Derry Ladies look to bounce back after disappointing defeat to Longford

Derry 0-04 ... Longford 0-10

Derry fell to their second successive league defeat as they lost out to Longford on Sunday afternoon at Eoghan Rua, a result that will frustrate the Oakleaf girls given their overall performance.

Despite the inclement weather in the days leading up to the game, great credit must go to the Coleraine club for producing a pitch in excellent condition. Derry enjoyed plenty of possession over the hour and created enough chances to have taken something from the game, but a return of just four points ultimately told the story of where they fell short.

Poor passing and decision-making in the final third proved costly, as otherwise Derry were every bit the equal of their Midlanders opponents.

Derry can also feel aggrieved by a number of refereeing decisions, most notably in the opening five minutes when a Longford player escaped a red card following a very dangerous high challenge on Kate Hargan. To compound matters, the incident went unpunished, with the offender also escaping a yellow card. The visitors also breached the three-up rule on three separate occasions, though just one of those offences was penalised throughout the game.

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It was Longford who settled quicker into the contest, registering the opening two points of the afternoon. Clodagh Moore got Derry up and running with a fine score before a superb pass from Annie Ní Lochlainn released Áine McAllister, who calmly levelled the sides on 13 minutes. Aoife Darcy edged Longford back in front shortly afterwards, and Derry were then forced into some desperate defending during the second quarter to prevent the visitors from raising a green flag.

Another dangerous high challenge on 23 minutes, this time on Kate Gribbon, was eventually punished following a lengthy consultation between the officials. Kamille Burke received a yellow card and was sent to the sin bin, but surprisingly this was to be the only card shown for the remainder of the contest

Longford finished the half strongly, adding a further brace of points to move into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead at the interval. Derry will rue a number of wasted attacking opportunities during that opening period, with several promising moves breaking down due to misplaced passes at crucial moments.

Derry began the second half brightly and were rewarded almost immediately. A strong, direct run from Sarah Heron created the opening, and Clodagh Moore duly split the posts to reduce the deficit. Ten minutes later, McAllister again threatened after getting on the end of a Cara Donnelly delivery. She turned sharply, but her effort was deflected onto the butt of the post and out for a ’45.

While Derry continued to miss scoring chances, Longford proved far more clinical. Between the 45th and 56th minutes, the visitors struck four unanswered points to open up a six-point advantage and put daylight between the sides. Derry rang the changes, giving their bench valuable game time, and continued to work hard in search of scores. However, as had been the case throughout, poor final decisions and some excellent last-ditch defending from Longford prevented any late comeback.

Cara Donnelly added Derry’s final score of the afternoon when she slotted over a free after blocking down a clearance from the Longford goalkeeper. As she bore down on goal, Donnelly was hauled back by the custodian. Longford saw out the closing stages to leave six points between the sides at the final whistle.

The league now takes a one-week break before Derry travel to Wicklow for their next encounter, where they will look to convert strong performances into much-needed results. No doubt the side are taking steps in the right direction and hopefully this can continue and rewards will come for their work.

SCORERS

Derry: C Moore 0-2, A McAllister and C Donnelly (f) 0-1 each

Longford: A Darcy 0-5 (3f), S Gallagher 0-3, K McKeon and H Burke 0-1 each.

TEAMS

Derry: Thomasina Cassidy; Isla Duggan, Kate Gribbon, Joanne Corr; Sarcha Duggan, Sarah Heron, Amy Rose Mulligan; Leah Brewster, Kate Hargan; Clodagh Moore, Annie Ni Lochlainn (capt), Niamh Hannon; Aine McAllister, Jeannette Slevin, Aoife Boorman.

Subs: Cara Donnelly for Slevin (35), Aoife Gormley for McAllister (45), Rihanna Doherty for Ni Lochlainn (55), Jemma Shivers for Brewster (55), Niamh McGarry for Boorman (61), Caoimhe Dillon for Corr (61), Erin Dillon for I Duggan (61), Meabh Boylan for Mulligan (65), Eva Ferguson for Hargan (65).

Longford: Aoife Cooney; Brace Kenny, Leanne Keegan, Riane McGrath; Ailbhe Brady, Emma Farrell, Shauna Burke; Sían Gallagher, Shauna Hagan; Kateyn McKeon, Katie Crawford, Hannah Burke; Casey McNamara, Kamille Burke, Aoife Darcy.

Referee: Ciara Gilroy