Templeogue girls are edged out
SUBSTITUTE Anna Murphy struck a late goal at St Anne’s Park to help Raheny claim a dramatic 4- 10 to 3-11 triumph over Templeogue Synge Street in Group A of the Go-Ahead Dublin Junior ‘A’ Football Championship, reports Daire Walsh.
Three points adrift heading into the final 10 minutes of the action, Raheny produced a late rally to secure their third consecutive victory of this year’s championship and thus establish themselves as the pacesetters in the group.
After following up an opening round success against Naomh Barrog with a draw at home to Scoil Ui Chonaill, Templeogue were seeking to build momentum in their quest for a knockout spot.
Kellie Taite registered a magnificent tally of 1-8 and with the likes of Rebecca Horne and Holly Curran (niece of former Dublin men’s footballer Paul Curran) also impressing, they were in a strong position for large stretches of this contest.
However, the scoring prowess of Carla Fitzsimons (1-6) and former Roscommon star Cliodhna McHugh (2-0) kept Raheny in touch before Murphy’s late heroics ultimately swung the pendulum in their favour.
Moments after Taite had broken the deadlock with a trademark point off her left foot in the early exchanges of this tie, Brosna O’Dell had a goal chance turned away by Raheny netminder Chanice Dolan.
A cousin of All-Ireland winner Lorcan O’Dell, Brosna was joined on the pitch in the second half by Lorcan’s sister Ella.
While Chloe Monahan and Fitzsimons responded for the hosts with unanswered points, Templeogue bagged their first goal of the game courtesy of an outstanding individual score by Taite on seven minutes.
Taite added to her already substantial personal haul with a fine point, in advance of Curran splitting the uprights in the 11th-minute.
Raheny had hoped to settle into their more familiar stride when McHugh rattled the net in clinical style moments later, but TSS quickly cancelled out this effort through the equally effective Horne at the opposite end of the field.
Although an Ava Peake point kept Raheny very much in touch, a 0-2 salvo by the ever-elusive Taite moved ‘Synger’ five clear (2-5 to 1-3) in the second quarter.
Barry Quinn’s side were then presented with an ideal opportunity to stretch further ahead on 19 minutes, but Dolan was equal to a penalty strike by centre-forward Ashling O’Byrne Hadjami.
This was a let-off for Raheny and with Fitzsimons slotting home a spot kick as a supplement to her own pointed free, the gap had been reduced to the bare minimum.
Yet it was Templeogue who enjoyed the brighter end to the opening period as inside forwards Curran and Taite raised white flags to give their team a 2-7 to 2-4 interval cushion.
Even though their lead remained at three on the resumption as a result of traded scores between Monahan and Taite, the southside visitors were soon pegged back by a determined Raheny outfit.
Jane Murphy and Fitzsimons posted excellent points from play and when McHugh drilled an unstoppable shot beyond the reach of opposition custodian Sophie Quinn, the home team suddenly found themselves back in the ascendancy.
Horne and Fitzsimons both found the target as the action progressed, but Templeogue received another lifeline in the form of a second penalty right on the third-quarter mark.
On this occasion, O’Byrne Hadjami made no mistake with a fierce effort that shook the net off the underside of the crossbar.
This put TSS firmly in the driving seat and with Taite kicking two more majestic points in the space of 60 seconds, they were within sight of a precious victory.
The dead-ball accuracy of Fitzsimons kept Raheny in the reckoning during a tense finale, however, and Murphy proved to be their match winner when she fly-kicked the ball home with just two minutes remaining on the clock.
For full access to all content on Echo.ie and to support the continuation of local news and local journalism in your community subscribe HERE.
Thanks for your ongoing support.
