MATCH REPORT – SUNDAY 30th APRIL 2006.
Boucher Rd Playing Fields.
LADIES RESERVES LEAGUE: – St Pauls 1 – 1; St Brigids 1 – 5.
The eve of May Day – the Workers’ Holiday – saw a young St Brigids Ladies Reserve team record a first ever victory against their female counterparts of St Pauls. To date the red and whites had proved to be an impregnable bastion in their many encounters. Perhaps the distant memories of the Bolsheviks storming the Winter Palace in St Petersburg gave them heart, or maybe it was just time to put more recent history to rest: for many of these girls were on the receiving end of a crushing defeat in the U-16 championship last September when St Pauls swept all before them. Jenny and Katie McMullan played that day, as did Anna Finnegan. All 3 played important parts in this game with Anna notching up 1 – 3,and Jenny giving sterling display at the back. The club PRO has served a Public Interest Immunity censorship order on your correspondent, forbiding a detailed description of how well he saw Katie play. Suffice to say it was a powerful display.
The opening section of this game was tight although St Brigids had the upper hand with the 2 midfielders – Ciara Loughran and Michelle O’Loughlin – combining well to keep the ball moving forward. By half time the “Away Team” had put 5 points on the board. Indeed had it not been for the crossbar, Ruth Prenter would have had a goal rather than a point to St Pauls goal and one point. They made some changes including putting on the fast and skillful Miss Cooper to add to their armory. Such was the threat posed by the Blue and Golds.
Half Time: St Pauls 1 – 1;St Brigids 0 – 5.
With some players tiring St Pauls dominated the first 10 minutes of the second half, only to be let down by some wayward shooting. Liz Ann McGeogh was moved to the half back line and her speed negatived the opposition’s most dangerous player. On the other wing Aoife McCann stood tall and put herself about to great effect. She and Naoimh O’Hare can be proud of their displays. But it is scores that win games. Ruth Prenter hit both posts [it is supposed to go between them, Ruth] and then Anna Finnegan hit a second half goal that effectively sealed the victory. Both sides exchanged near misses and shuffled their personnel packs. Hannah McGrath and Rose McGeogh saw action towards the end, and they will surely see more over the coming years. Hopefully they will see more victories like this one where their teammates give there all in a fine team display and were modest in their moment of glory. Was this an epoch – making day or just a gradual sign of improving standards? Only time can answer that question.
