Provincial heartbreak for Manulla once again
Manulla, 2025 Connacht Shield runners-up. Picture courtesy of Connacht Football Association
Orlaith Scanlon’s superb hat-trick helped propel Arrow Harps to provincial final glory at Drom, on Sunday afternoon. Manulla were left with a mountain to climb at the interval as the Mayo side trailed 3-0 during the half-time pep-talks. However, to their credit, the blue and white produced a brave second half display, but just couldn’t create sufficient clear-cut chances to haul back the deficit.
Arrow Harps began the tie at a brisk pace and the Sligo outfit very nearly shunted into the lead after just four minutes, when Orla Devaney’s free-kick forced a fine save by Lisa Nally. However, the opening goal of the joust fell the way of Arrow Harps on 13 minutes. Orlaith Scanlon opted to take a long free-kick and her sumptuous dipping strike flew into the top corner of the net.
Harps were full of invention and they doubled their advantage on 18 minutes. A perfectly delivered corner-kick by Leanne Galvin found Orla Devaney and the latter’s close-range header found the back of the net. The hard-working Galvin almost set-up a second goal for her Harps team-mates on 32 minutes, when another of her corner-kicks this time found Scanlon, whose shot was parried by Nally, before Scanlon fired the subsequent rebound narrowly off target.
However, on 39 minutes, Arrow Harps netted a crucial third goal. A corner-kick from Galvin was deftly flicked into the path of Scanlon by Simone Moss, and Scanlon guided home a close-range finish. Manulla almost received a tonic before the break, but the busy Niamh Flannery saw her swerving strike from outside the 18 yard box safely gathered by the alert Chloe McTiernan.
Manulla seemed to play with more purpose on the resumption and Aoife Brennan very nearly pulled a goal back for her team-mates on 61 minutes, when her long-range free-kick flew narrowly over McTiernan’s crossbar.
The Carramore outfit continued to chase and harry every inch of possession and their endeavour was rewarded on 64 minutes, when they were awarded a penalty after Lauren McLellan was fouled inside the area. McLellan dusted herself down and was coolness personified from the resultant spot-kick, much to the delight of the Manulla supporters.
The brave Mayo side continued to up the tempo, but despite dominating possession the blue and white struggled to create sufficient clear-cut chances.
Perhaps a dramatic finale might have unfolded had McLellan found the target once again on 79 minutes, but the heroic winger was most unlucky to see her thunderous drive fly inches over the crossbar.
Manulla went for broke and poured forward at every opportunity, but the chasers were on the receiving end of a swift counteroffensive move two minutes into additional time. Arrow Harps’ Scanlon pinched possession inside the Manulla half and guided home an outrageous chip which rustled the back of the net, and the striker wheeled away to celebrate her hat-trick with her team-mates.
Soon after, the full-time whistle sounded and whilst Arrow Harps were the better team and deserving winners, Manulla can be proud of their own heroic efforts during the second half.
