Mayo Women’s Super League

By Patrick Hennelly

Manulla 0

Ballinrobe Town 4

BALLINROBE TOWN made the perfect start to their respective Super League campaign at Carramore on Sunday afternoon, as the red and white recorded an impressive victory.

Manulla though, while enjoying a healthy share of possession during the course of the game, will rue their lack of failing to find the target, but this is something which can be worked on over the coming weeks at training.

Ballinrobe’s early pressure paid dividends on seven minutes, as the visitors were awarded a penalty after Ciara Carroll was fouled inside the area. Louise Fahy was coolness personified with the spot-kick and her effort rustled the back of the Manulla net.

Manulla took time to settle into proceedings and their first chance of note occurred on 37 minutes, when Aoife Frain’s long-range drive was just marginally off target.

Shortly after, and with Manulla coming more into the game, Louise Mulready tried her luck with a long-range drive which was well saved by the alert Ashling Concannon.

With the game on a knife-edge, Ballinrobe went in search of a second goal and it almost arrived on 43 minutes, but after impressively winning possession, Katie Walsh saw her crisp drive well saved by the alert Katie Roughneen.

Katie Roughneen was again came to the rescue of her team-mates less than a minute later, as she produced two excellent saves to thwart Claire Flannelly and Maz Sweeney respectively, two certain goal-scoring opportunities.

However, just before the break, disaster struck for Manulla, as they conceded a second goal. The goal derived from a dangerously taken Anne Moran corner-kick that found Flannelly and despite her deft strike clipping the upright, Fahy was on hand to guide the leather to the back of the net.

Sweeney certainly gave a very busy and productive display for the Ballinrobe cause on Sunday afternoon and on 51 minutes; she was most unlucky to see her effort from inside the area trickle harmlessly wide, after receiving a peach of a delivery from the hard-working Walsh.

Manulla did their level best at pegging a goal back during the second period and that could well have been achieved on 68 minutes, but after winning possession, Natalie Burke saw her shot whilst on the run, being routinely dealt with by the unperturbed Concannon.

Ballinrobe netted the crucial insurance strike, just two minutes later, much to the dismay of the home faithful. Ballinrobe’s Walsh’s  stinging drive was only parried by Katie Roughneen and the ball fell kindly for the lurking Sweeney, who forced Linda McDonnell to divert the ball to the back of her own net, for a most unfortunate own goal.

On 71 minutes, Ballinrobe glossed the score-line even further. A tidy through ball from Walsh, released Anne Lynskey and after racing goalwards the latter applied a clinical finish to the back of the net, to help round off an impressive display from Jeremy Dee’s troops.  

Manulla: Katie Roughneen, Natalie Lundy, Aoife Brennan, Linda McDonnell, Louise Roughneen, Louise Mulready, Sara McIntyre, Susanne Cunnane, Margate Giblin, Aoife Frain, Natalie Burke.

Subs: Niamh Barrett for Giblin (inj, 15), Elaine Durkan for Burke, Ciara Frain for Cunnane (both 74).

Ballinrobe Town: Ashling Concannon, Ashling Mulahy, Anne Moran, Louise Fahy, Rachel King, Katie Walsh, Claire Flannelly, Maeve Anne O’Reilly, Maz Sweeney, Anne Lynskey, Ciara Carroll.