Kilmacud Crokes claim third senior club title in a row

Kilmacud Crokes 1-07 (10) St Sylvesters 1-06 (9)

By Nigel McCarthy

Kilmacud Crokes claimed their third senior club title in a row on Friday evening after an incredibly tight and tense Go Ahead Ireland, Dublin LGFA Senior Club Championship final against St Sylvesters in Parnell Park.

Just a single point separated the sides at the finish, with the result very much in the melting pot right to the final whistle.

Crokes headed into the game as favourites to claim a third senior title in a row, but St Sylvesters weren’t about to follow the script and play a bit part in the final and by halftime the Malahide outfit had their large contingent of supporters in the ground dreaming of a first senior club title as they led the defending champions by two points, with the score 1-05 to 1-03, thanks in no small measure to player of the match Kate Sullivan, who racked up 1-04 to her name by the break.

Kilmacud Crokes’ Amy Conroy challenges Sophie Rickard of St Sylvesters. Dublin LGFA SFC Final. Credit Maurice Grehan

Kilmacud Crokes though weren’t willing to give up their title without a fight and they pressed high up the pitch at the start of the second half forcing turnovers and misplaced passes from the Sylvester’s players deep in their own half as they struggled to work the ball out from the back and that pressure told and just four minutes after the restart the sides were level.

St Sylvester’s retook the lead and kept Crokes scoreless for almost ten minutes with some heroic defending, with Crokes shooting wides or misplacing passes under pressure.

Keeva Kenehan of St Sylvesters is tackled by Aoife Kane of Kilmacud Crokes. Dublin LGFA SFC Final. Credit Maurice Grehan

But a well worked move down the left was played in centrally to Aoife Kane to score a excellent equalising point and nine minutes from the end a poor turnover by Sylvester’s in attack led to a counter attack by Crokes which led to the winning score from Michelle Davoren and Kilmacud held on for the win and a third title in a row.

St Sylvesters started the game brightly and took the lead two minutes in with a converted free from Kate Sullivan.

It was all square two minutes later, Lauren Magee intercepted the ball in midfield, passed the ball inside to Michelle Davoren, Magee continued her run, received the ball back from Davoren and split the post with a fine effort.

Kilmacud Crokes Éabha Rutledge in action against Clíona Fitzpatrick of St Sylvesters. Dublin LGFA SFC Final. Credit Maurice Grehan

In the tenth minute Nicole Owens picked out Sinead Aherne with a quick free, Aherne quickly hand passed the ball back to Owens who stepped inside two players and clipped a sublime point over the bar to regain the lead.

A converted free from Niamh Cotter drew the sides level and Crokes took the lead for the first time in the game in the fifteenth minute with a fine point from the right hand side from Éabha Rutledge.

Kilmacud pressed the kick out aggressively, but Sylvesters worked the ball brilliantly from deep inside their own half, the ball was played down the left to Sinead Aherne who picked out a superb pass to Kate Sullivan on the right and the ever dangerous forward cut inside her marker, side stepped the out rushing Crokes keeper Dearbhla Gower and buried the ball to the net to put Sylvesters two points in front.

The lead though was short lived, two minutes later Crokes responded like champions, Mia Jennings went on a rampaging run through the centre of the Sylvester’s midfield and defence, offloaded to Davoren who hand passed to Éabha Rutledge who beat two players and struck a low shot to the back of the net.

But it was Sylvester’s who finished the half on the front foot and three Kate Sullivan points, one from a free and two from play, made sure her side would head into the dressing rooms at the break ahead by two, with the score 1-05 to 1-03.

Kilmacud Crokes up their intensity after the break and put the St Sylvesters backline under immense pressure forcing the Malahide outfit onto the back foot in the third quarter.

The pressure told inside the opening two minutes when they forced a wayward pass and turnover as Slyvesters tried to move the ball out of their defence and won a free which Niamh Cotter converted to leave a point between the teams.

St Sylvesters keeper Sophie Rickard almost compounded that error with a poor kick out straight to Mia Jennings who drove towards goal, but her attempted hand pass to Michelle Davoren in front of goal lacked the required accuracy which allowed the Sylvesters backline to clear the ball.

Another successful free attempt from Niamh Cotter drew the sides level. Sylvesters who had been camped in their own half for the opening minutes finally worked the ball up field, Niamh McEvoy and Sinead Aherne exchanged passes and released Kate Sullivan who’s shot at goal was blocked, but the referee pulled it back for a foul earlier in the move and Sullivan regained the lead for Sylvester’s with a well struck free with twenty four minutes still left on the clock.

Crokes pushed and pushed for the equaliser, but heroic defending from Sylvesters kept them at bay till the forty third minute.

Grace Kos won a Sylvesters kickout, took a couple of strides forward, offloaded to Éabha Rutledge down the left, she hand passed to Ailbhe Davoren who picked out an unmarked Aoife Kane in the centre and the half forward swung a delightful point between the sticks to once again draw the sides level.

Both sides went for broke for the lead point as the action flowed from one end of the pitch to the other, but with nine minutes remaining Sylvesters turned over the ball carelessly deep in the opposition half, Crokes counter attacked and the ball was worked to Michelle Davoren who got out in front of her marker, turned and slotted the ball over the bar to put her side in front by one.

It was in some senses an ironic score as Davoren was probably a little lucky to not have spent a spell in the sin bin for three earlier fouls, two one after the other.

St Sylvesters pushed for the equalising score right to the final whistle but were almost undone when Aoife Kane was released in behind their defence, but Sophie Rickard made a fine save to keep her side in it.

Kilmacud Crokes though used all their experience in injury time holding onto possession and running down the clock to win by the narrowest of margins and claim their third Senior Club Championship title in a row.

KILMACUD CROKES SCORERS: Éabha Rutledge 1-01, Niamh Cotter 0-03 (3F), Aoife Kane 0-01, Lauren Magee 0-01, Michelle Davoren 0-01.

ST SYLVESTERS SCORERS: Kate Sullivan 1-05 (3F), Nicole Owens 0-01.

KILMACUD CROKES: Dearbhla Gower, Niamh Carr, Emer Sweeney (C), Philippa Greene, Aoife Kane, Molly Lamb, Kate Murray, Grace Kós, Lauren Magee, Niamh Cotter, Ailbhe Davoren, Mia Jennings, Amy Conroy, Michelle Davoren, Eabha Rutledge.

KILMACUD CROKES SUBS: Ciara Regan for Philippa Greene (43), Doireann Egan for Amy Conroy (52), Sinéad O’Donoghue for Molly Lamb (57), Laura Kane for Mia Jennings (62).

ST SYLVESTERS: Sophie Rickard (On Field Captain), Clíona Fitzpatrick, Sinéad Tracey, Chloe Bryan, Caitlin Guiden, Dannielle Lawless, Keeva Kenehan, Sasha Kennedy Kambic, Nicole Owens, Clodagh Fox, Niamh McEvoy, Sarah Brennan, Kate Sullivan, Sinéad Aherne, Marian Hernon.

ST SYLVESTERS SUBS: Katie O’Sullivan for Sasha Kennedy Kambic (41), Ellie Doyle for Sarah Brennan (54).

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Kate Sullivan (St Sylvesters).

REFEREE: Kevin Doherty (Garda Westmanstown Gaels).