DAVIS GOAL RUSH DEFEATS BRIGID’S
DUBLIN LGFA SEN GROUP A
THOMAS DAVIS 4-8
ST BRIGID’S 0-7
Daire Walsh
THOMAS Davis continued their excellent start to Group A of the Dublin Senior Ladies Football Championship with a comprehensive 13-point victory over St Brigid’s at Russell Park last Wednesday evening.
Having convincingly overcome the challenge of Clanna Gael Fontenoy in the opening game of their campaign a week earlier at Kiltipper Road, the Tallaght side were hoping to laid down a further marker on away soil.
Thanks to the scoring prowess of Wicklow’s Meadhbh Deeney, former Dublin footballer Ciara McGuigan and Sinead Deegan, they managed to just that.
PROMINENT
McGuigan was particularly prominent throughout, acting as the fulcrum for majority of her side’s attacks.
Unsurprisingly, her former county colleague Noelle Healy was one of the leading lights within the St Brigid’s ranks – the five-time Celtic Cross winner finishing the contest with three points.
Having begun the group with an emphatic triumph at the expense of Cuala, this defeat will come as a set-back for the Navan Road outfit.
However, they will have an immediate opportunity to make amends against Kilmacud Crokes at the same venue tomorrow night (throw-in 7pm).
Joining Healy in the Brigid’s starting line-up on Wednesday night was Jackies netminder Ciara Trant. In addition to the aforementioned McGuigan, Davis’ had past and present Sky Blues of their own in the form of current Dublin defender Tammy Corbally Quinn and ex-county stalwart Olwen Carey.
McGuigan did get the ball rolling for the visitors with an early score, only for Healy to respond with a well-measured point.
Although she was donning the number six jersey, Healy (an All-Ireland club champion with Cork outfit Mourneabbey in 2019) was popping up all over the pitch during the opening period.
After Deeney edged Davis’ back into the ascendancy with a close-range free, Ellen Gribben curled between the uprights to bring Brigid’s back on level terms.
Despite passing up some good opportunities, the hosts were gradually settling into their stride and created some daylight in the third quarter.
Either side of an Ella Connolly point, Niamh O’Donovan slotted over close-range frees to move Brigid’s three clear.
While Davis’ were struggling to make an attacking impact, their fortunes suddenly turned courtesy of a seven-minute scoring blitz.
The elusive McGuigan put Deeney through for a clinically-taken goal on 27 minutes, before squeezing Davis’ into another slender lead with her second point of the half.
It got even better from there for the southsiders as Deeney coolly slotted home a penalty in stoppage-time.
This propelled Davis’ into a 2-3 to 0-5 interval buffer and with momentum now behind them, they sensed there was a golden opportunity to extend their winning run in the top-tier championship.
The Brigid’s defence initially held firm on the restart, but Deeney and McGuigan eventually found the range with excellent solo efforts.
Davis’ full-forward Niamh McGoldrick added her name to the scoresheet on the stroke of 40 minutes to leave Brigid’s with a mountain to climb in the closing stages.
Gribben was causing problems with some strong runs from deep, but the home team were finding scores hard to come by.
The temporary loss of Sarah Condron to the sin-bin in the 44th minute further dented their prospects and Davis’ effectively placed the outcome beyond doubt in her absence.
Supplementing another eye-catching McGuigan point, centre-forward Deegan shook the net with 13 minutes of normal time remaining.
After McGuigan had profited from excellent build-up play by the excellent Carey to kick her fifth score of the tie, Deegan hammered home a second goal in ruthless fashion.
Though the game was now beyond their reach, Brigid’s persevered as the final whistle approached.
Healy fisted a point at the end of a lung-bursting run on 56 minutes and the same player raised another white flag off a subsequent attack.
While this was a disappointing result for Brigid’s, they have two game left in the group and aren’t out of the reckoning for a knockout spot just yet.
MATCH FILE
Scorers – Thomas Davis: M Deeney 2-2 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), S Deegan 2-0, C McGuigan 0-5, N McGoldrick 0-1. St Brigid’s: N Healy 0-3, N O’Donovan 0-2 (2f), E Gribben, E Connolly 0-1 each.
THOMAS DAVIS: C Staunton; E Phillips, C Casey, C McCabe; E Whelan, J Sweeney, T Corbally Quinn; N Kirby, O Carey; L Young, S Deegan, R Newell; M Deeney, N McGoldrick, C McGuigan.
Subs: D Brennan, S Gunn, L Slaughter, E Haverty, A Collins, R Leigh, O McGuigan.
ST BRIGID’S: C Trant; C Brogan, E Farrell, E Connolly; C Barrett, N Healy, Z O’Brien; A Nyhan, D Murphy; S Condron, A Downey, E Gribben; N O’Donovan, A Ryan, A Clavin.
Subs: E O’Mara, K O’Neill, M McCarthy, S Fay, G Raftery, L Jackson, I Costello.
MENTORS – Thomas Davis: Peter Boland, Bobby McNulty, Ger Deasy, Sean Blanchfield. St Brigid’s: Derek Byrne, John O’Neill, Brian Condron.
Referee: Lorraine O’Sullivan (Na Fianna).
WIDES – Thomas Davis: 4 (1+3). St Brigid’s: 7 (2+5).
CONDITIONS: Dry weather throughout.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Ciara McGuigan (Thomas Davis).