Leitrim Ladies get the ball rolling again with win over Derry

After a tough first two weeks of their League campaign, Leitrim will finally feel like they are building momentum as they secured their first win of the year with a 3-13 to 1-5 defeat of Derry in Kiltubrid on Sunday.

The All-Ireland Intermediate champions presented a much-changed side from the one that lost their opening game to Fermanagh in the same venue two weeks ago and played with a real attacking flair. Goals from Ailbhe Clancy, Laura O’Dowd, and Shaylyn Ward along with a flurry of points from across the forward kept them well out of sight throughout the game.

When they got going, Leitrim played a wonderful brand of football, displaying an almost manic urgency to move the ball out of defence at pace—something that was lacking in their opening-round tie—and get it to the likes of Aoife Gilmartin and Muireann Devaney, who kicked some lethal scores.

Leitrim might have had a few more goals, with some real opportunities squandered in the first half. There were also patches when they struggled to put everything together. This gave Derry a chance to gain a foothold in the game during the second half.

Muireann Devaney was back in the starting lineup this weekend and wasted no time showing why, knocking over the game’s first point one minute in, while Ailbhe Clancy followed up with Leitrim’s second, off her left foot, a minute later.

Laura O’Dowd looked set to score the game’s first goal two minutes later when she collected a tidy kick pass in space in front of the Derry goal. Her dribbling shot beat the keeper but was stopped on the line by a retreating fullback.

O’Dowd followed that up with a missed shot at the posts, while Derry’s Kate McCann hit one and missed one, leaving Leitrim just a point ahead ten minutes in.

Síomha Quinn had Leitrim’s second goal chance a couple of minutes later when she found space on the edge of the square and rocketed a shot toward the top corner, only for it to curl wide of the post.

Leitrim was banging on the door, and two minutes later they were let in when Dearbhaile Beirne was taken down as she cut in toward the Derry goal, winning a penalty. Ailbhe Clancy hit it low and hard along the ground for Leitrim’s first goal of the day.

Beirne nabbed herself a point a minute later, followed by another from Clancy and two from Devaney, as Leitrim took control of the game.

Derry were struggling massively to break out of defence at this point. Ailbhe Clancy and Caoimhe O’Kane missed free kicks before Leitrim put together—arguably— their best attack of the game, where they ran the ball out of the backline with blistering pace, rapidly shifting it through the hands and delivering a long pass inside to Devaney, who cut inside and slotted over from thirty metres.

Derry had a purple patch before the end of the half, but poor shooting and tight Leitrim defending left them with only one point heading into the break. Things then went from bad to worse as a looping shot from Laura O’Dowd dropped into the Derry net, leaving them fourteen points behind at halftime.

Both teams made significant changes throughout the second half, with Leitrim introducing stalwarts Charlene Tyrell and  Niamh Tighe at the break.

Derry started the second half better, as substitute Kaci Deery drove at the Leitrim defence and was brought down inside the square, winning her side a penalty. Aine McAlister dispatched the spot-kick, giving Derry the perfect start to the half.

Derry pumped high balls in on top of the Leitrim goal in the second half, causing problems for Niamh Ryan in the nets, but she did enough to deal with them. Derry could have converted more, as they had momentum at their backs, but accuracy proved an issue.

Leitrim hit back with points from Muireann Devaney, Ailbhe Clancy, and Aoife Gilmartin before Derry got another score through an Aine McAlister free. She added another five minutes later, marking Derry’s last score of the game.

In the final five minutes, Shaylyn Ward hit a point for Leitrim before Ella McNamara went on a storming run through the middle of the Derry defence and was taken down, winning Leitrim’s second penalty of the game. Ward stepped up and made no mistake, sealing Leitrim's first win of the season.

Main Woman: For Derry, Kate McCann and Aine McAlister formed the heart of their attack. It’s difficult to single out a standout player for Leitrim, as they put in a real team performance. However, Muireann Devaney was a constant threat, delivering dangerous passes and keeping the scores ticking over.

Turning Point: Leitrim’s purple patch in the first half saw them score 2-6 without reply, putting the game well out of reach by halftime.

Talking Point: At the start of this season, questions surrounded how Leitrim would react to the loss of key ball carriers and how they would manage the resulting loss of pace. Today, they looked fluid and lightning-fast on the break, which is a really good sign. The question is whether they can maintain that consistency in their next game.

What’s Next: Leitrim head down to Bray to face Wicklow in their rescheduled match from last week.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Ailbhe Clancy 1-3; Muireann Devaney 0-5; Laura O’Dowd & Shaylyn Ward 1-1 each; Aoife Gilmartin 0-2; Dearbhaile Beirne 0-1

Team: Niamh Ryan; Eimear Quigley; Lauren Devaney; Jasmine Maye; Mollie Murphy; Clare Owens; Rachel McIntyre; Chloe Dolan; Aisling Quinn; Laura O’Dowd; Ailbhe Clancy; Dearbhaile Beirne; Muireann Devaney; Síomha Quinn. Subs: Charlene Tyrell (30); Niamh Tighe (30); Shaylyn Ward (42); Emma Guckian (42); Sarah Reynolds (42); Edel Shanley (42); Lauren Tivnan (49); Lauryn Devaney (49); Emma Honeyman (49); Ella McNamara (49); Leah Fox (54); Aoife Gilmartin (54)

DERRY

Scorers: Aine McAlister 1-3, 3f; Kaci Deery& Kate McCann 0-1 each

Team: Thomasina Cassidy; Shannon Moore; Grace Brewster; Joanne Carr; Caoimhe Dillon; Orla McEvoy; Cara Donnelly; Caoimhe O’Kane; Leah Casey; Niamh Hannon; Kate McCann; Anna Martin; Sarah Hargan; Jeanette Slevin; Kaci Deery. Subs: Kaci Deery (25); Aine McAlister (25); Tori Donnelly (49); Annie Ní Lochlainn (51)

Referee: Colm Conway

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