Following a very tough Minor Ladies Football League campaign, Celbridge were left in a precarious situation of facing table toppers Suncroft away in the semi finals. A titanic battle ensued with Celbridge coming away with the spoils on a one point victory, setting up a final with Trinity Gaels.
Celbridge Mothers & Others ★ Blitz ★ Saturday 16th October Celbridge Mother's and Other's held their very first blitz on Saturday October 16th. In keeping with the ethos of this wonderful LGFA initiative Celbridge M&O welcomed fellow M&O teams from Maynooth, St. Mary's Leixlip, Trinity Gaels Donaghmede and Roberts Emmets Perrystown for an afternoon of football, fun and festivities.
Written by Darren Gallagher
In what was a repeat of the final game of our 2017 League campaign, Celbridge welcomed Cappagh on this occasion for Round 1 of the Championship. The weather & match conditions always get a mention, and for this game , it proved to be even more pertinent as the wet, wintry and cold weather proved challenging for fielding, passing & shooting in the particularly slippery conditions. Both teams were missing some of their key players, but both still fielded very strong teams (coupled with college, holidays, work commitments etc. impacting on ability of teams to prepare as they would like for the Championship). However, despite all of this, the Ladies from both teams displayed great commitment, energy & teamwork to produce a fantastic & absorbing game of football, leaving those willing to brave the elements with just reward.
Celbridge got off to a great start with a flowing move, incorporating great handling & passing skills resulting in a glorious point from Orla Gowran. However Cappagh were on the scoresheet within first 10 minutes with a well taken goal, the Mulligan sisters (too many to mention!), playing a key part in its delivery. So with ‘game on’ and end to end action following, teams swopped points, with Orla again on the scoresheet with 2 excellently taken points to bring Celbridge within one point of Cappagh. The breakthrough that was required from Celbridge came in the form of great approach play, support & finishing with ball in the back of the net from Nicole McDonagh.
The midfield & defensive structures of both teams were dominant in the later stages of the first half and although there was still great off the shoulder running and showing for the ball by the girls, the only scores in last 10 minutes came from a well taken point from Maeve O’Keeffe offset from another point from Cappagh leaving half time score at :-
Celbridge 1-4 : Cappagh 1-2
Celbridge began the second half in the same manner as middle period of the first half, with Orla again coming to the fore and adding to her points tally. However Cappagh began to find their rhythm and rattled off a goal and seven points while Celbridge failed to match their intensity, power and clinical finishing during this 15 minute period. The introduction of a number of players from Cappagh bench helped them during this period, but Celbridge continued to battle for the ball with nobody shirking their responsibility & desire to be as competitive as possible and keep in touch on the scoreboard.
Despite the challenge posed by Cappagh during this period, Celbridge adopted a defensive strategy right from the corner forwards (tighter marking, tracking back, aggressive tackling & battling qualities were clearly demonstrated). With time running out and serious energy expelled by all the girls, there was one last push from Celbridge to bridge the gap and set up a big finale. Alex was pushed further up the pitch and came up with an excellent point, followed shortly afterwards by another fine shot & goal from Orla. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts & outstanding performance from all the team, with a special mention for Nicole who marshalled midfield excellently & Orla for her attacking prowess, Cappagh deserved the result, but Ladies Football was the true winner tonight.
Another truly pulsating & entertaining game (especially with the conditions) with great credit to both teams for a very competitive and sporting match and an even closer outcome than the league encounter.
Let’s take the positives from this great team performance and face the next challenge in the Championship with a renewed vigour & come with same attitude, enthusiasm & belief. Keep up the great effort & commitment to training & well done again to the Mulligan boys, Gavin, Hillary and the Senior Ladies squad …..
Final score Celbridge 2-6 : Cappagh 2-10
Scorers :-
Orla Gowran (1-4) ; Nicole McDonagh (1-0) ; Alex Casey & Maeve O’Keeffe (0-1)
Celbridge Senior Ladies Lose to Cappagh
Division 3 25/4/2017
Written by Ladies football PRO, Damien Thomas.
On a bright but cold evening, Celbridge Senior Ladies lost out to an impressive Cappagh side, who remain unbeaten in the league. In the first quarter both sides were evenly matched however a combination of a strong cross wind and some resolute defending ensured there were few scores in this period. Celbridge’s first point of the game came when Orla Gowran received a pass from Ailbhe Earley and went on a fine run before scoring a point. Gradually however Cappagh began to get on top and scored 1-2 without reply. A Nicola Hughes free and another point from Orla cut the gap to two points. The game turned in the last ten minutes of the half however as Cappagh fired in three goals. Celbridge’s only reply was a point from the ever dangerous Orla Gowran.
Half Time Score Cappagh (3-3) V Celbridge (0-4).
Although Celbridge started the second half well, a single point from Orla Gowran was their only reward for all their possession. In contrast Cappagh, with Carla Wosser and the Mulligan sisters to the fore, scored 1-7 to stretch their lead to 17 points at one stage. To their credit Celbridge Ladies never give up and points from Laura Flynn and Gemma Kilduff in addition to two goals from Orla Gowran cut the deficit to nine points. So commiserations to Celbridge and well done to Cappagh. For Celbridge Orla Gowran with 2-4 had a great game in the forward line while Sinead Hennessey at half back also turned in another impressive performance.
Final Score Cappagh (4-10) V Celbridge (2-7)
Final Score Cappagh (4-10) V (2-7) Celbridge
Celbridge Scorers Orla Gowran (2-4, one penalty); Nichola Hughes (0-1f) Gemma Kilduff (0-1) Laura Flynn (0-1)
Division 3 25/4/2017
On a bright but cold evening, Celbridge Senior Ladies lost out to an impressive Cappagh side, who remain unbeaten in the league. In the first quarter both sides were evenly matched however a combination of a strong cross wind and some resolute defending ensured there were few scores in this period. Celbridge’s first point of the game came when Orla Gowran received a pass from Ailbhe Earley and went on a fine run before scoring a point. Gradually however Cappagh began to get on top and scored 1-2 without reply. A Nicola Hughes free and another point from Orla cut the gap to two points. The game turned in the last ten minutes of the half however as Cappagh fired in three goals. Celbridge’s only reply was a point from the ever dangerous Orla Gowran.
Half Time Score Cappagh (3-3) V Celbridge (0-4).
Although Celbridge started the second half well, a single point from Orla Gowran was their only reward for all their possession. In contrast Cappagh, with Carla Wosser and the Mulligan sisters to the fore, scored 1-7 to stretch their lead to 17 points at one stage. To their credit Celbridge Ladies never give up and points from Laura Flynn and Gemma Kilduff in addition to two goals from Orla Gowran cut the deficit to nine points. So commiserations to Celbridge and well done to Cappagh. For Celbridge Orla Gowran with 2-4 had a great game in the forward line while Sinead Hennessey at half back also turned in another impressive performance.
Final Score Cappagh (4-10) V Celbridge (2-7)
Final Score Cappagh (4-10) V (2-7) Celbridge
Celbridge Scorers Orla Gowran (2-4, one penalty); Nichola Hughes (0-1f) Gemma Kilduff (0-1) Laura Flynn (0-1)
Great win for Celbridge Senior Ladies
Written by Darren Gallagher
Back on the road again for our penultimate league match and one that may prove to be crucial and a ‘must win’ when deciding Semi-final places for Division 3. With three wins under our belt and the end of preliminary league games in sight, the girls knew how important the Rathangan game was and that a fast start and everyone bringing their ‘A’ game was key to a successful outcome. The game was played in perfect conditions with a strong Celbridge team taking the field for what was to turn out to be a fantastic & enthralling game of football, with both sides committed, energetic & tenacious in fighting for every ball.
However the script wasn’t written like this with Rathangan winning the ball from the throw-in and their midfielder making a darting run forward and finishing sublimely with a shot into the top corner of the net. Their No. 9 was to prove one of their key attacking strengths throughout the game, but one that Ailbhe, Leah and our half back line came to terms with as the game progressed. Celbridge fought back immediately with points from Nichola and two super goals from Orla, following great movement, passing and the usual clinical & composed finishing from Orla’s boot. Alex continued to make herself available and was finally rewarded with a great point to keep scoreboard ticking over.
We began winning more possession, providing support with off the shoulder running, creating space and showing for the ball, and apart from a blip with a long high ball in from Rathangan finding its way into top corner of the net, Celbridge dominated for large parts of the first 20 minutes. Rathangan began to find their rhythm and rattled off five points with only one additional point by Gemma in last 10 minutes to leave half time scoreline at :-
Rathangan 2-5 : Celbridge 2-5
Celbridge began the second half in the same commanding nature as they had in early parts of the first half, with Ailbhe having an exceptional night, but mostly with defensive duties due to the strength of Rathangan midfield (chasing back, challenging, tackling & winning most 50/50 battles) and Leah charging up the field to support forwards, scoring a great point into the bargain. Nicole demonstrated great fielding ability and support to midfielders throughout the game, but also scored an opportune goal followed by an excellent point to get us off to a great start in the second half. Although Rathangan fought back once again with a number of points followed by a disputed goal, Celbridge replied immediately with another excellent goal by Orla following a defence splitting pass, great run and another slick finish from Orla. Nichola also added to her points tally with another well taken score.
There were stand out performances by our defence, with Sinead as solid, reliable & tenacious as usual, Laura, Grace & Niamh defending admirably and getting forward at every opportunity, Kelley & Rowan marshalling goal area excellently, but a special mention must go to Aimee Bolger for her tackling, strength & commitment in marking one of the quickest, trickiest and determined forwards we have faced this campaign (what a battle !). To be fair, our defence started from our corner forwards (Maeve & Nichola) with much tighter marking, more aggressive challenging and teamwork throughout the field, which was a key feature in final 15 minutes when we were defending a healthy lead. It was very much backs to the wall finish, but girls defended valiantly restricting Rathangan to 3 points to close out the game.
The strength of the panel is key with Chanice, Robyn & Joy coming on in the second half to provide additional energy, drive, enthusiasm & support to continue the great work of the team. As I’ve commented on previous close games we’ve been involved in, this was another pulsating game, with end to end action throughout, & with more composure in front of goal at the latter stages, Celbridge could have had a more comfortable win. The passion, skill, commitment, team spirit and resilience demonstrated by the girls was fantastic and a big thanks to the management team & supporters for their help in ‘getting the girls over the line’. A truly exciting & entertaining game with great credit to both teams for a very competitive and sporting match and with only a kick of a ball in it, shows how evenly matched these teams were.
It’s not too often that a referee is included in match report, but in this case, a well done to the referee for allowing game flow, communicating decisions to players, consistency & general all round professionalism in officiating the game.
Let’s build on this momentum and finish out the campaign with a massive effort against Cappagh next week, keep up the great work at training & well done again to the Mulligan boys, Gavin, Hillary and the Senior Ladies squad …..
Final score Rathangan 3-11 : Celbridge 4-10
Scorers :-
Orla Gowran (3-2) ; Nicole McDonagh (1-2) ; Nichola Farrell (0-3) ; Alex Casey, Gemma Kilduff & Leah Earley (0-1)
Written by Darren Gallagher
Following two away trips to South Kildare to kick off life in Division 3, Celbridge Senior Ladies Football team welcomed Kill for their first home game of the season in what was to become a very competitive and enthralling game. There were a small number of personnel changes to the starting line-up from the Ballykelly game with Laura O’Flynn coming in at right half back and Gemma Kilduff at right full forward and a couple of positional switches in the forwards. Again, just like at the training sessions, full squad available on the night with a very strong bench ready to fight for the cause, provide challenge & keeping pressure on those in the starting team. Although a cold night, it stayed dry and generally decent conditions for the game.
Although this was Kill’s first outing of the League, they began the game with some fantastic passing, movement and finishing with a couple of early goals to open up a big lead before Celbridge got into the rhythm & intensity of the game. They produced defence splitting passes and slick and composed finishing, so no signs of rustiness in kicking off their campaign. However, Celbridge began to find their feet, winning battles, great support with off the shoulder running which culminated in some great points for Chanice, Maeve, Orla & Gemma, but most importantly, a great goal from Alex Casey that left Celbridge trailing by just a goal coming close to half time. The Celbridge defence & midfield dominated in the middle part of the first half, but Kill pushed on again and finished strongly kicking another two points to leave half time scoreline at :-
Celbridge 1-4 : Kill 3-3
No doubt the half-time team talk brought some choice words, highlighting areas for improvement, but ultimately encouragement that resulted in an invigorated Celbridge side taking the field with the drive, effort & enthusiasm that was missing from parts of the first half. Our captain Leah Earley lead by example, tracking back, getting up to support forwards and an inspiration to the whole team. Her partner in midfield, Chanice Corcoran displayed great fielding ability, making powerful runs forward, with one culminating in an excellent goal for Chanice. Niamh Flynn provided additional cover in midfield and provided some excellent distribution of the ball to the other forwards.
While our forwards continued to add to the scores, Sinead was tenacious as ever in the tackle and won numerous 50/50 battles, ably assisted by Laura & Grace at half backs who provided great cover & support to the full back line and drove forward at every opportunity. The strength and solidity of Abby, Joy, Robyn & Niamh (& Aimee later) restricted number of scoring chances, resulting in a total of only 1-2 for Kill in the second half. This was as a result of tighter marking, more aggressive challenging, coupled with the effort and teamwork throughout the field.
There were a number of substitutes introduced in the second half with Nicole returning to full forward line and scoring a crucial goal (inspired substitution by Johnny!) and Aimee Bolger replacing Niamh Plunkett following her injury. Orla demonstrated her versatility occupying the full forward position, involved in most of the link up play, & scoring a match winning 1-2 in the second half with Ailbhe & Nicole providing alternative outlets and challenging for every ball. This was truly a pulsating game, with end to end action throughout, & with more composure in front of goal at the latter stages, Celbridge could have had a more comfortable win. The passion, skill, commitment, team spirit and resilience demonstrated by the girls delighted the management team & supporters alike. Great credit has to be given to the Kill team who played in a very competitive and sporting manner and with only a kick off a ball in the result, it could have gone either way at the end.
Let’s build on the momentum created from last two games, keep up great work at training/challenge games & well done again to the Mulligan boys, Gavin, Hillary and the Senior Ladies squad …..
Final score Celbridge 4-6 : Kill 4-5
Written by Darren Gallagher
Another trip to South Kildare in consecutive weeks for the Senior Ladies, and although not quite the Baltic conditions that faced the team in Castlemitchell in round one, the wet conditions proved challenging, but with the desire, effort & teamwork of the Celbridge girls, it proved critical to the outcome of this game. Johnny made a number of positional and personnel changes from that used against Castlemitchell, which is a testament to the depth & talent in the squad and was great to see the competition for places in the team and the commitment demonstrated that we had a dozen or so substitutes available to provide challenge to first team starters (not to mention performing admirably when called upon during the game).
From the whistle, our defence were solid with full back line of Joy, Robyn & Niamh marshalling their opponents, Abby formidable in goal and ultimately managing to hold Ballykelly scoreless in the first half. They had great support from the half backs with Kellie, Sinead & newly positioned Grace getting forward when opportunities arose (managing to get on scoresheet too!), and Alex, Chanice & Maeve providing great cover to midfield and blocking off the threat posed by many of the opposition attacks. Orla’s move into full forward position provided a suitable outlet & key target for defence splitting passes, coupled with off the ball running from Nicole & Ailbhe.
There were some fantastic scores in the first half with Orla getting two great points from long range, a fine point from Niamh Flynn, but the key to building a big lead coming into second half came in the form of goal from Chanice and 1-1 from Nicole (excellent team goal with great build up play & finish). Great teamwork with girls fighting for each other, tracking back and pleasure to see newcomers to Senior squad integrating seamlessly (with notable excellent defensive display from Joy, displaying great energy & determination) resulting in a half time score of :-
Ballykelly 0-0 : Celbridge 2-5
Although Ballykelly fought back in the second half, the resilience, teamwork & support didn’t wane with whole team fighting for every ball, chasing back when needed and always looking to burst forward (special mention of Niamh Plunkett for lung bursting runs to support half backs & midfield resulting in numerous scoring opportunities). Leah Earley & Niamh Flynn led from the front and with the continued encouragement to teammates kept the scoreboard ticking over and maintaining a significant lead at all times. Abby pulled off a point blank save and although continued pressure came from Ballykelly attacks, the defence challenged and thwarted many of these opportunities. There were a number of substitutes introduced in the second half with Gemma returning to full forward line and scoring a crucial point as Ballykelly had knocked over quite a few to reduce lead. Orla scored another great point with Maeve & Leah finishing out the scoring for Celbridge in second half.
Overall, this was a fine team performance and credit must go to whole squad as great teams are built on strong squads, which was clearly demonstrated in second half when fresh legs were required to see out the game. Let’s keep up the hard work on the training pitch and continue building momentum that will help deliver another successful league campaign.
Great to get points on the board, increase fitness levels and get further games under the belt & well done to the Mulligan boys, Hillary and the Senior Ladies squad …..
Final score Ballykelly 1-6 : Celbridge 2-9
All the best to Ben and the Senior Ladies Team in their Junior B Championship Final against Kilcullen on Saturday the 3rd of September in Hawkfield.
Throw in at 2.30pm
Celbridge GAA Ladies Senior Footballers off to a great start in the Championship with a decent win over Na Fianna.
Celbridge [6-08] vs [4-11] Na Fianna
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Celbridge V Milltown, Division 5 League Final 07/05/16
Venue Hawkfield Centre of Excellence
After a hard fought and exciting match, in very wet conditions, Celbridge deservedly overcame Milltown to win the Division 5 League Final at Hawkfield. It was Milltown who started powerfully , and by the end of the first quarter their strong running game had put them 0-4 to 0-1 in the lead with Celbridge’s sole score coming from centre half forward Orla Gowran.
Gradually however Celbridge got to grips with both their opponents and the conditions. At half back line Aimee Bolger and Sinead McCabe, who both had great games, started to win more possession and drive forward. This provided a platform for Celbridge’s midfield duo of Grace Flynn and Leah Earley (Captain) to begin to dominate this area of the pitch and bring their dangerous forwards into the game. Initially Celbridge’s improving play went unrewarded as they shot a couple of wides before Gemma Kilduff pointed a free to get Celbridge’s second score of the day.
Critically by this stage Celbridge’s defence, led superbly throughout by full-back Robyn Murray, were now in command, and Milltown were not to register another score in the half. The distribution of the ball by goalkeeper Rowen O’Hara was excellent throughout the game and this helped Celbridge to dominate possession.
Eventually Celbridge got their reward for their hard work and skilful interplay when they rocked their opponents with a five goal blitz in the space of ten minutes. Following some fine passing between Leah Earley and Aoife Smyth, Eilish O’Brien finished strongly to get Celbridge’s first goal of the day. A second came almost immediately when Orla Gowran powerfully shot into the net after another fine team move. Some great battling by the full forwards forced the Milltown defence to lose the ball near their goal and Elish O’Brien calmly slotted in her second goal of the game. Celbridge were now flying and following a great run from Aimee Bolger, Alex O’Brien fired in Celbridge’s fourth goal. Celbridge were still not finished as Orla Gowran’s pass set up full forward Gemma Kilduff to score the team’s fifth goal. By half time Celbridge led by 5-4 to 0-4.
Celbridge initially started the second half in the same manner they had finished the first when Alex Casey scored her second goal of the game from the penalty spot. Despite the gap on the scoreboard Milltown to their credit never gave up, and during the first quarter of the second half some fine running play put Celbridge under a fair bit of pressure. Resolute defending and in particular some fine blocking and tackling from Robyn Murray and Emma Keane ensured that Milltown were only able to score points rather than the goals they needed to close the gap on the scoreboard. Eventually Celbridge got back on top with Niamh Plunkett and Aimee Bolger running strongly out of defence and Leah Early and Grace Flynn getting more on the ball and linking up well with Celbridge’s speedy and dangerous forwards. With the Milltown defence increasingly stretched Orla Gowran grabbed two more great goals to take her final total to 3-3 which was a great personal achievement in a final. Milltown never let Celbridge rest on their laurels however and scored two fine goals themselves as the game drew to conclusion. Fittingly, given the skill and commitment they had shown throughout the match Celbridge got the final goal of the game, and their ninth when Gemma Kilduff powerfully finished off yet another good passing move.
So congratulations to all the Celbridge Ladies and their manager Ben Bennett. Despite the very wet conditions both teams displayed such a high level of skill and commitment and were a credit to ladies football in Kildare. While the Milltown team never gave up Celbridge were just too strong in all areas of the game and their defending, passing, support play and accurate finishing were a joy to watch.
This was a real team performance and all the best to Ben and the ladies for the rest of the season. You have done Celbridge proud!
Thank you also to Brendan and Stan for attending and capturing some excellent photos of this thrilling final.
Final Score 9-6 to 2-09
Celbridge Scorers: Orla Gowran (3-3,); Alex Casey (2-0); Gemma Kilduff (2-2); Eilish O’Brien (2-1)
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★Congratulations to the Celbridge Senior Ladies ★ who won the Division 5 ★ league final ★ today ( 7-may) at Hawkfield - Well done from all of us at the Club. Final score Celbridge 9-6 Milltown 2-10.
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Click here for Match Report
Thanks to Stan Boryn for sending these deadly pics to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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On what turned out to be a bitterly cold night in South Kildare, Celbridge used this semi-final warm up game to bring in new players to starting line-up, empty the bench, and as it transpired, experiment with a new team formation (as you’ll see later !). Although some of us struggled to find the St. Laurence ground without the use of a Sat Nav/google maps, the girls had no problem in the finding the net with 3 excellent goals in first five minutes, coming from Gemma Kilduff, Nicole McDonagh & Grace Flynn. With Leah & Grace dominating at midfield, chance after chance opened up for the Celbridge forwards, with Ben shouting to pop the ball over the bar, but the goals continued to come, from Orla, Leah, Eilish & 2nd from Gemma. There were a number of chances spurned, but credit has to be given to the St Laurence goalie for some great saves, with woodwork helping out on a number of occasions. There were some fantastic points taken from a variety of different angles (4 from Gemma, 2 from Orla & 1 from Nichola), following great link up play with Aoife & Eilish charging forward at every opportunity, thereby creating the space & opportunity for all those scores.
Given the dominance of the midfield & attack in the first half, the Celbridge defence, ably marshalled by Rowen in goal, remained alert to any potential attacks from St Laurence with Robyn, Niamh & Kellie solid as usual. A special mention has to be made of Laura Fitz, Sinead & Laura O’F for their first starts of the campaign, where they performed admirably, and great to see the battle for positions and strength of the squad shining through. As the half time whistle was blown, the scoreline read St Laurence’s 0-1 ; Celbridge 7-7, so a tough team talk was to follow from Ben in order to keep the girls focussed for the second half.
Then came the twist in the story of the game, when Ben decided to switch the forwards to defence and vice versa. Gemma became full back, with her father remarking ‘hope she doesn’t score in this half’ (or something to that effect !) with Robyn switching to full forward. Orla & Sinead also switched positions with Hannah, Emma Barry, Emma Keane & Maeve coming on for Niamh, Grace, Aoife & Nicole. Apart from evening up the game, the changes provided the opportunity to challenge the girls to adapt to new positions, see how they would react in terms of support play, covering back and with the introduction of all subs at once, how the balance of the team would be affected.
With the second half kicking off, Celbridge were back on the offence and looked to build on their lead. Robyn was a key target and didn’t disappoint with a great display rounded off by another goal with Emma Keane also getting on the scoresheet with a fab goal. Probably one of the scores of the game came from Maeve from a tight angle on the right of the pitch popping the ball over the bar, but also her creativity and running off the ball making herself available at all times. Thankfully St Laurence provided a stiffer test for our backs in the second half, but with Orla acting as sweeper & the other defenders marking tightly, blocking down kicks & generally disrupting their attacks, opportunities & scores were limited. Eilish & Nichola increased the lead with two great points with Leah putting in another sterling performance adding to her tally with 1-1 in second half.
Not the toughest test they will face, but well done again to Ben and the Senior Ladies squad …..
Final score
St Laurence’s 2-3 : Celbridge 10-11
Next Match:
Saturday 30th April
Ladies Football Senior Semi-Final
Venue: Celbridge V St Laurence’s 2: 19.00 Main Pitch
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Celbridge Senior Ladies continued their unbeaten start to the league with a hard fought but ultimately well deserved victory over a competitive Ballymore team. Despite playing against a strong breeze Celbridge matched their opponents point for point in the first quarter scoring three points, the pick of which was a fine score from an acute angle by corner forward Alex Casey. After hitting the woodwork on a couple of occasions Celbridge eventually scored the first goal of the night when Nicole McDonagh caught a Ballymore kick out and ran through the defence before finishing powerfully. This score put Celbridge ahead 1-3 to 0-3 and as the half progressed Eilish O’Brien and Leah Earley’s dominance at midfield combined with the strong running and link up play of Nicole McDonagh, Orla Gowran and Alex Casey saw Celbridge stretch their lead. Celbridge’s second goal of the night came when Alex Casey reacted quickly to palm a ball, that had deflected off the bar, into the net. The third goal followed superb interplay between the midfield and forwards with Orla Gowran's calm side-foot finish a fitting end to a great move. The same player then split the Ballymore defence with a great through ball to Alex Casey who finished accurately into the corner. With the wind at their backs Ballymore continued to press hard however Robyn Murray and Aimee Bolger were resolute in defence throughout the game. Aoife Smith, having moved to half-back, also did a fine marking job on Ballymore’s most dangerous forward. Half-time score 4-4 to 1-6.
Ballymore were first off the mark in the second half scoring 1-1 however Celbridge responded quickly with points from Gemma Kilduff and Leah Earley. Then two quick goals and a point were to see Ballymore edge into the lead for the first time since early in the first half. To their credit Celbridge retaliated superbly and after a series of quick hand passes Alex Casey scored her third goal of the night. Following a point from Niamh Flynn, Celbridge then went further ahead when a strong run and finish by Orla Gowran resulted in Celbridge’s sixth goal of the night. At the same time the defence led by Robyn Murray and Emma Keane re-asserted their dominance ensuring that Ballymore did not score again and in the end Celbridge won by 6-8 to 4-8. Overall, apart from a brief period in the second half, Celbridge played the better football throughout the game and thoroughly deserved their third win of the campaign. Although there were a number of stand out performances this ultimately was a fine team effort. It is also worth noting the contribution of the players who came off the bench and this strength in depth should be a key factor in meeting the challenges ahead. Well done Ben and the girls.
Final Score: Celbridge 6-8 Ballymore 4-8
Next up St Laurences 2 v Celbridge (away) 26th April
Ladies Senior Football12th April 2016 Milltown v CelbridgeWritten by Darren GallagherFollowing a very convincing win against Athgarvan last week, the pressure was on the girls to produce a similar performance and build on the momentum generated from the great start to the league campaign. Unlike the previous game the first half was an evenly contested affair with a mere 2 points separating the sides following end to end action throughout, with key battles in midfield where Leah & Grace performed admirably. Rowen made some great saves throughout the game (but especially in the second half when denying a goal following the award of a very controversial & disputed penalty) and had great success with picking out teammates on her kick-outs. Our defence were solid with full back line of Emma, Robyn & Niamh marshalling their opponents and restricting their scoring chances to a few points. They had great support from the half backs with Kellie & Éilish getting forward when opportunities arose, and Aimee providing great cover to midfield and blocking off the threat posed by many of the opposition attacks. I have been asked to make a special mention of our star forward Orla Gowran (under the alias of Ailish Gorran for Athgarvan game!). Orla made frequent off the shoulder runs splitting the home defence and scoring/setting up points at ease with Maeve & Aoife getting stuck in from the start. The full forwards provided suitable outlets with off the ball running & great scores from Nichola & Alex with Gemma key target and having another great performance and building on her season tally.After no doubt some encouragement from Ben in the half time team talk, Celbridge looked a different team as second half kicked off, especially from an attacking perspective. The support play was excellent with slicker passing and space opened up for forwards to take some excellent team scores (especially the goals !). The work rate and commitment demonstrated by the girls was beginning to pay off as they continued to build on the scoreline, with a number of excellent goals from Orla (given the link up play that proceeded the brilliant finishing). And as we all know, it’s all about the squad and with the introduction of Nicole (for Maeve), it demonstrated the depth available, as Nicole continued the good work by Maeve to fight for the ball & take scores when presented. Emma & Hannah also used the opportunity to put pressure on first team starters and great to see the competition for places in the team. Although Milltown fought back, the resilience, teamwork & support didn’t wane with whole team fighting for every ball, chasing back when needed and always looking to burst forward. Our Captain Leah Earley led from the front and with the continued encouragement to the girls resulted in another great victory for the team.Let’s keep up the hard work on the training pitch and continue building momentum to ensure we deliver the ultimate prize.Apologies to all those I have omitted from report (& those with wrong names/spellings), but have attempted to broaden report to include non blondes also (per request from girls !)Well done again to Ben and the Senior Ladies squad …..Final scoreMilltown 1-10 : Celbridge 10-9
Other result from Division 5:St Laurence's 2 0-6 Ballymore 4-10
Celbridge Ladies Senior Football team got their Division 5 campaign off to great start, with a resounding victory over Athgarvan. From the throw in Celbridge were the stronger team though initially they failed to translate this into scores firing several wides. Eventually however their fine link up play was rewarded with full-forward Gemma Kilduff scoring two points in quick succession. Indeed once the home side had settled they began to overrun their opponents with Ailish Gorran scoring two fine goals. Leah Earley and Ailish O’Brien remained dominant at midfield while the running and excellent link up play of the half forwards Ailish Gorran, Aoife Smith and Niamh Flynn continued to create scoring opportunities for the home side’s dangerous full forward line. By half time the game was effectively over as a contest as Celbridge had accumulated 4-7 to no score. The second half was a similar story as Celbridge continued to notch up the scores, including a couple of well worked points from their half backs. To their credit Athgarvan kept battling until the end but with the defence well marshalled by captain Niamh Plunkett and co., they only managed to put one score on the board. Indeed despite some heroics from the Athgarvan keeper, Celbridge still put away a further four goals in this half ensuring that they ran out comfortable winners by 8-10 to 0-1. There will be tougher opponents ahead for Celbridge ladies but with the fine football they displayed today they are sure to be up to the challenge. While the whole team played well there were particularly strong performances from Niamh Flynn, Leah Earley, Ailish O’Brien, Aoife Smith, Gemma Kilduff and Ailish Gorran. Well done to Ben and the team and continued success for the rest of the season.
Final score Celbridge 8-10 to Athgarvan 0-1
Next Match 12th April v Milltown (away)
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Ladies Senior Football League Division 5 Fixtures
Tuesday 29th March
Castledermot V Celbridge (Away)
26-03: Kildare Ladies GAA have reported that Castledermot have withdrawn from this division so teams that were due to play them will have a bye for that round.
Tuesday 5th April
Celbridge V Athgarvan (Home)
Tuesday 12th April
Milltown V Celbridge (Away)
Tuesday 19th April
Celbridge V Ballymore (Home)
Tuesday 26th April
St. Laurences 2 V Celbridge (Away)
Semi Finals 30th April
Relegation Play-off 30th April
Final 7th May
Our Senior Ladies Football Team have reached the County Final against Na Fianna this Saturday at 5.00 in Sarsfields Newbridge, come along and support our girls.
