St Brigid's win U14 final

St Brigid's 2-5 Milltown 0-9 Under 14 LGFA Division 2 Champions. St Brigid's is an amalgamation of Kilcullen and Athgarvan Ladies GAA.

St Brigid’s went into their Division 2 U14 Girls Football Final as red hot favourites, writes Conor O'Toole, but reigning champions Milltown tore up the script to give us a titanic struggle at Hawkfield on the 1st of June.

Milltown drew first blood with two points as their hard running Lara Curran took Brigid’s centreback Grace O'Toole on a tour of Hawkfield. But slowly and ever so surely Brigid’s got themselves back into the game and as they moved hard won possession into the danger area Nanci Murphy took a great pass to sidestep and rifle a shot into the bottom corner. Alex Leahy and Niamh Garrett battled gamely in the full forward line and were rewarded with frees which Ellie O'Toole gratefully dispatched over the bar.

Milltown refused to buckle and full forward Mary Hamilton scythed through the Brigid’s defence to unleash a goal bound strike which was brilliantly deflected wide by Brigid’s goalie Avril Glendon. At the far end Kayleigh Humphries went on a mazy solo run to fire over a sweet point from a tight angle and then added to her tally with another well taken score. But the last white flag was raised by Milltown to leave them only two points adrift at halftime with the wind behind them for the 2nd half.

The bag of oranges and Jaffa cakes were emptied at the break as Brigid’s mentors sought to rally their charges and the vitamin c rush seemed to work as Brigid’s kicked the 1st score of the second half. But the redoubtable Milltown came back with two points to reduce the gap to the narrowest of margins. And as the volume rose on the sideline we all knew we were in for a rollercoaster of a last quarter. Ellie O'Toole and Nanci Murphy made some surging runs from midfield and under such pressure the Milltown rearguard started to buckle. Fast ball into the full forward line was snatched up by supersub Emma Keane who, with an aplomb that defied her tender years, swivelled and smashed the ball to the net to the roar of the Brigid’s support. And when Ellie O'Toole broke through the centre and left the Brigid’s fullback in a heap the crowd waited for the net to bulge but as if in slow motion the ball cannoned off the post and was scrambled clear.

Minutes later Alannah Burke hit the upright and Milltown rallied to narrow the gap to two points. On the wing Emily Nolan at right half back was winning great ball to set the tireless Alannah Burke off on the run. On the other wing Eve Ennis was battling hard and her centreback Grace O'Toole was hoovering up ball despite the repeated switching of her markers. Katelyn Hegarty Kelly at right half forward defied injury to tear up the sideline with her long solo runs. Jenny Kelly at corner forward was also proving a handful as St Brigid’s carried the ball into the forwards to counter the breeze. And these efforts were critical in keeping Milltown at bay as time was running down and when their attacks ended a tenacious fullback line of a towering Laura McMahon and the terrible twins Brona Dooley and Tara Murphy swarmed around the Milltown forward line to swipe possession and clear their lines.

In the last minutes Milltown threw the kitchen sink at Brigid’s but their defence refused to yield. And when the referee gave three short bursts of the whistle to leave them winners by two points a relieved Brigid’s management hugged their charges and began to dream of Division 1 glory.

All of the Brigid’s subs contributed gamely to this campaign and lifted their team with their shouts of encouragement. Roisin Robinson, Emily McGlinchey, Abby Smith, Megan Fogarty, Emma Browne, Leanne Clifford and Holly Duff all have a bright footballing future ahead of them. Lisa Aspel and Amy Barker also gave sterling service in this league. The ever supportive Jim Buckley, Jacinta Sully, Liz Moloney, Caroline Walker-Strong, Jason Morris and Trevor Howard helped make this achievement possible. As for the parents, well, let's just say we wouldn't have a team without them.

Kildare County Champions Management — Joe Dooley, John Glendon and Conor O'Toole.