Ahane welcomed Ballyagran/Newtown to Mackey Park this afternoon for the minor 12 a-side County Semi Final. On what was a cold but dry day, Ahane came out on top with the narrowest of margins.

Both teams were well up for the match and both teams showed great skill and work rate in the tough conditions. The game had only been thrown in and Ballyagran/Newtown were putting the Ahane defence under pressure. Minutes into the first half and goalkeeper Caoimhe Hackett had to make her first save of the day. Ballyagran/Newtown were the first off the mark with a point which was closely followed by Ahane’s first point which came off the stick of Shauna D’Arcy after Ele Madigan placed a perfect free into Shauna’s hand. Not long after Ele’s free, Rachael Donnellan stepped up to take a free and similarly to her teammate she hit the perfect free into the hand of Fiona Herbert. Seven minutes in and Ahane had settled into a good rhythm, Ele popped over Ahane’s second point from another fantastic free. Ballyagran/Newtown fought hard for everything and they were not going to let Ahane get ahold of the game. They put the Ahane defence line under serious pressure but credit where credit is due the Ahane back line held strong and put in some savage blocks and hooks.

In the ninth minute Ballyagran/Newtown got a free and from the free the ball dropped in and dropped under the bar into the back of the Ahane goal. Ahane dealt with the goal well and not a minute later got a point from another Ele free. Ahane worked together and there were some fantastic displays of interlinking play, a clearance from Rachael in the back line to Shauna in the forward line resulted in a score for Ahane. The sides went in as Ahane 0-04 Ballyagran/Newtown 1-02.

The second half much like the first half started straight off the bat and Ballyagran/Newtown got a point from the throw in. They then got a 45 which they slotted over the bar. Ahane’s first point of the second half came from Rachael from a placed ball. Again similar to the first half both teams fought like dogs to win the dirty ball. Ahane got a free in the sixteenth minute and Shauna stepped up to take it, she dropped it in around the square where Molly Hussey pulled on it on the ground and sent the ball straight into the back of the net, which was met with screams of delighted from the home crowd. This brought the teams level on a score line of 1-05 a piece. Both defensives played well under the pressure and as the time was ticking away on the clock you could feel the tension rising on the sideline with both sets of supporters anxious to see who would get the final score to see their team over the line. Ahane had a goal chance in the last five minutes but it was cleared off the line by the Ballyagran/Newtown goalkeeper. But the real moment of magic and absolute nerves of steel from one player came in the second minute of injury time, Ahane got a 45 and up stepped Rachael Donnellan to take it, and she slotted it straight between the posts making it Ahane 1-06 Ballyagran/Newtown 1-05. Ahane defended for the remaining thirty seconds of the half and saw the game out.

Ahane are now in the County Final with the date, time, venue, and opponent to be confirmed!