Back-to-back league finals for 2 years running. Countless memories made & a whole lot of pride. There are football matches that are won & lost on the scoreboard & then there are nights that remind you why we play in the first place.
Last night in Ballinasloe, our Over 35 Ladies stepped onto the pitch for their second consecutive league final, this time to face an in-form Knocknacarra side. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be our year, as Knocknacarra came away with a 3-1 win. But while the final score may tell one story, it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story.
Since the inauguration of the Over 35 Women’s League last summer, these ladies have brought an incredible amount of joy, enthusiasm, nights out & togetherness to our club. And last night, they once again showed exactly what makes this team so special. With 35 registered players in the squad, Gerry Flannery’s charges have endured a season that could probably have been sponsored by the UHG X-ray department! Broken ankles, broken wrists, broken fingers & more than a few trips for scans & X-rays ! Emer O’Brien is still sporting the boot she picked up in the very first pre-season friendly – she’s getting value for money outta that boot!, yet somehow, week after week, they turned up, put on the jersey & always gave it everything.
And they weren’t going to stop in a league final. The support was phenomenal. One entire sideline was covered in green, 3-4 people deep, as supporters came out in huge numbers to roar the ladies on. And perhaps most special of all were the many children of the players lining the sideline, cheering, shouting & willing their mums on every step of the way. It was lovely to see & a fitting reflection of family, community & the spirit these ladies have created around the club.
From tip off, it was tit-for-tat, with both sides battling for supremacy. Knocknacarra had some early chances but were ruled for offside. On 13mins, an injury forced Alicia Flannery from action with Aoife Cummins coming on. Almost immediately, Deirdre O’Grady went probing down the left flank, but her effort drifted just wide. At the other end, Sandra Schwitalla was already showing exactly why she is such a valuable member of the team. She produced a couple of first-class saves, including one where she raced off her line to get to the ball ahead of an advancing striker. Alicia Flannery, meanwhile, was having none of this sitting on the sidelines nonsense. After receiving treatment, she somehow made her way back onto the pitch, because, as everyone knows, it takes a lot to keep this lady down!
Knocknacarra eventually broke the deadlock from a free kick curled into the box. Sandra Schwitalla got a hand to the initial effort, but the Knocknacarra striker reacted quickest to tap home the rebound & make it 1-0. Just 2mins later came one of the moments of the night. Knocknacarra were awarded a penalty for a handball & their No.10 looked every inch the confident striker as she stood over the ball. Sandra Schwitalla however, had other ideas. She jumped up & down along her goal line in an attempt to put off the striker & it worked! The resulting penalty was superbly saved as Sandra got across to deflect the powerful effort off the underside of the crossbar & down to safety. Alicia Flannery immediately swarmed the grounded keeper to celebrate a top notch save. On the resumption, up the other end, Sharon Finn won a free kick which Trisha Sullivan delivered beautifully into the box & forced the Knocknacarra defence into a scramble to clear their lines.
On 28mins Catherine Burke produced a moment of individual brilliance as she picked up possession in midfield, skipped past four players, drove towards goal & unleashed an effort that the keeper did brilliantly to save. Colemanstown continued to apply pressure & another inch-perfect delivery from Trisha Sullivan was met by Deirdre O’Grady, but once again the Knocknacarra keeper stood firm. With both defences on top for the remainder of the half, the sides went into the break with Knocknacarra leading 1-0. Special mention must go to our back four of Maureen Ryan, Lorraine McGann, Orla McCaffrey & Eilish Fitzpatrick, who were outstanding throughout the opening period, dealing superbly with the threat posed by two former Ireland internationals.
The 2nd half began with Colemanstown’s defence once again being called upon, successfully defending four consecutive corners. Shelly Burke then embarked on a darting run down the right flank before she fired from the edge of the box, but the Knocknacarra keeper saved well. Around the quarter-hour mark, another handball in the box resulted in a second Knocknacarra penalty. Sandra got her paw to the powerful effort once again, but this time the sheer power carried the ball over the line to make it 2-0 to Knocknacarra. Still, there was absolutely no surrender from the Colemanstown ladies.
Aoife Cummins was introduced & then a long ball over the top sent Sharon Finn racing through. Her attempted chip almost caught the keeper out, but the keeper managed to get to it, picked up an injury in the process which resulted in a lengthy stoppage. With the game now in its latter stages, Ruth Dempsey, her broken finger only half recovered, was introduced for Trisha Sullivan, who by that stage had covered every blade of grass on the pitch.
Then came the moment that brought the green wall of supporters to life. A Deirdre O’Grady free kick was delivered into the box & Catherine Burke headed over. But Colemanstown kept pushing. A corner from Deirdre was perfectly delivered into a crowded penalty area & somehow, Sharon Finn managed to get the crucial touch to poke the ball over the line. 2-1! The sideline erupted. The players erupted. The kids on the sideline erupted. Suddenly Colemanstown were right back in it. The belief was there. Could they find another one !
Knocknacarra though had other ideas. With only minutes remaining, they scored from a corner to restore their two-goal advantage. Catherine Burke then got her boot to a high, looping ball into the box but couldn’t quite generate enough power to sneak it past the keeper. Anita Murphy was introduced for the superb Alicia Flannery, who had run her heart out from the start. Deep into stoppage time, Sandra Schwitalla produced two more outstanding saves to keep her side fighting until the very end. Deirdre O’Grady then delivered two successive corners into the Knocknacarra box, but the opposition defence stood resolute. And eventually, the final whistle sounded. Knocknacarra 3-1 Colemanstown. But… superbly proud beyond the scoreline.
There was disappointment, of course. Nobody gives everything for a full season, battles through injuries & reaches a league final without desperately wanting to lift that trophy. But these ladies should be immensely proud. They have reached back-to-back league finals in the first two seasons of the competition. They have battled through injuries that would have stopped most people in their tracks. They have turned up week after week. And last night, surrounded by their families, friends, supporters & perhaps most importantl of all – their children roaring them on from the sideline, they showed once again what this team means to Colemanstown. The result wasn’t what we wanted. But the journey these ladies have taken us on has been absolutely brilliant. 35 players. 1 mighty manager: Gerry Flannery, 1 mighty assistant: Sandra King. 1 team. 1 incredible spirit. Thank you ladies for the joy you have brought to our club since this wonderful adventure began.
You may not have lifted the cup last night, but you have certainly lifted the spirits of everyone who has had the pleasure of watching you. And knowing this group…..they’ll be back. Match Report: Martina Donnellan
Squad: Sandra Schwitalla, Maureen Ryan, Lorraine McGann, Orla McCaffrey, Eilish Fitzpatrick, Patricia Sullivan, Alicia Flannery, Shelley Finnerty, Deirdre O’Grady, Sharon Finn, Catherine Burke, Mairead Crushnell, Aoife Cummins, Helen Keane, Anne Marie Walsh, Annita Murphy, Sarah Feeney, Ruth Dempsey, Jacinta Brett, Marian Connell, Karen Dunne, Michelle Burke, Rian Broderick, Paula Broderick, Marian Wilson, Rita Burke, Eleanor Walsh, Emer O’Brien, Nicola Finn, Breege Moore, Michelle Harrison, Olivia Broderick, Caroline Saunders, Louise Leye, Linda Phillips.