Leitrim Ladies end Division 4 heartbreak with thrilling extra-time semi-final victory over Sligo

After years of heartbreak and bad luck, Leitrim finally emerged on the right side of the scoreline in a Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 Semi-Final in Elphin’s Orchard Park but it took an almighty effort, good fortune, extra time and lots and lots of guts and determination to get the better of Sligo after a titanic struggle.

Having lost two finals and three semi-finals over the past five campaigns, Jonny Garrity’s troops finally achieved their long held ambition of securing promotion from Ladies football’s basement division but it was a close run thing, requiring a lot of grit and determination and some incredible fine margins.

Having beaten the Yeats women by 12 points early in the season, Leitrim were hot favourites but this Sligo team were a different proposition, their deliberate possession based game causing the Green & Gold no end of problems and when they look back on it, the losers will surely feel this is a game they threw away.

Perhaps Leitrim’s inhibitions from their past heartbreak hampered them - the Green & Gold never moved with the fluency or attacking spark we’ve come to expect of them and the Leitrim defence buckled at times against a well drilled Sligo side. But when the die was cast, it was Leitrim who found a way to get across the line.

At times, it wasn’t pretty with Leitrim missing a few great chances but when the pressure was really on, Garrity’s players managed to come up with big scores, no more so than when Muireann Devaney converted a penalty and Kate Gormley, on as a second half sub, sent a screamer to the Sligo net.

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After trailing for all over the game, Leitrim took the lead for the first time in the very last minute of normal time only for Sligo to force extra-time. A blistering start, and a demonstration of Leitrim’s superb conditioning, saw the Green & Gold establish a three point lead, a chasm in a game so tight, but Sligo wouldn’t relent.

When they look back on the video, Sligo will lament at least four superb goal chances that weren’t converted, including a fisted effort in the very last action of the game, keeper Martina Gallagher saving the ball on the line as the Yeats women came within a fraction of breaking Leitrim’s hearts.

Credit Leitrim’s resolve and manager Jonny Garrity - he made big decisions in introducing Gormley, Ailbhe Clancy and Sarah Reynolds, all of who had suffered injuries in the run-up to this game, taking off stalwart performers in Michelle Guckian, Vivienne Egan and Rachel McIntrye, moves that could have backfired spectacularly.

But with fellow subs Dearbhla Rooney and Chloe Dolan making a big impact, Leitrim’s subs injected huge energy into the team at a critical moment, an impact that Sligo didn’t get from their bench despite a monumental effort from the Yeats women.

Nerves undoubtedly played a part in Leitrim’s performance, the desire to escape Division 4 for so long creating huge pressure but now that burden has been lifted as they look to take on Carlow in the Division 4 Final.

According to the LGFA Master Fixture list, the Final is scheduled for Sunday April 12, but with both the Leitrim and Carlow men’s team in their respective provincial championship action the same day, one would hope that a fixture clash could be avoided, particularly given the huge support Leitrim enjoyed in Elphin.

The Leitrim team that qualified for the Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 Final by defeating Sligo in Elphin Picture: Willie Donnellan

Sligo opened the scoring, two Lauren Normanly points saw the Yeatswomen get off to a good start but despite a few missed frees, a turnover in the Sligo defence saw Michelle Guckian and Muireann Devaney combine to set up Vivienne Egan for a point, the Annaduff woman then winning a free on eight minutes which Guckian converted.

The tense nature of the game saw both teams register wides before another Normanly free put Sligo a point up and Leitrim keeper Martina Gallagher had to be very sharp to intercept a ball from Sarah Feeney. Normanly got her fourth of the game following a great move on 15 minutes and two minutes later, a patient Sligo move ended with Anna McDaniel firing over a good point.

Muireann Devaney then burst into life, hitting a wonder point from the corner before a typical barnstorming run from the corner saw her hit the post and the ball go wide. The post was becoming frustrating for the Glencar Manorhamilton woman as a long range effort hit woodwork shortly after.

If Devaney’s missed goal was a let-off for Sligo, Leitrim had a bigger one when Sligo cut through but Sinead Regan blasted wide from close range with only Martina Gallagher to beat. With both teams missing chances before the break, Sligo the more wasteful, the halftime score read 0-5 to 0-3 in favour of Sligo.

Two minutes into the second half, Muireann Devaney scored another great point from the corner to cut the gap to a point but Sligo’s response was devastating, Ellen Giblin scoring a wonderful effort from the corner before disaster struck when keeper Gallagher dropped the ball from a high shot and Sinead Regan atoned for her earlier miss with a tap-in.

Sligo should have immediately had a second goal when they intercepted the resulting kickout but Giblin’s pass eluded an unmarked Normanly at the far post. Leitrim had a miss of their own, Leah Fox fisting wide after good work from Devaney and Egan before Sligo’s Ciara Gorman fired over in another let-off with Normanly unmarked in front of goal.

Those wasted chances immediately came back to haunt Sligo when Leah Fox bore down on goal but was challenged by the keeper. The ball came to Muireann Devaney whose effort was blocked by defenders on the line and the follow-up cleared but referee Gerard Canny indicated a spotkick for Leitrim. Devaney stepped up to blast home to put Leitrim back in the game.

With Ailbhe Clancy and Kate Gormley replacing Michelle Guckian and Egan, Leitrim had a very different look with Muireann Devaney adding a free on ten minutes. But if anybody expected Sligo to wilt, they were mistaken with sub Denise McGrath firing over with a goal on while Leah Duffy hit a well worked effort to open up a four point gap with just over ten minutes of normal time left.

Then came a moment of good fortune for Leitrim when a free was moved up for blocking, somewhat harshly in this writer’s opinion and from there, Leah Fox’s mazy run saw her release Kate Gormley who fired a rocket to the Sligo net, a wonderful finish.

Lady lucky was still shining on Leitrim when Normanly played the ball over the top to an unmarked McGrath bearing down on goal but she blazed wide after 54 minutes. Leitrim drew level a minute later, a Sligo defender very harshly penalised for over-carrying when she was clearly held but Letirim got the ball to Ailbhe Clancy who set up Muireann Devaney for the equaliser.

With the game right in the balance, Leitrim looked to have struck at just the right time when Clancy gathered a short free to fire over in the final minute of normal time but Sligo wouldn’t back down and when a Leitrim defender was penalised for barging as she attempted to clear her lines, Leah Duffy converted the free to send the game to extra time.

A partially hidden Muireann Devaney scores Leitrim's penalty Picture: Willie Donnellan

Leitrim made a strong start to the first half of extra time and despite a bad wide from Clancy, Muireann Devaney converted a first minute free followed a minute later by a long range Dearbhaile Beirne score to give the Green & Gold the momentum and despite a Devaney wide, a poor Sligo defensive pass saw Laura O’Dowd run in to score.

That left Leitrim 2-10 to 1-10 up and even though they failed to score for the rest of extra-time, Sligo could only manage a solitary Duffy point in the first minute of the second half while Leitrim ended the game with 14 players after a late sin-binning for sub Chloe Dolan. 

It wasn’t for the want of Sligo trying that they couldn’t get the scores they desperately needed as Rachel McGoldrick had a two point effort that would have tied the scores, hit the woodwork while they had a few more bad wides, albeit under fierce Leitrim pressure.

Yet the biggest let-off for Leitrim came deep into added time of extra time when a high ball was sent towards the goalmouth and Sinead Regan got a good fist to it but fortunately, Martina Gallagher was in just the right place to stop the shot and clear the danger as Leitrim ensured promotion and a place in the Division 4 Final.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Muireann Devaney 1-5, 1-2f; Kate Gormley 1-0, Vivienne Egan, Michelle Guckian (f), Ailbhe Clancy, Dearbhaile Beirne & Laura O’Dowd 0-1 each

Team: Martina Gallagher, Jasmine Maye, Charlene Tyrrell, Niamh Morahan; Dearbhaile Beirne, Lauren Devaney, Rachel McIntyre; Niamh Tighe, Anna Devaney; Aoife Gilmartin, Leah Fox, Michelle Guckian, Vivienne Egan, Muireann Devaney, Laura O’Dowd. Subs: Subs: Ailbhe Clancy & Kate Gormley for Egan & Guckian (40), Dearbhla Rooney for A Devaney (41), Sarah Reynolds for McIntyre (49), Chloe Dolan for Tighe (60), Shaylyn Ward for Fox (70)

SLIGO

Scorers: L Normanly 0-4, 3f; E Giblin 1-1; L Duffy 0-3, 1f; A McDaniel, C Gorman & D McGrath 0-1 each

Team: E Maguire; C King, C Dunne, A Durcan; S Feeney, C Walsh, T Breheny (capt.); S Regan, S Cunney; A McDaniel, E Giblin, N McDonagh; L Duffy, C Gorman, L Normanly. Subs: R McGoldrick for McDaniel (40), D McGrath for McDonagh (40), A Haran for Normanly (56), B Lavin for Giblin (70), C Gilligan for Gorman (75)

REFEREE: Gerard Canny (Mayo)