Down Ladies v Clare
April 07, 2014.jpg)
Down's Aileen Pyres in action against Clare in Newry
Down v Clare
Result: Down 0-15 Clare 3-03
Down hosted Clare this weekend in Div.2 of the Tesco HomeGrown NFL. At stake was a winner takes all league Semi-final spot, and it was Down who came out on top, out scoring Clare and securing a Semi-Final clash with Westmeath in a fortnight's time.
Kyla Trainor opened the scoring with a fine point from play, but it was quickly cancelled out by Clare's Aine Kelly with a point of her own, followed by a goal in the opening minutes. However it was almost 15 minutes before Clare again got on the score sheet.
Down looked confident in their play and first half scores from Kyla Trainor , Aileen Pyres, Clara Fitzpatrick, Lisa Morgan and Sinead Fegan all combined to keep Down's nose in front. However Aine Kelly again found the back of the Down net with a fine goal low into the corner. Then with only a couple of minutes left in the first half, the unthinkable happened from a Down perspective, Clare got another goal and Down went behind by two points against the run of play. Half time Down 0-09 Clare 3-02
Down came out in the second half rejuvenated. They knew what they had to do and they got down to business quickly. Pyers and Morgan again got on the score sheet and with some fine defending by the Down backs combined with two good saves by Brannigan, Down kept Clare scoreless until the 65th minute. Down's Jess Foy also made an impact on the game and was denied two separate goal chances by the Clare keeper, Emma O'Driscoll, who made some superb saves, and undoubtedly kept Clare in the game as a consequence.
Down dominated the second half and played some lovely football. They took their scores, they kept their head and they got down to business. Down held Clare to just one score in the second half and pulled back the deficit and went three points clear in the closing minutes and thus securing a Semi-Final slot with Westmeath in a fortnights time. A fine achievement for Down, in their inaugural year in Div.2.
Final Score Down 0-15 Clare 3-03 Tweet
