Higgins guides Goldsmiths to first adult football title

Westmeath LGFA Junior Championship final

Goldsmiths 1-12 Tyrrellspass 0-9

A masterclass of free-taking and defending at the other end gave Goldsmiths their first adult title as they defeated Tyrrellspass in the Westmeath LGFA Junior Championship final with six points to spare in an entertaining clash in Kinnegad on Sunday.

Rebecca Higgins was the star of the show the Drumraney/Tang/Tubberclair outfit as she fired over ten frees and one from play to ensure the Aisling Maguire Memorial Cup found a new home for the coming year.

With the first effort after a couple of minutes, Higgins opened the scoring with the first of her frees, tipped over by goalkeeper Aoife O’Brien. She landed her second free soon after on the roof of the net as the game seemed to be heading one way early on. Chloe Kelly, the key for Tyrrellspass if they were to unlock the Goldsmiths backline, saw her first effort drift just wide of the mark before Higgins punished Tyrrellspass with her third placed ball.

Mary Deegan reacted quickest to a kickout to set up Ciara Scally for her sole score of the day but the eventual winners' midfield pairing of Sinéad Seery and Deborah Kenneally were giving away very little. Kenneally and Lisa Seery were involved in a move which led to a foul on Emma Tumelty, with Higgins pointing the resulting free.

Amy Alford and Higgins (a fifth free in less than 20 minutes) exchanged scores before Ciara Foxe added a crucial score moments later. Higgins' free into a sea of bodies eventually found the net when Foxe slid in ahead of O’Brien and other defenders to poke the ball home.

Goldsmiths' tally of 1-5 reached 1-6 when again Higgins was offered a simple free. Tyrrellspass did reply before the break through Rachel Murphy and the best score of the lot, Amy Alford’s wonderful curling left-footed effort from distance, to leave six between the sides at half-time, 1-6 to 0-4.

Chloe Kelly upped the ante with a fine score just after the restart but the fouling of Goldsmiths players in attacking positions was hurting Tyrrellspass. Higgins added her seventh to cancel out Kelly's point. A moment of frustration from Aoife O’Brien caused a free-out to become a throw ball which was recycled out to Sinéad Seery for a lovely point to raise cheers from the travelling Goldsmiths fans.

Grace Park put herself on the line to keep out Alford’s shot at goal before Jo-hanna Quinn popped over a free. Tyrrellspass hopes were dealt a blow when Niamh Durkan was sin-binned entering the last quarter.

With substitutions made by both sides, Cathal Tighe’s team went for the killer scores to end any hope of a 'Pass revival. Who else but Higgins was on hand to hit another free. Robyn Feery did keep out Foxe with a fine block but two more placed balls from the lady-of-the-hour meant that at 1-11 to 0-6 with time nearly up, the title was only going one way.

Despite Quinn (two) and Kelly (one) adding three frees between them in the remaining minutes (including an astonishing and unwarranted nine minutes of added time), the final word went to Higgins, who broke the pattern of her game by scoring a fine individual solo point, her first from play.

And so, the Aisling Maguire Cup heads to the south west of the county thanks to some expert free-taking from Westmeath star, Higgins, with joyous celebrations taking place among the Goldsmiths camp on the pitch afterwards.

Player of the match: Rebecca Higgins in attack and defender Eva Fitzpatrick were both superb for Goldsmiths, but for her scoring contribution, Higgins takes the mantle here.

Key moment: Ciara Foxe’s goal was the key moment which gave Goldsmiths the platform to go on and claim victory.

Score of the match: The point by Amy Alford of Tyrrellspass right on the half-time break was brilliant.

Scorers - Goldsmiths: R Higgins 0-11 (10f), C Foxe 1-0, S Seery 0-1. Tyrrellspass: J Quinn 0-3 (3f), A Alford and Kelly (1f) 0-2 each, C Scally and R Murphy 0-1 each.

Goldsmiths: Aisling English; Ellen McCabe, Eva Fitzpatrick, Grace Park; Ciara Irwin, Cara Fitzpatrick, Megan Hanley; Deborah Kenneally, Sinéad Seery; Rebecca Higgins, Ciara Foxe, Lisa Seery; Laura Madden, Emma Tumelty, Aoife Mulligan. Subs used: Zoe Guinane for Mulligan (35), Niamh Hanley for M Hanley (46), Shona Neary for Irwin (54), Róisín Nally for Tumelty (60)

Tyrrellspass: Aoife O’Brien; Eleanor O’Connor, Marguerite O’Connor, Ciara Deegan; Briana Alford, Mary Deegan, Robyn Feery; Chloe Kelly, Cliona Gallagher; Jemma Seery, Ruth Daniels, Ciara Scally; Amy Alford, Niamh Durkan, Rachel Murphy. Subs used: Katie Hogg for Seery (38), Jo-hanna Quinn for Murphy (38), Ellen Pierson for B Alford (44).

Referee: Des McEnery (Garrycastle).