Donegal defeat leaves Tipp in relegation scrap

LADIES FOOTBALL: LIDL National League Division 2 Round 6

Donegal 0-10

Tipperary 0-7

Report: Dáire Bonnar in Lifford

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Susanne White (Donegal)

SCORERS – Donegal: Susanne White 0-6 (2 frees); Jodie McFadden 0-2; Mia Bennett, Aisling O’Neill 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Aisling Moloney 0-5 (4 frees); Anna Rose Kennedy, Ava Fennessy 0-1 each.

A strong breeze in Donegal’s favour in the second half saw Tipperary succumb to a fourth defeat in Division 2 of the National Ladies Football League on Sunday.

The visitors had the wind in the first half and AFLW star Aisling Moloney set the tempo with a point after twenty seconds. She added two more frees and Anna Rose Kennedy kicked one score as it was level at the break with, Susanne White kicking three of the home sides four in the opening thirty.

Jodie McFadden, Mia Bennett and White (2) made it double scores as Kennedy was sin-binned but returned and another brace of dead balls from Moloney along with an Ava Fennessey score left the minimum in it with three minutes to play and Donegal captain Róisín Rodgers now sin-binned.

But Donegal hit two late points through debutant Aisling O’Neill and White’s sixth score of the game to leave Tipperary in a battle next Sunday with Roscommon in a battle to avoid the drop to division 3.

Making four changes from the convincing win over Westmeath last time out, Aoibhe O’Shea, Heather Spillane, Caitlin Kennedy and Michelle Cronin all came in to the starting side for the visitors.

And they wasted no time in opening the scoring as they won the throw-in and a cross field ball found Moloney on the left and despite the tight angle, she pointed inside twenty seconds.

Donegal didn’t get out and Tipperary overturned the ball to win a free, but Moloney’s effort came off the post and Donegal cleared.

A great patient move from Donegal eventually fell to Susanne White and the full forward opened the home sides account on four minutes.

It would be fifteen minutes before the next point as both sides defended in numbers and Angela McGuigan and White had wides at either end. Jodie McFadden had a shot blocked down and Ed Burke’s side countered, with Michelle Cronin almost getting in for a goal but she was forced backwards by the green and gold jerseys.

Katie Dowds had an effort drop short as Tipperary retook the lead on twenty minutes through a Moloney free that was brought forward after appeals from the Donegal management. Eva Gallagher kicked a wide and Mia Bennett’s shot fell short again as Tipperary extended their lead through a great point on the turn from midfielder Anna Rose Kennedy.

A McFadden free for Donegal looked wide but a point was given and three minutes later Donegal levelled after White was fouled and the Killybegs woman made no mistake from close range.

Midfielder Kennedy was fouled and Moloney converted a second free on thirty minutes and she almost pointed again soon after as the Donegal kick out wasn’t cleanly caught but the Cahir woman rushed her shot.

But Clare Friel got the next kick out away to White who moved up the field at pace and as she was tackled, Mia Bennett was fouled and another close range free was tapped over by White to leave it at 0-4 apiece at the break.

Five minutes into the second half the next point came as Cáit Gillespie was fouled after a decent run forward and McFadden kicked over her second point to give her team the lead for the first time.

A big moment followed when Anna Rose Kennedy received a yellow card for a high challenge on White and James Daly’s side used that player advantage to go four clear.

After White won possession in her own half, the ball was played forward to Mia Bennett who played a quick 1-2 with Gillespie and got space to curl over.

Susanne White won the kick out and pointed and just before Tipperary went back to fifteen, White kicked over from a tight angle on the right.

Tipperary didn’t slowly cut away at the lead however with another Moloney free and a good score from substitute Ava Fennessey a minute later. Moloney converted another free which also resulted in a yellow for captain Róisín Rodgers, but Donegal did well to hold on.

Substitute Ulitah Boyle won the kick out and burst forward and it was played to fellow sub Aisling O’Neill who kicked a hugely important point for that cushion. And as McFadden broke down the right and found White, she fisted over in the final minute.

Tipperary had one last venture forward however and when Moloney found Sinead O’Carroll, she had a two-on-one but her fisted pass which would have surely ended in a goal went just over her teammate and Donegal won a free out, signalling full time.

TEAMS - Donegal: Clare Friel; Niamh Carr, Cait Gillespie, Sophie McFeeley; Shauna McFadden, Evelyn McGinley, Niamh Boyle; Róisín Rodgers, Rhíana McColgan; Feena McManaman, Katie Dowds, Mia Bennett; Eva Gallagher, Susanne White, Jodie McFadden.

Subs: Tara Rose Mahon for Gallagher (47); Aisling O’Neill for Bennett (52); Ulitah Boyle for McColgan (52).

Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry); Michelle Cronin (Moyle Rovers), Lucy Spillane (Fethard), Emma Cronin (Moyle Rovers); Caitlin Kennedy (Aherlow), Maria Curley (Templemore), Brid Condon (Aherlow); Anna Rose Kennedy (Aherlow), Angela McGuigan (Sliabh na mBan); Heather Spillane (Fethard), Neassa Towey (Templemore), Aoibhe O’Shea (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone); Aisling Moloney (Cahir), Emma Morrissey (Aherlow), Ava Ryan (Moyne-Templetuohy).

Subs: Sinead O’Carroll (Ardfinnan) for Towey (15), Ava Fennessy (Clonmel Commercials) for O’Shea (47); Laura Morrissey (Brian Borus) for M Cronin (50).

Referee: Phillip Conway (Armagh).