Leitrim's Garrity & Clancy happy Ladies kept the pressure on against Derry

Reflecting on a job well done, both manager Jonny Garrity and forward Ailbhe Clancy were very happy with Leitrim's convincing 25 point victory over Derry in the third round of the Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 campaign.

Jonny Garrity was a very happy man as Leitrim picked up their third win out of three in the Lidl LGFA Division 4 campaign last Sunday in Greysteel with the manager particularly happy with how his troops adapted to the difficult conditions.

With a storm force wind at the venue nears the shores of Lough Swilly, Leitrim coped admirably as they strolled to a 8-8 to 0-7 victory over the Derry women and Jonny was very pleased with how his players approached the contest: “I would commend the girls first with the way they approached today's challenge.

“We had to be very mindful of pass selection; shot selection; we had to work the game really well; and I think last week's performance in similar conditions really helped. We learned a lot of lessons from that and today it paid off.”

Building up a big lead was key for Leitrim as it put pressure on Derry and gave Leitrim a cushion while Garrity was also pleased that Leitrim never let up: “I hoped for today's game that we would get our noses in front (from the start), build up an unassailable lead and then not take our foot off the pedal, which we did to some degree last week. 

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“So that's the way it panned out. After the first half we were sitting with 74% of our scores from our shots, which is a phenomenal statistic on even a calm day. In the weather conditions today it is a great testimony to what the girls did.”

A delighted Ailbhe Clancy reflected on a strong second half display from the Green & Gold, particularly after the way they had struggled to put away the challenge of Wicklow a week before in Ballinamore: “We are delighted with our performance today especially after last week with our second half performance in Ballinamore against Wicklow) which we were not particularly happy about.

“It was good to come to Derry and get out with a good win. We are going to keep on improving, performing well, and working well together. We worked well together today; you could see from our movement, especially in the forwards; it is something we have been working on.”

The Glencar Manorhamilton clubwoman reflected on the workrate and team spirit displayed by the Leitrim ladies: “We are playing for each other which is good to see. We are used to the wind now after this week and last week in Ballinamore. The conditions are the same for both teams. 

“Before the match we talked about holding onto the ball, making sure that we didn't take any silly shots, working the ball closer into the (Derry) goalposts especially in the first half to get the scores.”

Goals crucial as Leitrim ride their luck against impressive Wicklow

LEITRIM 4-6 WICKLOW 0-15

Noting that Leitrim has now recorded Division 4 victories this month over Kilkenny, Wicklow and Derry, Ailbhe Clancy believes “three wins from three is great.”