Armagh hold out for NFL victory

  • Apr 04,2016

ARMAGH JUST HOLD ON TO CLAIM LEAGUE VICTORY OVER DUBLIN

Match report courtesy of WeAreDublin

Armagh 2-10 Dublin 3-06

The Dublin Senior Ladies footballers headed north this afternoon to take on Armagh in the Athletic Grounds in the penultimate round of the Lidl National Football League.

On a wet a slippery pitch Armagh just held on in the end to claim victory by a solitary point, which still sees both sides needing something from their respective final league games next weekend to guarantee them both a semi final spot.

Dublin started today's game brightly and were 1-02 to 0-01 ahead eleven minutes into the game. The Dublin points were scored by Lyndsey Davey and Nicole Owens, with Sinead Aherne supplying the finish for the goal.

Armagh's sole response at this stage was scored by Blaithin Mackin, Dublin were playing the better football and looked in control.

But minutes later came the turning point of the half, Dublin's Siobhan Woods was shown a harsh enough yellow card, particularly considering the underfoot conditions and the girls in blue found themselves down to fourteen for next ten minutes.

Armagh took full advantage and used the extra player to great effect. An Aimee Mackin point was followed by a well worked goal from Niamh Marley which brought the sides level.

Armagh pressed Dublin high up the pitch and made it difficult for them to get out of their own half and they forced a number of turnovers.

Two Aimee Mackin points from open play and a free from Kelly Mallon gave Armagh a three point lead. Although Dublin were back to their full compliment of 15 players and winning a lot more possession, a couple of poor wides prevented them from closing the gap.

A minute before the break Niamh McEvoy finally ended Dublin's barren spell when she cut in from the right and dissected the post for an excellent point.

But in injury time Armagh's Aimee Mackin hit the final point of the half to stretch their lead back out to three points, with the scoreline as the teams headed to the dressing room 1-06 to 1-03 in the Orchard Counties favour.

Dublin needed a good start to the second half but it was Armagh who got the perfect tonic four minutes in when Aimee Mackin raised her teams second green flag of the day and suddenly Dublin were adrift by six.

That goal prompted the introduction of Carla Rowe and she made an immediate impact a minute later, she found a small pocket of space among the packed Armagh defence and hit the ball straight over the black spot.

But the Dublin revival was halted as Armagh hit two points inside a minute from Finnoula McKenna and Aveen Donaldson. They came about from some poor handling and passing from Dublin which seen them turn the ball over far to easily.

With twenty minutes left Sinead Aherne split the posts with a fine score, but by now the game had become very stop start and Dublin just couldn't get up a head of steam or any rhythm to their game.

Armagh hit back with two points from Aoibhinn Henderson and Aimee Mackin and with only fourteen minutes left Dublin needed something special to get back into the game.

The girls in blue desperately needed a goal and in Niamh McEvoy, Dublin have a serious goal threat and once again she provided a deadly finish to the back of the Armagh net.

Four minutes later and Dublin hearts were raised even further when the lively Lyndsey Davey collected the ball, she turned and ran straight at the heart of the Armagh defence leaving defenders in her wake and coolly finished past the Armagh keeper and it was game on with seven minutes plus stoppage time left.

But with a sense of panic in the home teams defence, Armagh reduced the remainder of the game to a niggly, fragmented affair, as they took every chance they could to hold up the play to stop Dublin building any momentum.

Four minutes into injury time Dublin put the bare minimum between the sides when Oliva Leonard hit an excellent point under severe pressure, but time ran out for the ladies from the capital and Armagh just held on for the win.

Dublin may feel a little unlucky that they didn't get something from the game and will rue their tally of wides in today's game.

Armagh on the other hand owe a huge debt of gratitude to their keeper, who made two excellent saves in the second half to deny Dublin adding to their goal tally.

Dublin will now dust themselves down and prepare for a huge game next weekend when they welcome Galway to Parnell Park in the last round of the league.

Dublin will look to make home advantage count and get the result they need to guarantee themselves a place in the League Semi-Finals.

Dublin Scorers:

Lyndsey Davey 1-01

Niamh McEvoy 1-01

Sinead Aherne 1-01

Nicole Owens 0-01

Carla Rowe 0-01

Olivia Leonard 0-01

Armagh Scorers:

Aimee Mackin 1-05

Niamh Marley 1-00

Blaithin Mackin 0-01

Kelly Mallon 0-01

Finnoula McKenna 0-01

Aveen Donaldson 0-01

Aoibhinn Henderson 0-01