The Ladies Team travelled down the meandering roads to Headford last Wednesday evening for their first league game vs. Moyne Villa this season. Our shy friend the sun decided to pay us a visit but jackets were still needed for those supporting on the sideline. The girls got off to a shaky start with the home team going for it straight away. A free kick was awarded to Moyne Villa just outside the left side of the box and debutant keeper Kara Mullins tipped the on target shot over the crossbar. Main keeper Sinead Cosgrave has been away this week saving the world in Ethiopia setting up eye clinics for ‘Vision’ and her return on Sunday between the sticks will be warmly welcomed back. This free kick scare gave the girls the ‘kick’ they needed and from there on there was no stopping them. Up the other end of the pitch a Colemanstown corner kick was swung in by Tessa Mullins, this led to a goalmouth battle for the ball and striker Alicia Flannery eventually kicked it over the line. Shortly after that centre back Sarah O’Connell rose above everyone to head home a fantastic goal from another corner kick by Mullins. SOC scored again shortly after this from another scramble in the box from yet again another corner kick. Colemanstown were a huge threat from set pieces scoring 10 goals from corner kicks this season. The midfield of Catherine Burke, Tessa Mullins, Lorraine Lally and Nicola Finn outplayed Headford’s midfield with the great work rate of Lally and the slick passing of Burke and Finn linking up with our forwards. Alicia Flannery played some sweet through balls for her P.I.C. Trish Kelly who made great runs but couldn’t finalize on these opportunities. Our defence of Orla McCaffrey, Paula Kelly, Sarah O’Connell and Niamh Ryan dealt superbly with anything that seamed a threat and knocked the ball around quite comfortably. After a sequence of neat passing, winger Catherine Burke zoomed down the left flank on the dribble and she whipped the ball across the goal. The ball found her fellow team-mate Nicola Finn who followed her run in to the back post and she finished brilliantly into the left of the goal. The ladies went into the break leading 4-0. Just like every other game the plan for the second half was not to take the foot off the gas and the team’s target was to beat our record score of 9 goals in one game. On the well-kept Moyne Villa ground the ladies played some impressive soccer and at one stage a spell of at least 10 passes lead to a goal chance that came off the boot of the hungry Trish Kelly but her effort just went wide of the post. Kelly was frothing at the mouth with frustration but her moment finally came when she gathered the ball mid way in the oppositions half. Nothing, I mean nothing was on her mind but only to go for goal. Her head was down, she dribbling towards goal with tackles flying in from left, right and centre but like a gazelle she leaped and skipped away from every challenge. She lifted her head and all of a sudden found herself one on one with Moyne Villa’s keeper. The crowd held their breath….’The Dazzler’ struck the ball past the left of the keeper and we watched it hit the net! GOAL! The team rushed up the pitch to celebrate and the crowd sighed under their breath “thanks be to God for that, she’s done it at last”. Kelly added another goal to her tally shortly after and was unlucky not to have got herself a hatrick. Mullins got on the score sheet mid way through the second half with two very similar goals executed with great manner. Finn added another when she got on the end of a rebound and smashed her shot off the crossbar and in. Alicia Flannery added to her count with a run down the channel and slotted home effortlessly. Flannery then topped it off with a hatrick when she pulled out a pocket rocket and on the half volley blasted the ball in the upper ninety, not even ex Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel would have got in the way of it. Substitutes Roisin Burke, Anita Murphy and Ciara McMenany added fresh legs in the last quarter and helped keep a clean sheet once again. Final score Colemanstown 11, Moyne 0. That’s a rap, well done to the girls who are still unbeaten in the league. Thanks to everyone who travelled to support the women. The Connaught Cup scheduled for this Sunday the 19th v Castlebar Town is now called off.
Many thanks to Kara for yet another splendid match report