Michael Lyng Motors Senior County Semi Final
PILTOWN 2-13. YOUNG IRELANDS 1-03
Saturday 12 October ’24 – Erin’s Own GAA, Castlecomer
By Jason O’Brien
Piltown returned to a Senior final after seeing off Young Irelands of Gowran after dominating a game in which they were favourites and didn’t really look like losing.
That’s not to say that they got it easy off the Gowran side, and although the scoreboard might make it look like it was an easy victory, Piltown had to work hard to get scores and there was nothing that came unchallenged.
Heather Phelan got the scoring underway in the 6th minute as the heavens opened and dumped a sky full of rain on top of everyone in Canon Kearns Park Castlecomer and made the first half conditions very tricky for the players. Heather didn’t mind the conditions though as she added a point in the 12th minute as she put one over the bar from the right wing, after scoring from the left previously., after fouls on Katie Power and Sophie Holden.
Despite the slippy sliotar and sod, it was a fast paced opening, Piltown were non stop attacking, Young Ireland’s defending and harrying to try keep them out. Ellen O’Keeffe wasn’t kept out though as she broke through the Gowran half back line and got Piltown’s third point in the 13th minute. There was a strong breeze blowing across the pitch towards the main road to Kilkenny but despite that there were few wides in the half, and Piltown pressure was continually coughing up loose ball and they were turning over the Gowran puck out. Aoife Landers, who was immense throughout the game, won a ‘dirty ball’ and turned towards Hannah Brennans goal, she passed the sliotar to Katie Power and she popped a hand pass to her fellow forward Sophie Holden, head down going for goal and she made no mistake as she hit the net from the angle on the right.
It was a great three minutes for Piltown as they scored 1-02, was this just a purple patch, or signs of how the game was going to be. It took Gowran 21 minutes to move the scoreboard as Julie Lennon scored a point from a free after Emily McCarthy was judged to have fouled Sarah ODonnell. Gowran were getting a few shots at goal, albeit from far out, or near the sidelines, Sarah ODonnell and Julie Lennon did try their luck with shots but both drifted wide of the posts. They missed shots and their defence were giving away frees, and Kellyann Doyle made no mistake with her free, even though it was out on the sideline of the right wing in the 29th minute to break the lull in scoring as we approached half time. Right after that score, Kellyann was involved again, after great work from Katie Power won the ball, Power passed to Kellyann and she worked it to wing forward Sophie Holden and she put it over the bar. And once again winning puckouts proved valuable as the ball was won by Lorna OShea and she found Heather Phelan, she found space and put it over the bar to end the half.
Half time Score: Piltown 1-06. Young Ireland’s 0-01
The teams came out to blue skies and sunshine for the second half , with Gowran now attacking the clubhouse end , but scoring wise it was still going the opposite direction, Sophie Holden got her second point in the 2nd minute of the half , before what was probably the killer blow, Aoife Landers landed a sideline cut in the hand of Katie Power and she offloaded it to the flying Kellyann Doyle, and Kellyann made no mistake as she beat Hannah Brennan in the Gowran goal with a strike across her . It was a goal that Doyles performance deserved, and she was a driving force throughout. Gowran were still attacking and they did raise a white flag in the 38th minute as Steffi Fitzgerald pointed a free from near the 45 yard line. These brief glimpses of hope were keeping Gowran and the game itself, alive, as they were getting more into the game and another free struck the post of Aoife Norris high up and bounced in favour of Piltown into the hands of Lorraine Long and was cleared to safety. Steffi Fitzgerald registered another point from another free in the 42nd minute from out on the wing and gave Young Irelands a little more belief, but in truth, the game was put to bed between the 47th and 50th minutes, as Heather Phelan made no mistake from three frees all around the 45 yard line.
A few substitutes were introduced and two of the Piltown ones scored, Aine Doyle and Leah Cooney, both scoring from play. Kellyann Doyle finished the Piltown scoring in the 59th minute and then the Gowran forward Julie Lennon added to her teams opening point, with the match ending goal as she got inside the Piltown back line and gave Aoife Norris no chance as she blasted to the net in injury time.
FINAL SCORE: PILTOWN 2-13. YOUNG IRELANDS 1-03.
By PRO Tue 14th Jan
