Fab Fionnuala on the double as Westport ladies make history
A jubilant Westport ladies senior football team raise the Jimmy Corbett Perpetual Cup after their victory over Knockmore in the LGFA Mayo SFC final at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park last Sunday. Picture: David Farrell Photography
It all came down to one kick. Lara Sweeney, who was substituted two minutes earlier, was brought back on for a free to take the final into extra-time. It went wide and when Roisin Scott bombed her kickout down the field, it was all over and the Coveys made history.
Tears were shed, happy ones on this occasions. After being beaten by Knockmore in last year’s final, Westport went one better this time around and won a first ever senior county title in MacHale Park.
Fionnuala McLaughlin’s name will be etched into Westport folklore. She was a straightforward choice for player of he match, scoring two goals worthy of the occasion while Aoife Geraghty, Aoife Staunton, Laura Moran, Sorcha McCarney, Saoirse Lally and captain Janette O’Malley put in excellent performances.
Knockmore can have few complaints in the end. They have been brilliant champions but performance-wise, it was too late by the time they got going. Four wides in each half did not help their cause while they were guilty of giving the ball away too cheaply.
The opening ten minutes was a cagey affair. Laura Moran opened the scoring after three minutes, with Amy O’Connor levelling two minutes later with a great effort, but despite seeing plenty of the ball a yellow wall of Knockmore was proving difficult to break down.
Laura Moran edged Westport ahead with her first free and that was followed by Aoife Staunton’s first to open up a two point gap at the end of the first quarter. That yellow Knockmore wall would would be knocked down by a Fionnaula McLaughlin-shaped cannonball as she collected Staunton’s layoff before running through the heart of the Saffron and Blue defence and finding the net.
Moran tapped over another free on 20 minutes when Knockmore ended a 19 minute wait for a score as Amy O’Connor pointed a near identical to her first in the final score of the half.
Trailing 1-4 to 0-2 at the break, Knockmore needed a quick start and Amy O’Connor was there again to split the posts only for a skyscraper by Aoife Staunton to restore Westport’s five-point lead a minute later.
Knockmore began to see more of the ball but wides by Shauna Howley, Lara Sweeney and Ciara Durkan ebbed saw no impact on the scoreboard. When it appeared the game was going away from there, substitute Grace Naughton saw a point attempt lob Róisín Scott and nestle into the net.
The impact of the goal would not have the desired effect however. Nina McVann and Amy O’Connor both had wides while a Shauna Howley point attempt was locked down superbly by Saoirse Lally.
As Knockmore launched another attack inside their own half, Ava Lambert turned over the ball on the 45 metre line and Fionnuala McLaughlin went on a mazy solo run before firing another piledriver past Anne Murphy on 54 minutes.
Incredibly, Knockmore got back to within a point in injury time. Lara Sweeney pointed a free and Clodagh Keane got on the end of a free launched into the square and palmed it past Scott to make it a one-point game. After coming off, Sweeney was brought back on to take it to extra-time but after a near-miss and six-plus minutes of added time, the party for Westport could begin.
Scorers – Knockmore: Fionnuala McLaughlin 2-0, Laura Moran 0-3 (2f), Aoife Staunton 0-2.
Westport: Clodagh Keane and Grace Naughton 1-0 each, Amy O’Connor 0-3, Lara Sweeney 0-1f.
Westport: Róisín Scott; Saoirse Lally, Janette O’Malley, Noirín Moran; Kate Scahill, Nicola O’Malley, Sorcha McCarney; Aoife Geraghty, Sarah Mulroy; Lisa Tully, Fionnuala McLaughlin, Aoife Kennedy; Aoife Staunton, Ava Lambert, Laura Moran. Subs: Christina McEvilly (for Tully 47), Katie Chambers (for Staunton 58), Eimear O’Malley (for Moran 60+1).
Knockmore: Anne Murphy; Cira Durkan, Roisin Flynn, Emily Hughes; Mia Traynor, Emily Reape, Nina McVann; Sarah Mulvihill, Shauna Howley; Amy O’Connor, Katie Munnelly, Cliodhna Flynn; Clodagh Keane, Hannah Reape, Lara Sweeney. Subs: Grace Naughton (for Traynor 28), Katie Langan (for Sweeney 60+2), L Sweeney (for Langan 60+6).
REF: Garryowen McMahon (Davitts)
