Lidl Ladies National Football League Division Four
Antrim 1-13-1-11 Carlow
By Kevin Herron from Musgrave Park
Antrim secured a league semi-final spot after edging a tense final day showdown 1-13-1-11 against Carlow at Musgrave Park this afternoon.
The permeations were simple ahead of the game – only victory would be enough for the Saffrons if were to clinch a place in the final four, Carlow did have the luxury of knowing a draw would be enough and they almost got it late-on.
Antrim held a slender 0-07-0-06 lead at the break and a goal from full-forward Maeve McCurdy opened up a four-point deficit at the beginning of the second-period.
The visitors remained in contention and trailed by three-points before late drama descended as referee Siobhan Coyle signalled for a penalty for a push by Nicole Killen.
Lauren Dwyer tucked the resulting spot-kick low into the corner to level at 1-11-1-11 apiece and it looked as though Carlow had kept up their side of the bargain.
Though back to back converted frees from Aldergrove’s Aoife Taggart ensured Antrim leapfrogged Carlow and piped them into fourth place in the table.
With so much at stake a nervous start was understandable – eventually after five minutes Cathy Carey made the breakthrough with a fine point.
On six minutes Carlow had a fantastic opportunity to hit the front– Anna McCann brilliantly denied Leah Mullins one-on-one but was penalised by referee Siobhan Coyle in the follow-up and the Donegal official awarded a penalty.
McCann atoned for her error, guessing correctly to deny Cliodhna Ni Shé at full stretch – however the corner-forward got the loose ball and shot over the bar to level at 0-01-0-01
Antrim captain Saoirse Tennyson forged her side ahead for the second-time, though Ni Shé converted a free to make it 0-02-0-02 after ten minutes.
The Saffrons began to move the ball at pace and the visitors struggled to stop them, between the 13th and 16th minute Antrim sharp-shooter Cathy Carey converted three placed balls to give her side a 0-05-0-02 advantage.
Niamh Forde hit back for Carlow though Carey nailed her fourth free inside of twenty minutes to make it 0-06-0-03 with ten minutes until the break.
Cliodhna Ni Shé (free) closed the gap in response but an outstanding angled point from Aoife Taggart ensured the hosts restored their three-point lead.
Ni Shé (free) and Lauren Dwyer both hit back before the interval to leave the game on the knife-edge at the break, crucially Antrim were ahead 0-07-0-06.
The hosts made the perfect start to the second period and found the opening goal of the game within the first two minutes of the restart.
Maeve McCurdy picked up possession and floated the ball into the corner of the net past Nicole Hanley in the Carlow goal to make it 1-07-0-06.
Lauren Dwyer responded from play and Cliodhna Ni Shé converted her fourth free of the afternoon to half the deficit.
Traded points from McCurdy and Ni Shé ensured the two-point gap remained with twenty minutes remaining (1-08-0-09).
Antrim were on the back foot approaching the midway point of the half and back to back Lauren Dwyer points either side of the 45th minute had the game finely poised at 1-08-0-11.
Maeve McCurdy fisted over the bar as the hosts regained the lead going into the final ten minutes and back to back scores from Cathy Carey gave the Saffrons a 1-11-0-11 lead with just over five minutes remaining.
As a county; Antrim have an awful habit of making things difficult in each code and today was no different – leading by three-points with a minute remaining there was to be late drama on the cards.
A long hopeful ball into towards the Antrim box caused pandemonium and referee Siobhan Coyle spotted Nicole Killen push Cliodhna Ni Shé in the back and immediately pointed to the spot.
Coyle yellow-carded Killen and the Saffrons had to see time out a player light – that was the least of their worries though as Lauren Dwyer stood over the resulting spot-kick.
The full-forward kept her composure and sent Anna McCann the wrong way, rifling into the opposite corner to level at 1-11-1-11.
The Saffrons first game of the campaign saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Fermanagh and if they didn’t score in the remaining minutes that feeling would return.
Cools heads were required and a minute into injury-time the hosts had the chance to restore the lead as referee Coyle awarded them a free around 25-yards from goal – Aoife Taggart took responsibility and with ice-cool nerves converted to edge her side ahead.
The resulting kick-out was won and Antrim opted for keep-ball and it paid off as a rash challenge from Anne Roche saw the Carlow full-back sin-binned and parity restored on the player count.
Taggart again converted the resulting free and the Saffrons were on the brink of victory – which was confirmed when Nicole Hanley kicked the ball out and Coyle blew her full-time whistle.
The feelings in both camps were polar-opposite, joy for the Saffrons at booking a place in the semi-final at the expense of Carlow; who looked to have done enough just two-minutes earlier.
The final league game between Louth and Fermanagh next weekend will finalise the positionings in the table and only then will the Saffrons find out their opponents in the semi-finals in two-weeks time.
Antrim: A McCann, O Corr, N Killen, C Stewart, L Wallace, C Brown, S Tennyson (0-01), L Dahunsi, A McFarland, A Tubridy, C Carey (0-07, 0-04f), N Enright, M Cooper, M McCurdy (1-02), A Taggart (0-03, 0-02f). Subs: M Hanna for C Stewart (27 mins), C Durnein for A Tubridy (37 mins), SL McLaughlin for M McCurdy (54 mins).
Carlow: N Hanley, M Kinsella, A Roche, K Clarke, E Atkinson, N Mohan, A Dowling, A Dooley, M Dermody, E Hayden, N Forde (0-01), L Mullins, R Sawyer, C Ni Shé (0-06, 0-04f), L Dwyer (1-04, 1-00f).
Referee: Siobhan Coyle (Donegal)