Armagh V Dublin - Jackies Hang on in Nail-biting Finish.

  • Apr 05,2009

Jackies Hang on in Nail-biting Finish.

The Jackies qualified for the semi-finals of the Bord Gais Energy National League on the 19th April next having survived a stern test from the Orchard County at Lurgan on Sunday last. The two defences came out on top in a game of the proverbial two halves. Dublin played with the aid of a strong breeze behind them in the first half and led at half-time by 1-4 to 0-1. All of Dublin’s points came from the boot of ace free taker, Sinead Ahearne who punished the Armagh defence for fouling. At the other end Caroline O’Hanlon failed to convert three frees into the swirling wind. That gave Dublin sufficient breathing space going in at half time. The distinguishing moment of the first half came as early as the seventh minute when Mary Nevin burst through the Armagh defence and laid off a neat pass to Lyndsey Davey who fired a screamer across the face of goalkeeper Denise Hagan and into the top right-hand corner of the net. One would have expected the Jackies to drive on from there but that didn’t happen. The fluency and accuracy of passing seen in the league phase of the competition was not in existence on this occasion. The tight-marking Armagh defence competed for every ball and succeeded in curtailing the Dublin attack. Passes went astray with great frequency. Armagh had five defenders and their goalkeeper from their Junior All-Ireland winning side of 2005 playing and their experience showed.

It was a similar story at the other end as the Dublin defence got the better of the Armagh attack. Maria O’Donnell who started in place of Sharon Peel at right half forward was a thorn in the side of the Jackies defence and gave marker Ailish McKenna a torrid time in the first half. Her surges forward set up space for Mags McAlinden and Shauna O’Hagan on a number of occasions but the defensive qualities of goalkeeper, Cliodhna O’Connor, Avril Cluxton and Maria Kavanagh kept them at bay. The half back line of Colleen Barrett, Sorcha Furlong and Siobhan McGrath were rock-solid throughout. The battle at midfield between Niamh McEvoy and Denise Masterson for Dublin and Maebh Moriarity and Caroline O’Hanlon for Armagh was a ding dong affair with no quarter given or asked. In the twenty third minute Dublin broke out of defence and Colleen Barrett found Lyndsey Davey with a neat kick pass. Davey took on and went around two defenders before being hauled down for a penalty. Ann Marie Murphy’s kick beat the keeper all ends up but came back off the post and crossbar. Armagh swept straight down the pitch and O’Donnell set up O’Hagan for a goal opportunity but the full forward put it wide off her weaker left foot with only the goalkeeper to beat. Seconds from half-time substitute Kim Flood was sin binned for a sliding tackle.

Armagh came out all guns blazing in the second half and Cliodhna O’Connor made a great save from O’Hagan in the early minutes with the defence managing to scramble the ball away for a 45 from the subsequent attack. The Dublin defence were put under an array of aerial bombardment throughout the second half but stood up well to it. O’Connor was very comfortable in goals throughout and Cluxton coped admirably in her first outing at fullback replacing the injured Noelle Comyn. Dublin withstood the pressure with only fourteen players for the first ten minutes and only conceded one point before Kim Flood returned to the pitch. Mags McAlinden was proving to be Armagh’s most dangerous forward and scored three points in a row to reduce the deficit to one goal. Two more Ahearne frees stretched Dublin’s lead again. In the twenty-fifth minute O’Hagan got inside the Dublin defence and again put wide when a goal seemed inevitable. The Orchard County weren’t going down without a fight and sub Caoimhe Murray was fouled giving Armagh a penalty. Mags McAlinden took it well but O’Connor pulled off a superb save and the Jackies were home and dry.

Gerry McGill and his management team will have plenty food for thought after this performance. Overall they will have been satisfied with their defensive performance but up front things did not click so well. No points were scored from play in the course of the game. It was also a day when all of the substitutions bar one, namely, Niamh McEvoy(St. Sylvesters) didn’t work. But it is better to win ugly as the phrase goes than not win at all. They now await either Cork, Mayo or Laois in the semi-final.

Armagh were best served by Caroline O’Hanlon, Sinead McCleary, Mags McAlinden and Shauna O’Hagan. Dublin were best served by Cliodhna O’Connor, Avril Cluxton, Colleen Barrett, Denise Masterson, Mary Nevin and Sinead Ahearne.

Player of the Match - Avril Cluxton
 
Referee - Liam Mc Donagh(Sligo)
 
 
 
Armagh :-
D. Hagan, C. Marley, D. Toal, C. McCann, G. McAlinden, S. McCleary, R. O’Mahony, M. Moriarity, (0-1), C. O’Hanlon, M. O’Donnell, M. McAlinden, (0-4, 2frees), M.Tennyson, L. Brown, S. O’Hagan, S. McCoy.
Subs - C. Murray for M. O’Donnell, N. Marley for G. McAlinden and K. Mallon(0-1) for M. Tennyson.

Dublin :-
C. O’Connor, A. McKenna, A. Cluxton, M. Kavanagh, C. Barrett, S. Furlong, S. McGrath, N. McEvoy(Parnells), D. Masterson, M. Nevin, L. Davey, (1-0), C. Murphy, N. Hurley, S. Ahearne, (0-7, all frees), A. M. Murphy.
Subs - K. Flood for C. Murphy, A. Ring for N. Hurley, N. McEvoy(St. Sylvesters) for N. McEvoy(Parnells), O. Colreavy for K. Flood and N. Daly for A. Ring.

Pictured Avril Cluxton Player of the game.