Dr. Paul McKenna was at Meelick to see the home side get edged out by Cavan in Round 3 of the Tesco Homegrown LGFA Division 2 National League
Disappointment was the order of the day for the Clare Ladies
footballers in Meelick on Sunday where they suffered a 1-11 to 0-11 defeat at
the hands of a more determined Cavan side.
Even more disappointing from a Clare
point of view was the fact that the home side had a two player advantage for
nearly ten minutes during the second half when both RoisÃn OâKeeffe and Emma
McDermott of Cavan were sin-binned in quick succession. In this period of
numerical superiority Clare could muster only two points and crucially they
also conceded two similar scores to the 13 player Cavan side.
The tone of this game was set very early on when the
normally clinical Eimear Considine spurned a glorious goal chance when having
been put straight through by Niamh Keane and had only the keeper to beat. A
hesitant Considine delayed her shot which allowed corner back Gráinne McGlade
to get a deflecting hand in to force a forty five when a goal was there for the
taking. This was to signal a Cavan defensive dominance which persisted throughout
the game as they constantly forced the Clare forwards into blind alleys and
poor shot selections.
Clare did have the gameâs first score with an Emer Hillary
point on five minutes but this early lead was the only time the Banner side had
their noses in front for the whole game.
Cavan had the next three pointed scores and from here on in Clare were
always trying to play catch up. Louise
Henchy and Sinéad Greene swapped points and Minnie Considine narrowed the gap
to a single point in the twenty sixth minute before the Cavan attack ripped the
Clare defensive lines asunder to put Geraldine Sheridan through for a well
worked goal. Louise Henchy pulled a
point back for Clare with a free on the stroke of half time but having been
wind assisted in the first half to retire at the break 1 â 4 to 0 â 4 in
arrears was not the position Clare had hoped to be in.
Clare did have the opening score of the second half with
another point from Louise Henchy but wind assisted Cavan replied on the double
with points from Greene and their excellent full forward Clara OâReilly.
Two more points from Henchy and one from
Minnie Considine saw Clare narrow the gap to a single point after forty minutes
and with Cavan soon to be reduced to thirteen players one felt that the game
was going Clareâs way. Unfortunately for
the home side it was the visitors who raised their game when faced with this
double adversity. Joanne Moore stretched
their lead to two points before a brace of Eimear OâConnor points gained parity
for Clare in the fiftieth minute.
OâReilly and RoisÃn Howley then exchanged points before a now restored
fifteen a side Cavan dominated the last six minutes of the game and OâReilly
scored three unanswered points to ensure a comfortable journey home for the
Breffni side.
This was a disappointing display from Clare especially
coming off such a good opening victory over Fermanagh and certainly they will
have to show more determination and flair if they are to trouble Galway in
their next game in two weeks time.
However the players will know both individually and collectively that
they are capable of much better than this lack-lustre performance and hopefully
this will be just a minor blip in their endeavour to maintain Division 2 status
and possibly qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
Though not securing the desired result one could not fault
the Meelick GAA pitch which was in remarkable condition given the recent very
inclement weather. Great credit is due
to the club and its grounds-man for this achievement.
Scorers: Clare: Louise Henchy
0 â 5, Marie Considine 0 â 2, Eimear OâConnor 0 â 2, Emer Hillary 0 â 1, RoisÃn
Howley 0 â 1.
Cavan: Clara OâReilly 0 â 7, Geraldine Sheridan 1 â 0,
Sinéad Greene 0 â 2, Rachel Jordan 0 â 1, Joanne Moore 0 â 1.
Report by Dr. Paul McKenna,
Clare Adult PRO
