Five-star Timahoe overpower 14-woman Shanahoe

LOETB LGFA SFC Gr A Rd 3 

Timahoe 5-15 

Shanahoe 2-8 

TIMAHOE have secured their place in the Laois Ladies SFC quarter-finals with a 15-point win over Shanahoe on home soil.

The visitors, who played with 14 players from the 13th minute following a red card, now face into a relegation battle against Park/Ratheniska.

Mary Griffin pointed to open the scoring for Shanahoe while Timahoe charged upfield and a soccer style attempt from Mo Nerney skid wide. A Nerney free got her side on the board minutes later. Another goal opportunity arose for Timahoe, but Keelin Moore drove it wide.

The Laois duo of Katie Donoghue and Nerney (free) raised white flags one after the other. The away side pointed three in a row to go one up, Griffin pointed a free and one from play while Kate Jacob split the posts in between. They were then reduced to 14 players in the 13th minute. Shanahoe’s Niamh Stackpool was shown red when she kicked out on Donoghue after she was dispossessed meaning her side had 47 minutes to play with only 14.

Sarah Larkin and Marta Guilfoyle (free) traded scores before Lilly Hooney was one-on-one with Eimear Barry but kicked the ball into her hands. Aoibhe Brennan was then challenged with a one-on-one from Molly Cassin and pulled off a great save, but Guilfoyle was there to tap the rebound in.

Nerney and Guilfoyle traded frees before Aishling Quigley played a quick free to Sinead Goode who hammered the ball to the back of the net leaving only one between the sides at the break, (1-6 to 1-5).

Credit to Shanahoe who held Timahoe at bay in the second quarter after loosing a player, but the home woke in the second half and only allowed the visitors convert 1-2 in the second period.

Barry was caught coming out for a long ball in as Nerney scooped it up and chipped the ball into her net. Moore pointed her first of the game while Larkin got her second. A third green flag came only minutes later when Donoghue passed a ball over the top to find Quigley who nailed the back of the net.

Shanahoe registered their first score of the half in the 40th minute when Griffin played a one-two from a short free and powered through the defence to find the back of Brennan’s goal. Goode and Griffin exchanged scores before Timahoe nailed a further 1-2, two from Nerney, one a free and Quigley finding Goode for a fourth goal.

Griffin pointed a free which remained their final score of the game, from here it turned into shooting practice for Timahoe as they went on put 1-5 past the Shanahoe defence. Ava Dempsey added her name to scoresheet while Goode, Nerney (free), and Donoghue added to their tallies.

Quigley also pointed from play and drove home the fifth goal and final score of the game which saw her side run away with a 15-point win and look forward to a quarter-final while Shanahoe will have to regroup to fight for their Senior status, both games will be played next week.

SCORERS:

Timahoe: Mo Nerney 1-6 (0-4fs), Sinead Goode 2-2, Aishling Quigley 2-1, Katie Donoghue and Sarah Larkin 0-2 each, Keelin Moore and Ava Dempsey 0-1 each.

Shanahoe: Mary Griffin 1-5 (0-2fs), Marta Guilfoyle 1-2 (0-1f), and Kate Jacob 0-1.

TIMAHOE: Aoibhe Brennan; Niamh Kehoe, Jenny Murphy, Anna Murphy; Lilly Hooney, Sarah Larkin, Heather Bennett; Aoife Gorman, Keira Gorman; Ava Dempsey, Katie Donoghue, Sinead Goode; Mo Nerney, Aishling Quigley, Keelin Moore.

Subs: Karen Doyle for Moore (52m), Holly McCarthy for A. Murphy (52m).

SHANAHOE: Eimear Barry; Hannah Bailey, Ruth McDermott, Caoimhe Cassin; Niamh Stackpool, Kate Jacob, Megan Walsh; Isabel Finlay, Mary Fitzpatrick; Ava Tynan, Grainne Phelan, Molly Cassin; Martha Guilfoyle, Mary Griffin, Valerie Lalor.

Subs: Maggie Fitzpatrick for Mary Fitzpatrick (30m), Aoife Bergin for Phelan (35m), Phelan for Tynan (44m).

Referee: Eoghan O’Neill