Kildare ladies up their game and retain status Division 1 status

Kildare 4-10

Tyrone 2-8

In the end there was eight points separating Kildare and Tyrone in this vital Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 game at Cedral Park, Newbrige, on Saturday and it was enough to ensure Kildare would retain their Division 1 league status come 2026.

An excellent achievement by any standards having been promoted just 12 months ago, and with wins over Dublin, Meath and now Tyrone The Lilies did what was the no. 1 objective at the start of the season.

Manager Pat Sullivan was especially pleased with his side and said that despite trailing by one at the break, having kicked ten wides in the opening half, he told them at half-time to “keep it simple, keep playing the way they had and the scores would come” and he was certainly right as his side hit no less than 3-7 in the second half, holding Tyrone to 1-4, their second goal coming in time added on.

Kildare opened impressively with a point from Laura Curran followed by a goal from Aoife Murnane, after a cross by Róisín Byrne, and it looked like The Lilies were on their way.

However, Tyrone hit back with a Chloe McCaffrey free followed a goal from the same player, the ball slipping over the line after a mix-up at the back.

It took 15 minutes before Kildare scored again, and that after hitting five wides, Molly Aspel firing over but Tyrone were not here just for a run-out and three points on the trot saw them lead 1-4 to 1-2, Kildare's Róisín Byrne getting Kildare's final score of the half to see the home side trail at the break, that after hitting ten wides, including some very scorable frees.

Aoife Rattigan leveled up on the resumption before Kildare kicked into top gear with player-of-the-match, Róisín Byrne cut through three defenders before blasting to the net for a brilliant goal.

Gillian Wheeler, a half-time sub, picked up a yellow before Rattigan, Lisa Shaw added points and Neasa Dooley's free somehow ended up in the back of the net for goal no. 3.

Some minutes later it was Róisín Byrne who raised green flag no. 4 when getting on the end of a long ball in from Gillian Wheeler to punch over the head of Caitlin Donnelly in the Tyrone goal to make it 4-6 to 1-4.

Game over, ball burst.

Kildare emptied their bench brining on no less than 14 subs (no limit in the league), just one short of their panel of 30, that due to an injury the manager informed the press after the game.

The Lilies did add another four points while Tyrone tacked on 1-4, the goal from Aoife McGahan well into time added on.
So Kildare retain their Division 1 status, while Tyrone will now join Mayo in Division 2 next season.

Player of the game, Róisín Byrne, said after the game she was delighted with the win. “Such a relief to stay in Division 1, it was a great match, we played Tyrone twice last year and they are a very tough team, it was a savage game of football and we are delighted to have won.”

The Sarsfields player said she felt the experience in the team stood to them especially after hitting ten wides in the opening half.

“Other years when we were a younger team that (wides) would have made us a bit nervous; but we knew everything else was going right for us; our work-rate was huge, we were getting tackles in; we know we are good shooters and knew that would come and thankfully it did.”

The star player added that “we have a really tough Leinster campaign ahead of us now in a month's time, it is huge for us to stay up; we will enjoy it and go hell for leather next week and we will be back here in a month or so to take on Dublin.”

Scorers: Kildare, Róisín Byrne 2-1, Aoife Murnane 1-0, Aoife Rattigan 0-2, Lara Curran 0-1, Molly Aspel 0-1, Mia Doherty 0-1, Lisa Shaw 0-1, Neasa Dooley 1-1 (free), Alannah Prizeman 0-1, Leah McGovern 0-1.

Tyrone, Chloe McCaffrey 1-2 (2 frees), Niamh O'Neill 0-5 (4 frees), Aoife McGahan 1-0, Sorcha Gormley 0-1.

KILDARE: Mary Hulgraine; Ruth Sargent, Laoise Lenehan, Emma Wheeler; Mia Doherty, Laura Dunlea, Molly Aspell; Claire Sullivan, Gillian Wheeler; Ciara Moran, Lisa Shaw, Neasa Dooley; Aoife Rattigan, Ellen Dowling, Roisin Byrne. Subs: Gillian Wheeler for Claire Sullivan (18 minutes); Amy Mahon for Ciara Moran (half-time); Siofra Galvin for Lara Curran (41 minutes); Ellen Dowling for Aoife Rattigan (45 minutes); Alannah Prizeman for Lisa Shaw (45 minutes); Leah McGovern for Aoife Murnane (53 minutes); Kaitlyn Miley for Amy Mahon (53 minutes); Erin Brereton Foley for Neasa Dooley (58 minutes); Rachel Fenin for Mary Hulgraine (61 minutes); Aoife Kilkenny for Mia Doherty (61 minutes); Hannah Murphy for Laoise Hulgraine 63 minutes); Zoe Brierty for Roisin Byrne (63 minutes); Lia Reilly for Emma Wheeler (63 minutes).

TYRONE: Caitlin Donnelly; Jayne Lyons, Caitlin Campbell, Eimear Quinn; Tori McElroy, Méabh Corrigan, Slaine McCarroll; Meabh Mallon, Áine Grimes; Elie McNamee, Emer McCanny, Chloe McCaffrey cpt; Niamh O'Neill, Sorcha Gormley, Aoife Horisk. Subs: Aoife McGahan for Emer McCanny (half-time); Claire Canavan for Aine Grimes (40 minutes); Grainne McKenna for Eimear Quinn (40 minutes); Emma Conroy for Elie McNamee (48 minutes); Aine Strain for Tori McElroy (52 minutes); Maria Canavan for Aoife Horisk (58 minutes).

REFEREE: Angela Gallagher.

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