Promotion chances dented as red card costs Kildare against Roscommon in Camogie League

In theory, promotion is still on the table for Kildare camógs following Saturday’s defeat to Roscommon at Hawkfield, but life got a lot tougher for Rob O’Neill’s charges all the same after this defeat.

With scoring difference the first criterion for separating teams tied on points, Kildare now have to beat Tyrone by 10 clear points in their home fixture next Saturday to sneak into a league final against Armagh, and while the rub of the green didn’t go Kildare’s way Saturday, they’ll know that it wouldn’t have taken a lot for them to have got a result here.

This was the second time that Roscommon were unable to host the fixture due to the weather and so the contest was moved to Manguard Park, and in the early stages of the game Rob O’Neill’s side were taking full advantage of their familiar surroundings.

Caoimhe Ní Buirchéal opened the scoring after a nice turn and shot over her left shoulder, and by the midway point in the first half, she and Aoife Stynes had two points each on the board, Stynes landing her scores from a decent distance out as Kildare took advantage of the breeze at their backs.

A straight red card for Allie McGrath for a clash with Roscommon corner back Anna Hussey changed the game however as the visitors used their extra player to cover off the space in front of the forward line.

Having that extra player also enabled Roscommon to move the ball through the lines, and even if they didn’t pick off scores with the Kildare defence standing firm, they took time off the clock and then hit the front through a Rachel Fitzmaurice goal and an Orla Connolly point in the minutes before the break.

In theory, with 14 players on the pitch and the breeze blowing into their faces picking up, that should have left Kildare with too much to do.

However, strong showings from Sadhbh Horgan, Kate Murphy and Aoife Stynes kept a steady flow of ball going into the Kildare attack. Meanwhile Sophie Hazzard and Laura Edwards were excellent off the bench, involved in overall play and adding points on the scoreboard too.

With Fitzmaurice and Connolly still picking off points intermittently however, Kildare needed a goal, and the chances passed them by. Ní Buirchéal had ground shots in both halves that didn’t test the keeper, Louise Murphy sent a thunderbolt of a shot fizzing a foot to the left of the top corner of the Roscommon net early in the second half, while Lea Sutton blasted a close range free at the Rossie goal, only to see it deflected over the bar.

Those misses, allied to an overall wide count of 9-4 with Kildare the ones guilty of nine misses, meant that Roscommon were able to hold on, while boosting their scoring difference with two late insurance points that may yet prove significant.

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ROSCOMMON: Michaela Fallon; Michelle Rogers, Mairéad Lohan, Anna Hussey; Aimee O’Connor, Erin McDermott, Sinéad Mannion; Sally Bolger, Orla Connolly (0-5, 0-3f); Grace Geraghty, Grace Jones, Rachel Fitzmaurice (1-3); Oonagh Kelly, Áine O’Meara, Claire McNeill. Subs:: Celine Gacquin for Geraghty (28), Alannah Sutton (0-1) for O’Meara (43), Aideen O’Brien for Mannion (46)

KILDARE: Róisín Roche; Shauna Dunne, Áine Conway, Sadhbh Horgan; Caoimhe O’Sullivan, Laoise Mimnagh, Kate Murphy; Louise Murphy, Aoife Stynes (0-2, 0-1f); Rebecca McDermott, Sara Carroll (0-1), Lea Sutton (0-1f); Allie McGrath, Caoimhe Ní Buirchéal (0-2), Niamh Mortell. Subs: Sophie Hazzard (0-1) for Mortell (27), Aoife McCarthy for O’Sullivan (43), Laura Edwards (0-1) for L Murphy (43), Aoife McDermott for R McDermott (55).

REFEREE: Alan Doheny (Laois)