Sraith III na mBan
Hard Fought Win At Forkhill

Duibhirigh an Chéide              5.10
Foirceal                                   4.08

Keady Ladies made the trek to Forkhill on Thursday on what was a cold evening for football and had to work hard to see off a determined Forkhill side.
Keady started off brightest as Kerryann Tomany fired over an excellent point.  This was followed by a well taken goal by Nicole Conway.  Five minutes later, Ciara Donnelly opened her account with a point to put Keady five points ahead and seemingly cruising.
In the 11th minute, however, Forkhill made a break and fired into the Keady net to cut the deficit to two but Keady replied with a score from Sarah Molloy.  Forkhill then had a good spell and hit two points to leave a solitary point between the sides.  It was a cold, wet evening but the tie heated up as Forkhill showed a physical side to their game.  Keady responded in kind and last year’s Division 3 Player of the Year, Ciara Donnelly, hit four points in a row to put Keady five points ahead.  The visitors continued to apply pressure and two superb points came from Nicole Conway and Amy McAtavey.
The last two minutes were eventful as Forkhill got a free and it found its way into the net.  While on a high, however, Keady broke up the field immediately and Nicole Conway fired home her second goal.  Kerryann Tomany, who was having an outstanding game, received a yellow card and had to sit out for ten minutes in what was a very harsh decision by the referee.  Sarah Molloy finished the half with an excellent point to leave Keady eight points ahead at the break.

HT: Duibhirigh an Chéide 2.10, Foirceal 2.02

Forkhill came out blazing for the second half and, with the extra player, put Keady under early pressure.  They opened scoring with a point followed by a goal to cut Keady’s lead to four.  The Keady defence were working well under pressure but two more points from Forkhill saw Keady’s lead cut to two.  In the 40th minute, Forkhill found their way through and hit the net to go a point ahead.  Keady then re-introduced Kerryann Tomany and she made her presence felt immediately winning some great ball and making great runs.  Forkhill increased their lead with two more points going into the last ten minutes.
Keady finally made the break when Emma Donnelly broke through the Forkhill defence and fired into the net to bring the sides level.  With three minutes to go, Forkhill hit another point to go into the lead.  Just as it seemed that Keady had run out of time, a fantastic pass was played in and found the young Danielle Renaghan unmarked.  She rose high and got her fist onto the end of it and into the net to catapult Kady into a two point lead.  Keady showed a ‘never give up’ attitude and seemed to get a burst of energy.  Danielle Renaghan, oozing confidence after her goal, ran at the Forkhill defence and had a goal chance before being pulled down.  Penalty!  The last minute of the game, Ciara Donnelly calmly stepped up and fired low into the corner giving the goalkeeper no chance and Keady a five point win.  While the forwards were on form, great credit must go to the Keady defence who were tenacious.  Connie Conway was outstanding along with captain Roisín Molloy and Rachel Powell.  Shauna Daly also gave an excellent display when introduced.  Tina Fisher made vital saves while Kerryann Tomany and Amy McAtavey were engines in the middle of the páirc.

FT: Duibhirigh an Chéide 5.10, Foirceal 4.08

Céide: Tina Fisher, Catherine McCraron, Clare Daly, Rachel Powell, Connie Conway, Elizabeth McCooey, Roisín Molloy, Amy McAtavey (0.01), Kerryann Tomany (0.01), Shauna McKenna, Sarah Molloy (0.02), Ciara Donnelly 1.05, Emma Donnelly (1.00), Nicole Conway (2.01), Danielle Renaghan (1.00) and Shauna Daly.