A little piece of history was created at Geraldine Park, Athy on Sunday last when Kilkenny claimed the Leinster under-14 C’ title in ladies football. The girls made a quick start to the game with a stunning six minute blitz midway through the first half which yielded three goals. Despite a second half comeback from Louth, the Kittens’ strength in front of goal had proved crucial and the deficit was too much for Louth to claw back.
It is often said of the county’s hurling side that they can put a team away in minutes with their knack of scoring goals and the u14 girls showed that the same rings true in girls’ football. The girls’ route to the final started with an 8-11 to 0-1 demolition of Carlow in March before dishing out a 7-7 to 3-7 defeat to Westmeath. Louth visited Thomastown in April and Sinead Whelan’s accurate free taking earned a hard fought 0-6 to 0-4 win. Carlow were despatched again in the semi final leaving the Cats to face Louth again in the final. Louth started well and had two points on the board within the first two minutes but once the Kilkenny machine ignited, Louth were simply shell shocked. Sinead Whelan opened Kilkenny’s account with a pointed free on eight minutes and both sides settled into a pattern of play. Kilkenny’s Sara Whelan and Mary O’Connell were having a tough battle at midfield with Aine Breen and Rebecca Carr while the Kilkenny full back line of Jenna Sherwin, Nelle Henderson and Niamh Sweeney were kept busy in the opening minutes but were very capable of dealing with any danger posed. Louth had some early shots on goal but Aoife Prendergast was calm under pressure and the Kilkenny net minder kept her line intact.
Sara Whelan picked up possession on ten minutes and showed great determination to work her way through the Louth backline. The Galmoy girl picked her spot and rifled the ball to the net to put Kilkenny ahead 1-1 to 0-2, a lead the Cats would never relinquish. Aimee McNally pointed for Louth on twelve minutes but this was to be Louth’s last score of the half as the Cats switched into a higher gear and stunned girls from the wee county. Kilkenny’s half back line of Sara Walsh, Aine Gannon and Anna Walpole advanced and gave a good supply of ball to their forwards to set the Cats’ goal blitz in motion. Emer Donnelly, Clodagh Power and Aoife Farrell tormented the opposition’s defence and the switching of Sara Whelan to full forward gave the Cats a target in front of goal.
Whelan grabbed a point to make it 1-2 to 0-3 and Roisin Breen stretched Kilkenny’s lead on twenty minutes when she hit the Louth net from close range. The Goresbridge girl went for the double a minute later when she grabbed her second goal to put Kilkenny ahead 3-2 to 0-3. Before Louth had time to recover the hard working Emer Fitzpatrick got in on the act and calmly slotted the ball home to put her side 4-2 to 0-3 ahead. Sara Whelan rounded off a great first half display with a point in the closing minute of the half and the Cats lead 4-03 to 0-3 at the break. Louth emerged determined in the second half and from the throw in made their intentions known when Aimee McNally raced through to shoot over from thirty metres. Kilkenny withstood the pressure and went back on the goal trail with Sinead Whelan working hard to find space in front goal.
The Thomastown girl needed just an inch and hit the net to put Kilkenny ahead 5-3 to 0-4 after forty five minutes. Stacey McCartney and Aimee McNally added points for Louth to reduce Kilkenny’s lead but Roisin Breen made their job even harder when she grabbed her hat-trick on forty eight minutes, rattling the net from close range. Kilkenny were leading 6-3 ton 0-6 and PJ Whelan and Barry Hayes made use of as many subs as permitted. Aimee McNally was proving to be Louth’s danger player and the Dundalk girl grabbed 1-1 with ten minutes remaining. Louth went in search of further goals but were forced to shoot from distance and yielded three points. Despite some excellent marking by Galmoy’s Niamh Sweeney and Dicksboro’s Jenna Sherwin Louth broke through and grabbed two goals in quick succession to reduce Kilkenny’s lead 6-3 to 2-10.
Louth continued to press but Aine Gannon was commanding at centre back. Louth went in search of another goal and two points reduced the deficit to three. Mary Corcoran put the icing on the cake for Kilkenny five minutes from the end when she grabbed goal number seven leaving the score Kilkenny 7-3, Louth 2-12 and the celebrations had begun before the final whistle sounded. Amidst great scenes of jubilation Kilkenny captain Nelle Henderson accepted the cup from Leinster Ladies football Leinster secretary Cathal Friel. Kilkenny deserved their victory with much of the hard work completed at half time. Even when Louth fought back and added a string of points, the young Kilkenny side remained calm and determined to claim the county’s first provincial title in many years and create their own piece of history. Kilkenny had many stars on the day but Niamh Sweeney’s display at corner back earned her the Player of the Match award to the delight of the large group of Kilkenny supporters.
Kilkenny panel; Aoife Prendergast (Dicksboro ), Jenna Sherwin (Dicksboro ), Nelle Henderson (Thomastown ), Niamh Sweeney (Galmoy ), Sara Walsh (Thomastown ), Aine Gannon (Thomastown ), Anna Walpole (Thomastown ), Mary O’ Connell (Thomastown ), Sarah Whelan (Galmoy ) (1-2 ), Sinead Whelan (Thomastown )(1-1 ), Clodagh Power (Freshford ), Aoife Farrell (Thomastown ), Roisin Breen (Blacks & Whites ) (3-0 ), Emer Fitzpatrick (Thomastown )(1-0 ), Emer Donnelly (Thomastown ), Mary Corcoran (Galmoy ) (1-0 ), Emer Corr (Thomastown ), Niamh Nolan (Blacks and Whites ), Enya Foley (Blacks and Whites ), Becky Leahy (James Stephens ), Ellie Barcoe (Blacks and Whites ), Bonnie Comerford (Blacks and Whites ), Nessa Griffin (Thomastown ), Aine Butler (Thomastown ), Maeve Egan (Thomastown ), Megan Conlon (Thomastown ).
Kilkenny Ladies football board would like to offer sincerest sympathies to Sarah Whelan on the death of her father Peter Whelan, Galmoy who passed away on Sunday night. Sarah played a starring role in Sundays’ victory against Louth.
