Chonaill, who lined out for the University Limerick in the O’Connor Cup final alongside Amy Sexton and second half substitute Aisling Reidy last week.

Lauren Boyle, who finished with 14 possessions in the match for Louth, converted another free, as did Niamh Rice to keep the deficit in single figures by the time referee Justin Murphy blew the final whistle, in a match which leaves it very much all to play for in the battle for promotion.

Louth Footballers continue their upward curve with fourth win on the bounce

Clare: Amy Lenihan; Aine Keane, Siofra Ní Chonaill, Grainne Harvey; Louise Griffin (0-1), Caoimhe Harvey (0-1), Joanna Doohan (0-1); Sinead Considine, Chloe Moloney (0-5, 0-1 free) Megan Downes, Fidelma Marrinan (0-2 0-1 free), Amy Sexton (1-0); Lizzy Roche (0-1), Cliodhna Blake, Ciara McCarthy (0-3). Subs: Aisling Reidy for McCarthy (41), Eimear Keane for Sexton (41), Lauren Griffin for Louise Griffin (50), Caoilinn McCormack for Downes (55), Emma Healy for Considine (55), Laura Griffey for Roche (57).

Referee: Justin Murphy (Cork).