Glen Dimplex All Ireland Intermediate Championship Cedral St. Conleth’s Park, Kildare
Antrim 2-12 Offaly 1-16
Report and photos from Antrim County PRO, Michael Corcoran in Kildare
Antrim’s winning streak came abruptly to an end yesterday in blistering heat that matched the intensity of the game. It’s a competition and someone had to loose, only it gets harder to handle the longer you taste success. Offaly won the toss and decided to play with the summer breeze, that essential element that we never stop factoring into the reports; because it is essential to master that and Offaly did it in margins. Offaly’s first half gave them a two point lead at the break, the crucial moment came from a free taken by Clodagh Leahy that allowed Offaly to draw up beside Antrim for the first time in 27 minutes. Antrim were looking the part up to this point, a goal from Caitrín Dobbin fed in from Annie Lynn, showing persistence, as she struck at the sliotar three times in a goal mouth scramble. But as the heatwave persisted with pitch temperatures close to 32 degrees, Offaly kept their composure and flew two additional points from play at 31 minutes over Antrim’s bar to enjoy a lead and mark Antrim’s copy book.
The second half witnessed Offaly hit another switch around five minutes into the restart as their ace striker, Mairéad Teehan drove the sliotar at pace past Antrim’s goalkeeper, Caitriona Graham, and suddenly Offaly were drifting away by six points. The Saffron’s replied with a rallying goal from Roísín McCormick as Katie Molloy extracted the sliotar from a gruelling scrum.
Antrim inched their way back up the scoreboard and a blistering solo run from substitute Erin Coulter ending in a point hauled Antrim back into the game with hope at two points the difference. But a simple point from Offaly’s Teehan pushed the gap back to three at twenty four on the clock as Offaly now went into survival mode, with Antrim making recurrent visits to float the sliotar over two more times from McCormick and Dobbin. Dobbin was held in the box and still managed to score whilst referee Joe Mullins’ arm was stretched in the air. The point stood. Desperation was crying out in the stands, supporters’ voices went up several decibels, Antrim’s game went up several paces but the sands of time ran out and Antrim were unable to find that last point to force extra time.
Saffron fans will have been gutted as this was a year where no one practised losing. It has been a superlative Antrim performance all season. A very league win, an Ulster championship and a championship table topping performance all to be immensely proud of. Next year, players, management and supporters will get to experience playing ‘up’ into division 1a, something the players have striven for all season. We look forward to reporting from far away venues in 2026.
To see more photos from Saturday’s game, follow this link…
https://myalbum.com/album/kSFuySftWSy5mD/?invite=7fce8227-d44b-4024-b8a9-b178e0ae6d14
Antrim starting panel, substitutes and scorers
Caitriona Graham, Clare McKillop, Katie Lynn, Caoimhe McNaughton, Janey McIntosh, Sarah O’Neill, Shannagh Heggarty 0-01, Amy Boyle, Nicole McAtamney 0-01, Maeve Kelly, Roísín McCormick 1-07 (6f), Lucia McNaughton, Annie Lynn, Katie Molloy, Caitrín Dobbin 1-02
Becky Ellis, Dearbhail Dobbin, Katie Rose Bell, Erin Coulter 0-01, Sarah Fyfe, Niamh Neeson, Eimear Johnston, Aisling O’Donnell, Dervla Cosgrove, Orlaith McAllister, Fionnuala Kelly, Cassie McArthur, Eavanne Martin, Colleen Patterson
Offay programme starting panel, substitutes and scorers
Emer Reynolds, Aoife Liffey, Amy Byrne, Cathy Fogarty, Kaitlyn Kennedy, Roisin Kinsella, Hannah Feenane, Christine Cleery 0-01, Clodagh Leahy 0-04 (2f), Grace Teehan 0-05 (4f), Ciara Maher 0-01, Fianait Dooley 0-01, Niamh Sheehy, Mairéd Teehan 1-02, Kate Pilkington 0-01
Leah Gallagher, Orlagh Phelan 0-01, Sharon Shanahan, Megan King, Faye Mulrooney, Karla Mannion, Aoife Hoctor, Caoimhe O’Donovan, Grainne Kennedy, Aine Rigney, Ellen Regan, Orla Kilmartin, Elizabeth Kilmartin, Emma Buggy, Aoife O’Donovan