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Stunning Greencastle blitz Illies
24.06.11
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Greencastle..6 Illies Celtic..1 Caoimhinn Barr at Maginn Park (Photos: Herbie Barr) PLAYING the football of their young lives, Greencastle underlined their status as the elite team in girls’ football after a stunning victory over Illies Celtic at Maginn Park on Tuesday night. A memorable Sarah Jane McDonald hat-trick added to goals by Roma McLaughlin, Shannon McDonald and Aine McLaughlin saw the Foylesider ease past the Stranaclea girls, who replied with a late Paula McGrory penalty. The Barcelona of the ladies game, Greencastle are the best team in Inishowen by some distance. I would be surprised if there is a better team in the country than the Ballybrack starlets. Like Manchester United at Wembley last month, the Illies girls must content themselves with merely being the best of the rest. No disgrace in losing to a team of Greencastle’s calibre. What looked like mission improbable for Illies before kick-off quickly became mission impossible as it soon became clear that the Greencastle girls had found a perfect groove on a damp night in Buncrana. |
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Brilliantly coached by
Geraldine Harkin, the Greencastle girls destroyed their
opponents with a stunning display of one-touch passing
and ceaseless movement rarely seen at this level of the
game. With strength and depth across the pitch, Greencastle’s attacking options, Roma McLaughlin and Sarah Jane McDonald, provide a constant threat with central midfield duo, Eimear Lafferty and Shannon McDonald, ensuring they retain possession for fun. Anchored at the back by Charmaine McDermott and Kathy McLaughlin, Greencastle have talent in abundance. Players like Rebekah Henry or Melissa McDermott, who could walk onto any team. Battling gamely throughout, the Illies girls hunted and harried all evening but could not gain enough possession to put their opponents under pressure. In Alison McGonigle, Paula McGrory and Kayleigh McGonagle, they have some excellent performers while goalkeeper Aoife McColgan made a series of stunning saves. |
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Centre-halves Elaine Coyle
and Shannen Devlin are two fine performers but they
could not keep Greencastle at bay with wave after wave
of dangerous attacks reigning down on their defences. Within two minutes the Greencastle girls had signalled their intent with Sarah Jane McDonald playing in Blathnaid McLaughlin before Illies defender Shannen Devlin cleared the danger. Talented Greencastle striker Roma McLaughlin was next to threaten; running at the heart of the Illies defence before dragging her shot wide from the edge of the area. In a rare attack Illies almost broke the deadlock but Paula McGrory was extremely unlucky to see her looping free-kick crashed off the Greencastle crossbar. Relieved to survive that early scare, the Greencastle girls resumed their relentless assault on the Illies goal with Sarah Jane McDonald collecting Eimear Lafferty’s pass inside the area before being denied by a stunning point blank save by Aoife McColgan. A Lafferty corner was then blasted over the top by Shannon McDonald from twenty yards before Aine McLaughlin’s stinging drive was well saved by beleaguered Illies keeper McColgan. |
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In the fifteenth minute
Greencastle pressure finally told when the McDonald
sisters combined to scintillating effect; Sarah Jane
gathering in Shannon’s pass before coolly firing into
the left hand corner of the Illies net from a tight
angle. Sarah Jane, the younger McDonald girl, was in threatening mood soon after, linking up Blathnaid McLaughlin and Aine McLaughlin before centre-half Elaine Coyle came to Illies rescue. Roma McLaughlin then saw a deflected effort well saved by McColgan before Eimear Lafferty drilled wide after controlling Charmaine McDermott’s arrowed free-kick. Another dipping Lafferty shot was well stopped before the midfielder’s right-footed corner was met brilliantly by the head of Roma McLaughlin, who flicked expertly into the corner of the net to put Greencastle two ahead. In last action of a one-sided opening period Aine McLaughlin volleyed Sarah Jane McDonald’s perfect cross high and wide before Shannon McDonald skewed a right-foot shot off the mark. Far from cruising home in the second-half the Greencastle girls upped the tempo and were quickly three ahead and out of sight. Roma McLaughlin picked up possession on the edge of a crowded box before delivering a sumptuous pass into the path of Sarah Jane McDonald, who side footed into the roof of the net from ten yards. A constant threat, Roma McLaughlin then spun and fired just off target from eighteen yards before Shannon McDonald burst through from midfield to fire in number four after collecting sister Sara Jane’s deft flick. Two minutes later it was five. This time Aine McLaughlin getting on the act with a fine finish after excellent work by Blathnaid McLaughlin. Refusing to let up, Greencastle almost added a sixth when Roma McLaughlin and Shannon McDonald carved out an opening for Sarah Jane McDonald but this time the lightning striker was denied by a well-timed tackle by Elaine Coyle. The Ballybrack girls came even closer one minute later when Roma McLaughlin struck the base of the post in the move of the match, involving the talented McDonald sisters yet again. With time ticking down the Illies girls finally earned some reward for their endeavour when Paula McGrory fired home a late penalty after being impeded in the area by Greencastle keeper Danielle Clarke. There was still time for Greencastle to threaten a magnificent seventh but Rebekah Henry’s shot was well saved before Eimear Lafferty set her sights off target with the game’s last chance. The Illies girls can reflect on a good cup run but Greencastle are a cut above the rest and will now target national glory. Who would back against them? AT A GLANCE Player of the Match Has to be hat-trick hero Sarah Jane McDonald, a lightning striker who is a nightmare for opposing defenders. Roma McLaughlin and Rebekah Henry also impressed but then any one of the Greencastle girls could have won the award such is their talent. Ref Watch Eddie Ivors had an excellent game in the middle. Not a difficult match to officiate as both teams tried to play good football with very few fouls in evidence. Ivors was correct to award Illies a late penalty despite Greencastle protests. Elite Greencastle After dismantling Ballymote 11-2 in the National Cup last weekend, Greencastle are riding high. A young confident outfit, they look set to dominate the ladies game both here and across the country for years to come. They have set the standard to which other teams must aspire. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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