Emma Kelly hails Antrim Ladies as they claim Division Four title
Daire Walsh
Antrim manager Emma Kelly believes her team have raised standards in the county as they claimed their first ever Lidl NFL Division 4 title with victory over Leitrim.
The Saffrons have impressed year on year but missed out in the 2014, 2016 and 2019 finals. Orlaith Prenter shot 0-8 to ensure they finally claimed this elusive piece of silverware at Parnell Park on Sunday.
And Kelly knows the importance of adding success upon success as Antrim look to build on another big win in a national final.
“The league has always been a target. Even for the years that I played, it was always ‘the league, the league, the league’,” said Kelly.
“Just to get over the line today, I’m just delighted for the girls. I know Cathy Carey doesn’t like people hearing about ‘oh, she’s been here all around’, but the likes of Tubs (Aine Tubridy) has been here for years as well. Anna McCann and the likes, but there’s a lot of girls that have been playing underage up and they’ve stuck at it and stuck at it.
“I’m just glad that we have gotten to Division 3 now and intermediate football in championship. I hope now that we have raised the standard in Antrim that we can continue to progress. You can see the young girls we’re bringing on are just as good. It’s great to have strength in depth.”
Bronagh Devlin found the net and Antrim took a 1-8 to 1-4 lead into half-time. Michelle Guckian scored the Leitrim goal but Leah Fox missed from the penalty spot.
That meant that Leitrim were chasing the game into the second half and despite Ailbhe Clancy scoring their second goal, they had left themselves with too much to do.
Leitrim had won their maiden Division 4 title back in 2010 but their wait for another goes on.
“What we set out to do was get the extra game of the semi-final. Once we completed that challenge, the next challenge was to get the extra two games by reaching the final,” said Leitrim manager Jonny Garrity.
“We did that, we’re delighted to have done that. Something I have to constantly remind the girls off is how early we are in this journey. This is our first ever defeat as a team.
Scorers – Antrim: O Prenter 0-8 (2f), B Devlin 1-1, M O’Neill 0-4, C Carey 0-3, L Dahunsi 0-2, L Agnew 0-1. Leitrim: A Clancy 1-3 (0-2f), M Guckian 1-1, M McGovern, V Egan 0-1 each.
ANTRIM: A McCann; D Coleman, E Ferran, N McIntosh; A Keenan, C Brown, S O’Neill; A Mulholland, Á Tubridy; T Mellon, C Carey, L Dahunsi; B Devlin, O Prenter, M O’Neill.
Subs: O Corr for Tubridy, G McLaughlin for Mellon (both 39), L Agnew for Devlin (47), C McKenna for S O’Neill (56).
LEITRIM: M Monaghan; J Maye, C Tyrrell, S Reynolds; R Rooney, C Bruen, C Le Guen; M McGovern, N Tighe; L O’Dowd, M Guckian, A Clancy; V Egan, L Fox, E Bruen.
Subs: B O’Rourke for Egan (40), A Gilmartin for Tighe, S Quinn for Fox (both 43), R McHugh for Clancy (56), D Stenson for K Bruen (58).
Ref: Justin Murphy (Cork).