Portlaoise pay the penalty for not making best use of possession

SFAI Cup Under-16 Girls 

Portlaoise AFC 0 

Tullamore Town 1 

PORTLAOISE AFC U/16 Girls came out on the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline in the first round of the SFAI U/16 Girls Cup on Saturday in Rossleighan. The goal came from a rather soft penalty that came when Sarah Vostinar and Clodagh Booth collided with a Tullamore forward just inside the penalty area in the 66th minute, but Portlaoise will feel that yet again they let a huge amount of good work turn into a defeat.

It was near perfect conditions for kick off and both sides made positive attacking starts. Tullamore had the edge and won a number of corners that were well defended by PAFC, with Leah Gibbons come out to collect the ball to clean up some dangerous situations. At the other end Katie Holland and Moya Ramsbottom were working hard but without any clear-cut chances being created.

That was until the 15th minute when Leah Brophy broke down the right wing and put an excellent ball into the box. Ramsbottom controlled well and got a shot away, but it was easily saved by the Tullamore keeper.

Portlaoise had a quick flurry of chances in the next five minutes with Katie Holland trying her luck from long range. Then Zoe Dumbrell set Ramsbottom up for another shot on goal only to see the ball come back of the post and being cleared away to safety.

The PAFC defence were stretched at the other end. Tullamore’s right winger was creating problems all through the first half. She put a great cross in after 20 minutes, but PAFC managed to scramble clear. Clodagh Booth and Aoibhe Ging had their hands full but managed to slowly get on top of the situation. Marvellous Aransi, Lola Conroy and Juliet Hajdukiewicz came on with 10 minutes left in the first half to freshen things up.

In a very even first half Portlaoise created the better chances, but the concern was that all the good chances had not secured the lead on the scoreboard, and it might be regretted at the final whistle.

A strong wind kicked up at the start of the second half and Tullamore took full advantage to pin PAFC back in their own half for the first 10 minutes. To add to the problems PAFC had their midfield pairing of Charlotte Lalor and Zoe Dumbrell come off injured. Lola Conroy and Clodagh Booth deputised well in midfield. Aoibhe Ging continued her battle with the Tullamore right winger and got more and more on top as the game went on.

It looked more and more like a single goal would determine who went through to the next round and with 15 minutes left on the clock Tullamore got that goal from the penalty spot. The penalty kick was smashed into the corner of the net giving Leah Gibbons no chance.

PAFC still had chances in the final minutes of the game and produced some of their best football, the best of it coming down the left wing. Juliet Hajdukiewicz and Aoibhe Ging combined well, using their Keeper Leah Gibbons to open up space to attack. Ging made an excellent break down the line on her own a few minutes later beating 4 Tullamore players before the attack broke down.

PAFC continued to battle gamely in the final minutes but were unable to create any clear-cut chances. This was a tough loss to take, but once more there were some very positive performances. Leah Gibbons was solid in goals, as were the backline throughout the game. PAFC had Katie Holland, Precious Nhleko and Lola Conroy playing big roles today, all in their first full season of competitive football. Clodagh Booth got through a mountain of work in midfield. Her work rate is a real example to the rest of the team.

The PAFC Player of the match was Aoibhe Ging. She was working against Tullamore’s standout player for the entire game. Not only did she put in an excellent defensive shift she managed to turn the tables on her opposite number more and more as the game went on.

PORTLAOISE AFC: Leah Gibbons, Roisin Devoy, Hannah Scully, Ava Donovan, Aoibhe Ging, Clodagh Booth, Katya Buckova, Leah Brophy, Zoe Dumbrell, Juliet Hajdukiewicz, Moya Ramsbottom, Demi Byrne, Lola Conroy, Sarah Mousley, Kirsten Gannon, Katie Holland, Marvelous Aransi, Sarah Vostinar, Erin Kavanagh, Charlotte Lalor, Millie Kehoe, Faye Cleland, Precious Nhleko