St Macartans Ladies back on top after extra-time drama

St Macartans 3-11 Carrickmore 2-10

(after extra-time)

YOU can’t keep a good team down. As much as they’ve lorded the Tyrone Ladies landscape for nigh on 15 years, St Macartans are human just like the rest of us, and they were disconsolate after last year’s Senior Championship final defeat to Errigal Ciaran.

On that occasion they fell short after extra-time of one of the all-time great county finals – and as recently as last month they lost their unimpeachable stranglehold on the league, their remarkable winning sequence of 12 consecutive titles brought to a shuddering halt by Errigal Ciaran.

Were we witnessing the demise of a pre-eminent footballing force? Or at least some sort of levelling out process?

Injuries didn’t help their case in the lead up to Saturday evening’s Senior Championship showdown against Carrickmore. Captain Shannon McQuaid and Niamh McGirr were out of commission, and so too – seemingly – was Chloe McCaffrey, struck down with a hamstring injury.

And when they went five points down midway through the second-half following a textbook finish to the net by superstar-in-the-making Sorcha Gormley, it looked like their race was run.

Two county final defeats in as many years would surely have marked a changing of the guard, but instead, St Macartan’s once again stand proudly as senior ladies champions of Tyrone – and for a record 14th time.

A brave finish to the net by Cathy Maguire, rising high to get her hand on the end of a come-and-get-it pass, instigated the comeback process. Chloe McCaffrey – who cares about a wee hamstring problem – insisted on entering the fray and landed the killer blow in extra-time with their third goal of the game. Slaine McCarroll was downright inspirational from the word, Joline Donaghy likewise, and when all was said and done, they were county champions yet again.

Vanquished Carrickmore couldn’t have done much more on their part. They put in a Trojan effort throughout and they held that aforementioned five-point lead with good reason, driving forward in waves as they almost, but not quite, put the game beyond doubt.

Needless to say they played their hearts out and while they may rue a few missed opportunities here and there, the girls from Carmen should be immensely proud of their efforts and they’ll be back.

The game took a while to get going with the respective defences on top in the early stages with St Macartan’s stalwart Maura Kelly and her teammate Slaine McCarroll forcing a number of early turnovers.

There were a few scores here and there – Joline Donaghy and Carmen’s Aimee Grimes landing points from play – but the first real moment of separation came midway through the half when Donaghy rattled the net when the Carmen defence was caught off guard.

Carrickmore got their first goal when Claire McGurk reacted quickest to a free that had dropped short, while their speed machine up front, Sorcha Gormley, was growing in prominence despite the very best efforts of Macs corner-back Grainne McKenna, nearly conjuring a goal out of nothing, Gemma Begley converting the resulting free.

Further scores from Donaghy put St Macartan’s into a 1-4 to 1-3 lead at the interval, preceding Carrickmore’s best spell of the game.

The third quarter virtually belonged to Carrickmore. St Macartan’s forays forward invariably came to nought with Áine Grimes, Niamh McElduff and Caira Munroe making perfectly timed interventions and they made their dominance count on the scoreboard as well. Sorcha and Caitlín Gormley landed eye-catching points and then came what could easily have been a knock-out blow – Sorcha Gormley showing immense composure in front of goals to leave the scoreboard reading 2-6 to 1-4 in Carrickmore’s favour.

It’s fair to say St Macartan’s were in a spot of bother. They hadn’t scored a single point for 15 minutes but they didn’t drop the heads and tagged on a couple of frees before Donaghy latched onto a high ball from Cathy Maguire and got the goal that fast-tracked their way back into the game.

There were ten minutes remaining, Chloe McCaffrey had entered the fray and St Macartan’s tails were up. They drew level with a brilliant score from Slaine McCarroll and with the excitement in the crowd reaching fever pitch, edged their noses in front in the 60th minute with a Donaghy free.

St Macartans had all the momentum at this juncture but Carrickmore kept their cool and manufactured one last opportunity, Gormley, only 18 years of age, landing a superb equaliser deep into stoppage time.

Extra-time was called for and it was anyone’s game. St Macartan’s made their move in the opening five minutes – Chloe McCaffrey scored a free, McCarroll scored her latest point from play following good work from Aine Arkinson and then they got that all-important third goal, McCaffrey applying a brilliant finish to the net when they turned over the ball high up the pitch. All Carrickmore could muster in reply in the opening period of extra-time was a Begley free, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the circumstances.

They had four points to claw back and they did everything in their power to reduce the deficit but it wasn’t to be. Sorcha landed a free but they hit a free wides and that was more or less that.

Fittingly, the inspirational Slaine McCarroll got the final score of the game right in the very last seconds to set the seal on St Macartan’s latest championship triumph – and this one will have tasted just as sweet as any of them.

The Scorers

St Macartan’s
Joline Donaghy (1-5, 0-3f), Slaine McCarroll (1-3), Chloe McCaffrey (1-1, 0-1f), Colleen McQuaid (0-2f)
Carrickmore
Sorcha Gormley (1-3, 0-1f), Gemma Begley (0-5f), Claire McGurk (1-0), Caitlin Gormley and Aimée Grimes (0-1 each)