TEENAGE KICKS KEY FOR CLANN EIREANN
Richard Bullick
Young guns Cassie Henderson and Aoibhin Donohue got the goals as Ulster Senior Club champions Clann Eireann booked their place in this season’s showpiece with a deserved 2-10 to 1-10 victory over Antrim’s Moneyglass in Sunday’s semi-final.
Multi-talented 15-year-old Cassie was too young to feature in last autumn’s historic success by Greg McGonigle’s side but led the way with 1-2 for a team captained by her auntie Niamh Henderson, who was influential throughout and weighed in with two second half scores.
Clann Eireann’s second half green flag was raised by Donohue, currently captain of the club’s Minor team, who was just 15 when she scored a stunning individual goal in the corresponding game 12 months ago.
Unsung hero Eimear McConaghy contributed an excellent 0-4 for Clann Eireann, whose other points in a combative match played in perfect conditions on an overcast afternoon came from full forward Niamh Murray.
Urged on by their incredibly passionate supporters, Moneyglass gave the scoreboard a more respectable look with a late flourish including a goal by long-serving captain Cathy Carey, but Clann Eireann were well worth their win.
When Moneyglass visited Lurgan on a high last autumn after dethroning Donaghmoyne of Monaghan, they endured a nightmare first half so it must have been a familiar feeling for the Saffron standard-bearers as Clann Eireann took control in the opening period again.
It took Moneyglass until the 25th minute to get their opening point, by which stage Clann Eireann had registered 1-5, though raising the last two white flags of that first half would have lifted visiting spirits a bit going in at the interval.
However, they were hit with that Donohue major within two minutes of the resumption after Ulster All Star Dearbhla Coleman had done well to avert danger in her own goalmouth at the other end and Clann Eireann’s lead grew to double digits by the 40th minute.
But Clann Eireann’s last score of the match came early in the final quarter after which Moneyglass registered an unanswered 1-4 as their former Ulster Ladies Footballer of the Year Orlaith Prenter came more to the fore.
The team in deep blue did get some momentum but it felt like they were always playing a desperate game of catch-up against a loudly ticking clock and very experienced Clann Eireann goalkeeper Catherine McAlinden played her part in keeping them out.
It will be an all-Lurgan provincial final of sorts after Lurgan club Clann Eireann overcame Moneyglass at the last four stage of the competition for a second year running and the Cavan club Lurgan upset Termon in the other tie.
Even with home advantage, the aptly-named Breffni champions went into their clash with Donegal counterparts Termon as underdogs but emerged with a comprehensive 2-14 to 0-5 victory.
Provincial champions Clann Eireann will likely go into the decider as favourites on Sunday week, with the experience of beating Bredagh in the big game a year ago among factors in their favour, but the women in orange certainly won’t be counting chickens.
For the second year running, Clodagh McCambridge is set to give the national All Stars banquet the night before the provincial club final a miss and presumably the same self-sacrifice will apply to her first-time fellow nominee Cait Towe.
Along with All Ireland team-mate Conor Turbitt, Barry McCambridge claimed the first two All Stars in the club’s history last Friday night and the unassuming Player of the Year nominee was there on Sunday to support his sisters Clodagh and Meabh McCambridge.
This autumn has brought an historic double for the club with both the senior men’s and ladies sides crowned Orchard champions and Niamh Henderson’s captaincy counterpart Conor McConville was very complimentary after watching the Moneyglass game.
He paid particular tribute to Cassie Henderson, daughter of his own recent team-mate Ryan Henderson, who bounced back well from the upset of a straight red card in the Ulster Minor Championship preliminary round game against Lurgan the previous Sunday.
Last year’s age group European boxing champion combined brilliantly at times in that first half with her accomplished aunt Niamh, the latter’s namesake Murray and the long-striding gazelle-like Tiarna Grimes.
Murray and McConaghy got Clann Eireann’s account up and running either side of Moneyglass drawing a blank with a shot, though it took two great saves by Catherine McAlinden late in the first quarter to keep the hosts in front.
Full forward Murray kicked a glorious point midway through the half after one of those flowing attacks at pace featuring Grimes and both Hendersons, with Cassie then taking charge early in the second quarter.
She drove over a powerful point to put Clann Eireann four up and then this superb prospect produced a fantastically composed finish to the Moneyglass net after catching a long ball from defence, offloading deftly to aunt Niamh and running onto the return pass.
Dearbhla Coleman was wide with a speculative effort from long-range and Niamh Henderson hooked a necessarily rushed shot into the keeper’s arms after another dazzling attack down the left flank featuring herself, Grimes and Niamh Coleman.
The left-footed McConaghy extended Clann Eireann’s advantage to eight points just before Moneyglass got their first point of the day, while wides followed from the respective boots of McConaghy and young Armagh star Roisin Mulligan.
Industrious Ulster All Star Niamh Coleman made a brave block at the expense of a 45 and, although Moneyglass pulled a shot wide, another attempt from long-range in injury-time split the posts to make the scoreline at the interval 1-5 to 0-2.
There was a flurry of scoring at the start of the second half, with a total of 1-3 in the first six minutes, Donohue’s well-finished goal being followed by Moneyglass raising white flags either side of a nice point from Ulster All Star Niamh Henderson for Clann Eireann.
Captain Henderson oozed class as always, cleverly dictating the tempo of attacks and making incisive bursts, but she was also prepared to fight hard for the Clann Eireann cause and her hunger to win one loose ball led directly to a great point from McConaghy.
County captain Clodagh McCambridge broke up a Moneyglass attack and quickly launched a counter raid which ended with Niamh Henderson pointing again to extend the Clann Eireann lead to double-digit proportions with 20 minutes remaining.
Moneyglass pulled one back before Catherine McAlinden showed great judgement and timing in getting her hands up to a fading shot from Carey which could easily have sneaked under the crossbar.
The confident Cassie Henderson drove over a strong shot from the left to restore Clann Eireann’s 10-point lead and McConaghy did likewise when notching her fourth point between frees from Prenter, who added a score from play.
Goalkeeper McAlinden made another save after Clann Eireann gave away the ball coming out of defence and, having repelled another blue wave of pressure, the home team took some of the string out of Moneyglass momentum by keeping possession for a period.
Grimes made another long-striding run up the grandstand side but nothing came of the attack and Prenter pulled back another point for the visitors in the 56th minute, though Clann Eireann’s lead still looked comfortable.
Veteran Grainne McAlinden grabbed a loose ball between two wides from Moneyglass but an injury-tie goal by Carey gave their very vocal contingent of fans fresh hope and Prenter converted a free awarded for the subsequent kickout not being taken quickly enough.
Prenter dropped in a free which was batted behind by a defender and Meabh McCambridge caught the resulting 45 to trigger the final whistle and bring to an end to what had been a bruising battle.
This tough physical contest on the back of away wins against Monaghan’s Emyvale and Kinawley of Fermanagh should stand to Clann Eireann as they seek to retain their provincial crown by beating surprise package Lurgan, possibly in Omagh’s Healy Park.
Donegal dangerwoman Geraldine McLaughlin scored all five points for Termon on Sunday but they were well beaten by Lurgan for whom Aoife Brady led the way with 1-7, the goal coming from the penalty spot after Emma Tolan had been hauled down.
Unlike Moneyglass, who had to see off last season’s losing Ulster runners-up Bredagh in the last eight, and Termon, the conquerors of Tyrone champions St Macartans, Cavan club Lurgan had only beaten unfancied Derry representatives Ballymaguigan to get to the semis.
As expected, the Ulster Intermediate decider will be between Mullahoran of Cavan, who thumped Derrynoose in the preliminary round, and Monaghan’s Carrickmacross after both recorded away wins in the semi-finals.
Carrickmacross ran riot in Belfast, scoring 6-10 to just 0-4 by hosts St Gall’s, but they will face a much tougher test against Mullahoran, who won 2-13 to 1-7 against Saul of Down and can now look forward to being one of two Cavan clubs in action on Sunday week.
The Ulster Junior Club Championship final the day before will be between Donegal’s Downings, who saw off Derry representatives Eoghan Rua from Coleraine 2-6 to 1-8 in Saturday’s semi, and Warrenpoint.
The Down women were narrow winners on a 0-11 to 0-7 scoreline against Aghnamullen from Monaghan, the team who just about did enough to get past Pearse Og in last month’s quarter-finals.
Some members of McGonigle’s senior squad are also part of the Clann Eireann team, skippered by Donohue, which will travel to Carryduff for this Sunday’s Ulster Minor Championship quarter-final (2pm) with the winners at home to Magherafelt or Moortown.
Clann Eireann had won the top tier of Armagh’s Minor Championship some time ago but the subsidiary finals were played at McKeever Park on Sunday, with Carrickcruppen taking the second tier title by beating Ballyhegan 3-12 to 2-7 and Middletown winning at the lower level.
