Loughinisland girls grab JFC crown as Saul wilt

27 August 2014

LOUGHINISLAND Ladies lifted the JFC crown after a titanic battle with Saul at St. Patrick’s Park, Newcastle, on Saturday.

Loughinisland got off to the best of starts with a goal from Brenda O’Hare, who was excellent all day and gave a captain’s performance.

Facing a strong breeze and relentless attacks from Saul, Loughinisland battled hard. The ever-reliable Helen Rice made some excellent saves and was backed up by some brilliant defending from Ellie McConville, Lisa Murray, Aurla McDowell and the diligent Mary Kearney.

The score of the match came from a free kick from the boot of Karen McClements, leaving Loughinisland trailing by a point at half-time.

A tactical switch at the break saw Laura Mason move from full back to centre half back and she was able to carry the ball forward at speed.

With the help of Grainne McCann and player of the match Gemma Gibney, Loughinisland were dominating midfield.

They were beginning to up the gears and finally got their second goal from Michelle Morgan.

Some strong running from Emer Murray and Maria Nixon and points from Siobhan McCann and Brenda Valentine helped Loughinisland take control.

They were now in cruise control and dominating all over the pitch. When Saul scored their only goal of the game late on, Loughinisland showed all of their experience and stayed composed to see out the game for a deserved victory.

Loughinisland Ladies 2-7

Saul 1-8

DOWN LADIES’ JFC FINAL

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