Carlow finish strong but damage done in first half
Sinéad McCullagh gets in her handpass with Fermanagh's Danielle Maguire just behind Photo: Pat Ahern
FERMANAGH maintained their hopes of a place in the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship semi-final when their first half performance all but cemented victory in this Group A game at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday. The winners here play Derry on Wednesday in Brewster Park and a victory will put these two sides into the last four. Even a win for the away side is highly unlikely to deprive Carlow.
Fermanagh got off to the perfect start with Bláithín Bogue knocking over a point in the opening seconds and Eimear Smyth followed up with two points on the trot. Niamh McManus tacked on another point as Carlow struggled to stay with the pace of the game.
The home side dug deep and a great run through the visitors defence from Megan Townsend saw her off-load to Rachel Sawyer who gave Megan Maguire no chance in the Fermanagh goal.
If the home supporters thought the comeback was on then they were disappointed as Fermanagh shrugged off the concession and scored 1-10 without reply in the first period.
Bogue led the way with two more points while Smyth was a thorn in the home side every time she got the ball. By half-time the full-forward had scored 1-4 with the goal coming on 22 minutes. A passing movement originated deep inside their own half and with it came a deadly finish. The entire starting forward line for Fermanagh featured on the score-sheet in the opening half with Carlow having to settle for their only point from a Clíodhna Ní Shé free just before the break.
At the interval, Fermanagh led 1-13 to 1-1 and the win was all but secured. The home side needed to get something from the game. They have been knocking on the door in both league and championship for many years now and the experience gained stood to him in the face of the visiting onslaught.
Megan Townsend scored the second home goal while Sawyer raised a white flag. Fermanagh hit back with two points from Danielle Maguire. Carlow kept the visitors honest and Ní Shé was unlucky to see a pass just fail to pick out a supporting colleague with a goal very much on.
On the other hand, the Carlow keeper, Nicole Hanley, made a great save to deny McCabe when the Fermanagh marauder looked certain to find the net.
With less than five minutes of normal time left, the Northerners lost Joanne Doonan to what looked like a harsh yellow card. Against the fourteen players, Carlow finished well with Sawyer scoring her second point and Siofra O’Neill beating Maguire after her first effort was blocked.
The three points sets up Fermanagh nicely. They will be full of confidence for the visit of the Oak Leaf opposition. On the other hand, despite the unlikely hood of the permutations going against them, there will, from a Carlow point of view, be some anxious looks in the North West direction on Wednesday.
Carlow have played their four matches while Fermanagh and Derry play London and Sligo respectively in their final group games on Sunday week. It is never over until it’s over.
A super first half by the visitors Fermanagh secured the victory as early as the 21st minute when Eimear Smyth scored their only three-pointer. They could have had more but Carlow keeper, Nicole Hanley, is probably one of the best net-minders around and doesn’t give things away easily with some top-class saves in both halves. In the first half, Hanley came off her line forcing Smyth to go left and the full-forward’s resultant shot slid just wide of the right-hand upright.
A forward power-house Led by Eimear Smyth, the Fermanagh forward line tore the home side apart in the opening half. All six starting forwards scored from play as they tore the Carlow defence apart. Lisa Maguire, the visiting left-half back was always comfortable going forward with ball in hand or making herself available when colleagues ran into trouble. Certainly, it was the complete performance for the visitors but they showed they were vulnerable after the break.
Carlow’s second half performance As the home side fell further and further behind in the first half, all Carlow’s hard work during the year looked to be unravelling. Before the game, Carlow were almost assured of a semi-final place. Now, with the 30 minutes no-show, there was every danger home confidence would fall as they go into the business end of the championship.
It was important Carlow outscored their opponents by 2-3 to 0-3 in the second half where players performed and showed that the first half show was an aberration.
