Steelstown and Glen both win to set up intriguing Ladies final

Errigal Group Ladies Senior Football Championship 

REIGNING champions Steelstown and Glen will face off in this year’s senior decider following their victories on Monday evening. It was a dramatic finish at Watty Graham Park as it took free kicks to decide the outcome between Glen and Ballinascreen, while Steelstown hit three goals on their way to seeing off Magherafelt. 

Steelstown 3-13 

Magherafelt 0-10 

THE girls from the city had too much fire power in their clash with Magherafelt at Rossa Park. 

However, they were pushed hard by a gallant home side but a much more physical and clinical Steelstown side came out on top at the finish thanks to goals from Orla McGeough and two from Ciara McGurk. A blistering second quarter with some delightful football saw them pull clear from Magherafelt, who had enjoyed more of the ball in the opening stages, and into a unassailable lead at the break. 

The visitors raced two clear through Dara McKeever and McGeough who finished with 1-6 but the Rossa girls who came into the contest as huge underdogs soon settled. Kate Higgins with a free and a wonderful point from Aoife Gormley had them level on 10 minutes. However, while taking the game to the holders they could find no way through the packed Steelstown defence that was expertly marshalled by Aoife McGough and the outstanding Katy Holly. 

Meanwhile, Steelstown were much more clinical when they broke and hit the front again with points from Megan Devine and McGeough, a lead they never were to lose. Sarah Heron pointed for the hosts but then Steelstown began to move clear and McGeough struck for their opening goal on 23 minutes. Higgins with a free at the other end but McGurk hit a second goal two minutes from the break and they led 2-9 to 0-4. 

Early into the second half and McGurk struck again but to their credit this young Magherafelt side never give up and hit three in-a-row from Rochelle Rocks, Medh McGurk and the lively Niamh O’Donnell who came off the bench. They could and possibly should have had two late goals with last ditch defending and a moment of pin ball and also rattling the crossbar. In the end Steelstown march on and will be hot favourites to retain their title for a fourth in-a-row. 

Steelstown: Molly McBride; Orlaith McGough, Aoife McGough, Niamh Friel; Megan Devine (0-1), Kathryn Canavan, Katy Holly; Lea Casey (0-1), Niamh Gilmore; Emma Doherty, Aoife McGeough (1-6, 0-1f); Ciara McGurk (2-0); Dara McKeever (0-3), Aoife Collins (0-2), Caoimhe O’Kane. 

Subs: Tara Burns, Anna Boyle, Kate Harkin. 

Magherafelt: Ellie Conway; Grace Brewster, Niamh McGarry, Sarah Heron (0-1); Anna Donnelly, Dearbhla McGuckin, Leah Brewster; Orla McEvoy (0-1), Annie Kilpatrick; Kate Higgins (0-2,f), Brid Corrigan, Aoife Gormley (0-1); Medh McGurk (0-1,f), Rochelle Rocks (0-2), Sinead Comer. 

Subs: Niamh O’Donnell (0-1), Eimear Lennox, Aine Young, Clare Kearns 

Referee: Damian Harkin

Glen 2-9 

Ballinascreen 1-12 

AET (Glen win 0-4 to 0-3 on free kicks) 

Glen’s Annie NiLochlainn held her nerve to send over the winning 25m free in a sudden death shootout with Ballinascreen at Watty Graham Park on Monday evening and earn her side a place in their first county final since 2016. 

It was the only thing that separated the sides, who produced a semi-final to remember in front of a large crowd of both home and away supporters and neutral spectators. 

With the game to be decided on the night, a 25m free shootout was going to be a hard way of determining the winner and credit must go to the 10 players on both sides who stepped up to hit them. 

Ballinascreen were first up with Louise Murphy successful but she was matched by NiLochlainn in her effort. Casey McKenna, who was excellent for the visitors throughout missed the second attempt and when Breena O’Loughlin scored hers, Glen led 2-1. Ballinascreen goalkeeper Kathryn Connery, who produced two outstanding saves late in the first half, converted her attempt but Caoimhe Kirkpatrick made it three from three for the home side. 

Jackie Donnelly kept her composure to keep her side’s chances alive and when Aimee Glasgow missed her attempt the sides were locked, each with three from four. The tension and pressure continued to grow with both sides missing their final kicks sending the game to sudden death. Murphy stood over the ball again but her effort went wide leaving NiLochlainn with the chance to win it for Glen and before it had even went dead, she knew she had hit the target. 

The outcome did not look likely with the game in its early stages as Glen, who won last won the Derry championship back in 2016, found themselves 1-4 to 0-1 adrift, McKenna with a fourth minute fortuitous goal that dropped into the back of the net. Ballinscreen had started very brightly, causing Glen, who seemed nervy, lots of problems with their driving runs from deep. Murphy opened the scoring from a free in the second minute and when they won the resulting kickout she doubled their lead before McKenna’s goal added to Screen’s ferocious start. 

A NiLochlainn free got Glen up and running in the fifth minute but Murphy and McKenna frees put Ballinascreen six points up as they once again forced turnovers. 

NiLochlainn was keeping Glen ticking over as she added another two points, both from frees, and when full-forward Christina Kielt found the back of the net in the 21st minute Glen were only two points behind, 1-5 to 1-3. However, Ballinascreen responded with a Murphy brace to push the gap back out to four with half-time approaching. 

Glen had two glorious goal chances, Kielt blazing wide while Screen netminder Connery pulled off two saves in a quick succession to keep her side in front and she tipped over a Kielt effort, happy to settle for the point with her side still three in front at the break, 1-7 to 1-4. 

Glen got the ideal start to the second half when Kielt palmed to the back of the net to level the game, 1-7 to 2-4, and they took the lead for the first time when NiLochlainn raised the white flag once more. Glen’s dominance continued and Breena O’Loughlin pointed to move them two ahead, 2-6 to 1-7 with 41 minutes gone. The game’s next score didn’t arrive to the 53rd minute and it was Ballinascreen’s first of the half, Murphy with a point. NiLochlainn (free) doubled Glen’s lead once more but they had to see the game out with 14 players when Leanne McCrystal was sin-binned with three minutes remaining and Ballinascreen hit back-to-back points through Murphy and McKenna frees to send the game to extra-time, 2-7 to 1-10. 

McKenna’s free was the only score of the first period of extra-time as Ballinascreen took a slender 1-11 to 2-7 lead. NiLochlainn tied the game with a free within a minute of the resumption and with two minutes remaining she put Glen ahead. However Murphy landed a point from a free a minute later to level the game as the referee blew the final whistle and a free-kick shootout it was to be. 

Elsewhere it was the final round of fixtures in the Intermediate championship with Eoghan Rua defeating Lavey by the narrowest of margins 2-4 to 1-6 while Claudy overcame Limavady. This leaves three sides tied at the top - Lavey, Claudy and Eoghan Rua so it came down to scoring difference. Lavey, who won the junior title in their first year fielding a senior ladies team just twelve months ago, topped the group booking their place in the final while both Claudy and Eoghan Rua must meet in a playoff after they could not be separated.