Village Barn Senior Football Championship: Mullingar Shamrocks 0-10 Goldsmiths 1-14 

Our winning streak ended in Springfield on Thursday in the wind and rain and eventual darkness as Goldsmiths finished with a seven point advantage. Young Odhrán Bannon picked a rough  night to attend his  first Mullingar Shamrocks game but he went home knowing that his auntie Karen is playing as well as she ever did in her  long career. 

The wind assisted visitors dominated the first-half and led by 1-9 to 0-2 at the break. The gap might have been greater but Shamrocks led by the outstanding defender-in-chief Annemarie O’Reilly defended well against a Goldsmiths attack that wasted few point scoring opportunities. Good defending reduced goal scoring opportunities to the minimum; the crucial Goldsmiths goal created just before the break. A turnover deep in Shamrocks territory was moved swiftly downfield and ended with Rebecca Higgins blasting to the net to extend the lead to 11 points. Rebecca was outstanding on the night and was Goldsmiths leading scorer. Chloe Smullen playing probably her best game at Senior level for Mullingar Shamrocks, pointed to reduce the deficit: Chloe was unlucky mid-way through the half when she soloed through the Goldsmiths defence only to have her shot brilliantly saved by Aisling English. Anna Jones from a free opened the Shamrocks scoring in the twelfth minute. 

Shamrocks retreated to the dressing room at the interval and emerged a different team but Goldsmiths began the half with a point. Chloe began the Shamrocks recovery with a fine point, Karen Hegarty (0-2) and Anna Jones pointed frees and then Anna kicked a massive two-pointer. Rebecca Higgins and Karen Hegarty exchanged points; Chloe Smullen with one of her trademark solo-runs finished with a spectacular point and the deficit was reduced to just 4 points (1-11 to 0-10). Shamrocks continued to attack but Goldsmiths held on and finished with 3 points including a pointed free by Rebecca Higgins with what was the last kick of the game. 

Two-pointer watch: Mullingar Shamrocks =1 

Shamrocks play their quarter-final game next Thursday evening. It’s knock-out football from now on.  

     
Mullingar Shamrocks: Holly McCormack; Annmarie O’Reilly, Siobhán O’Donnell, Susanna Buckley;   Carla Blackman, Melek Fagan, Chloe Swarbrigg; Anna Jones (0-4), Jenna Kelly (Sinead Sweeney); Chloe Smullen (0-3), Honor MacNamara, Zara Corroon; Grace Daly (Katie Matthews), Mairéad Newman, Karen Hegarty (0-3).