Brave Glenanne slip up to Enniscorthy in the cup

IT WAS a dull and drizzle day when Glenanne Women’s 4s took to the pitch in an effort to win on Saturday for their Division 11/12 Cup quarter final against Enniscorthy 2nds who are currently top of the Division 12 league table.

Glenanne would start brightly, applying good early pressure as they settled into the game.

Enniscorthy soon found their rhythm, however Glenanne goalkeeper Catherine Tolan was called into action, producing a series of excellent saves as Enniscorthy piled pressure into the Glenanne circle.

Glenanne created a golden opportunity through some lovely link play between Anna Caslin and Michelle Reneghan but a stunning save from the Enniscorthy goalkeeper kept the score level.

Enniscorthy then struck on the counter, scoring a well worked goal within the opening ten minutes to take a 1-0 lead.

Glenanne continued to look for an opening with Alaia Byrne Parades picking out some sharp passes to create chances, but Enniscorthy’s defence did well to cut them out.

Catherine Tolan was once again required to make a flurry of fine saves to keep Glenanne in the contest before a well anticipated interception from an Enniscorthy hit out led to some clever link play and a second goal, giving Enniscorthy at 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Glenanne responded positively in the second quarter, raising both their intensity and quality. Strong play from Anna Caslin and Emma Bastable helped create several promising chances and Glenanne were rewarded when Michelle Reneghan’s excellent work won a penalty corner.

The short corner was worked perfectly allowing Catriona Reneghan to convert and pull a goal back, bringing the score to 2-1.

Catherine Tolan continued her impressive performance with further saves to ensure Glenanne went into halftime only a goal behind.

The third quarter saw Glenanne on top, dominating possession and pushing hard for an equaliser.

Despite creating several clear chances they were unable to find the back of the net with the Enniscorthy goalkeeper producing some phenomenal saves to keep her side in front.

The score remained 2-1 heading into the final quarter.

Glenanne maintained their pressure in the final quarter pushing forward relentlessly in search of a second goal.

They came agonisingly close on a number of occasions hitting the post and being denied by outstanding goalkeeping from Enniscorthy.

Despite Glenanne’s sustained pressure, Enniscorthy held firm and saw out the game to secure a 2-1 victory as well as a place in the semi-final.

Although the result was not what Glenanne had hoped for, every player gave a tremendous effort in a highly competitive cup tie and can take great pride in their performance.