Back-to-back Carlow Cups for Mill Celtic
Brian O'Reilly, League Secretary, presenting the Carlow Cup to winning captains Geraldine Norton and Margaret Nolan.
Back at the league launch night for the women’s league in September, Mill were struggling. The side that won a league and cup double last season and made the Leinster final had no team, no management and there was a lot of uncertainty as to whether the club would even have a women’s team this season.
So to even be competing in a cup final is remarkable in itself. To be crowned champions is even more remarkable considering where they were just weeks out from the start of the league season. They recruited well and got a team together, getting in girls from other sports. The league got away from them in January as they lost too many games.
Mill had a solid end to the season, targeting the cup to try and get some kind of silverware out of the season. They beat Vale on penalties in the Quarter-Final before going on to beat Pat’s in extra-time in the semi-final.
Newpark were on a collision course with Vale for a potential play-off for the league title but back to back defeats to Mill ruined any hopes they had of winning their first league title in Carlow since 2018. They had a 4-0 win over bottom side Nurney in the Quarter-Final before going on to beat Parkville 4-2 in the semi.
Seeing Mill and Newpark battle it out for silverware is nothing new to Carlow Soccer fans and it was a tight battle between two old rivals, desperate to try to win some silverware this season. There was nothing between the two sides, each cancelling the other out, not letting the other get a run on them or gain an advantage.
Newpark were the ones causing the early problems and asking the early questions, and forced the Mill ‘keeper Geraldine Norton into a couple of early saves. An Abbie Wall free from the right was palmed over the bar by Norton. With 20 minutes to go until half-time, Denise Doyle found herself through on goal but fluffed her shot and put it wide on the right. Shortly after the half hour mark, Ciara McDonald tried an effort from distance but it was hit just wide on the left.
Just before half-time, Mill took the lead against the run of play. Shauna Byrne stepped up to take a free from 20 yards out on the right and it hit off the bar before darting in underneath and going over the line.
Ten minutes after half-time, Newpark went close through a McDonald effort from the right but she struck her effort just wide on the near side.
Mill doubled their lead around the hour mark. Last season’s captain Deirbhile Byrne struck an effort from 30 yards out and beat the Newpark ‘keeper to go in.
Chiara Cardillo for Newpark found herself in on goal but saw her effort palmed over the bar by Player of the Match Norton. With 15 minutes to go, Maria O’Callaghan played a ball through to Shafali Daly Dann who beat the defenders in her way and found herself through on goal, got a shot away only to hit it wide on the left having done all the hard work.
With three minutes to go, Newpark set up a grandstand finish as Kirsty Maher struck an effort from distance and managed to chip Norton in the goal who tried to get a hand to it but it went in over her head. However, Mill clung on for a huge victory.
Geraldine Norton, Abigail Finnegan, Katie Edwards, Shauna Byrne, Catherine Dempsey, Deirbhile Byrne, Margaret Nolan, Maria O’Callaghan, Ciara Rooney, Shefali Daly Dann, Rachael O’Neill Doherty.
Kirsten Doyle, Zoe Edwards, Avril Walshe, Lucy Edwards, Laura Miley, Antonina Ablazej, Jackie Byrne.
Abbie Larkin Flynn, Sarah Jane Codd, Enya Cardillo, Rachel Wall, Annie Dunne, Abbie Wall, Denise Doyle, Kirsty Maher, Chiara Cardillo, Ciara McDonald, Kelly Ann Moran.
Brooke Flynn, Robyn Clifford, Demi Donovan, Sinead McGrane, Cadee Purcell, Kayleigh Corcoran.
Paul Hunston.
Geraldine Norton is a huge part of the reason why Mill were even in a position to lift a trophy this season. The Mill Celtic joint captain was one of the driving forces of the club’s recruitment drive this season, and played a massive role in the club’s resurgence. Naturally, she was emotional after she lifted their first trophy in a tough season.
“We’re absolutely delighted,” she said afterwards. “We’re thrilled, it was a real battle. We were 2-0 up but we knew Newpark would keep coming and coming and they did in fairness to them. They held their heads high going off the pitch. Our girls worked hard from start to finish. We didn’t start well but we dug in.
"In the second half, it was a different game altogether and when we got that second goal then we knew we could hold it. We had a bit of edge, a little bit of fight. When we got the first goal, it’s a little bit easier to push on. We knew at half-time though to not sit on it, and we knew if we pushed on and got that second goal we could win the game. When Newpark got their first goal it made things tight but made the game exciting.
“It means a lot. We didn’t know what way we were at the start of the season, didn’t know what way we were with players or managers but it just shows you can come together and still have the same belief, that if you have that work rate, you can achieve anything, so we’re absolutely delighted to win the cup. The league wasn’t ours but we’ll work back there."
Norton recognises the achievement in what they’ve managed to do, given where they were at the start of the season and hailed the fighting spirit of her team.
“It’s a special team and I suppose we’ll always hold this together now we’ve won the Carlow Cup back to back. We’re absolutely delighted, they’re a great bunch of girls, they work hard, never miss training. We train once a week and have games on the Sunday and they always turn up, and thank god we showed up tonight as well and we had a good performance.
"We never give up until the end, we keep working, and that’s testament to Barry [Mackey] and Johnny [Corrigan], they’ve instilled that in us, that we have to work hard until the final whistle.”
