Bealnamulla win local derby to dent Willow’s title hopes

Willow Park 1 Bealnamulla 3

By John Dingle

Bealnamulla inflicted a first defeat of the season on Willow Park as the race for the Women’s Division title took another dramatic turn at DPD Park last Sunday afternoon.

Another win for Willow would have guaranteed them at least a play off for the title, provided they beat Killeigh in their last game, but instead Bealnamulla ended their own league campaign on a high note.

The visitors raced into a two-goal lead in the opening half, but Jenny Madden’s team reduced the deficit just before the break. Willow went in search of an equaliser during the second half but were caught out late on as Bealnamulla grabbed a third goal deep into stoppage time.

It was tight at the top heading into the local derby with both teams just three points behind leaders Ballymackey but crucially Willow had two games in hand. With ten wins from their eleven games played, the home team were fancied to at least keep their unbeaten run going.

Bealnamulla though were intent on gaining revenge for the earlier loss through an own goal and had the first chance when Nicole Kelly sent a cross from the right wide. The visitors had the next chance when Holly Cassidy had a shot saved. Bealnamulla can thank their goalkeeper for keeping Willow at bay and Grace Coughlan pulled off her first good save after 13 minutes when blocking a shot from Kyana Lee at the expense of a corner.

Lauren Shannon then had a further chance for Willow, but the opening goal fell the visitors’ way midway through the half. Siva Malassou did all the hard work down the left and her pinpoint cross picked out Sarah Coote who headed home from close range. That more or less ended the action for a period of 20 minutes or so until the game came back to life in the closing stages of the first half.

The lead was doubled after 43 minutes as a long kick out by the keeper was seized upon by Cassidy who got the better of home number one Laoise Kavanagh in a challenge for the ball and then finished superbly to the net.

But the response from Willow was almost instant as Aoife Toner fired past the keeper’s right after being set up by Jamie Poole. It gave the hosts a way back into the contest with the second half still to come.

Bealnamulla had the first chance when play resumed but otherwise it was Willow that dominated much of the second period. From a corner kick, Cassidy was off target as the visitors looked to restore their two-goal advantage. The home team was out of luck in front of goal on more than one occasion and Yasmin Rodgers was the first to suffer when her strike crashed off the bar after 57 minutes.

Coughlan was again called into action just after the hour mark when she pushed behind another Lee shot. The Bealnamulla number nine Cassidy was also wide with an attempt from the right midway through the half. It was now turning out to be a personal battle between Coughlan and Lee as once more the Bealnamulla keeper denied the home striker after 69 minutes.

Bealnamulla were soaking up the pressure but it was not all one way traffic and a free kick from the right taken by Rebecca Collins was almost forced home at the far post by Kelly. Amazingly, Rodgers was denied for a second time by the woodwork as Willow tried hard to level matters. This time the post came to Bealnamulla’s rescue in the last action of normal time.

An extended period of stoppage time added to the tension which was only relieved when the visitors sealed victory late on. Ciara McManus will wonder how she failed to grab an equaliser as she instead scooped over the bar after a left wing cross from Rodgers. A later free kick from McManus found the target but Coughlan got behind the strike to save comfortably.

Bealnamulla’s third goal finally sealed victory in an absorbing encounter. Cassidy was handed the opportunity to score in the ninth additional minute and duly obliged with a cool finish past the home keeper. It inflicted a first loss of the season on Willow as Bealnamulla wrapped up their domestic campaign on a high note with the cup next in sight on their horizons.

Player of the match: Holly Cassidy (Bealnamulla). The visiting number nine was a constant threat against her former club and goals in each half enabled Bealnamulla to upset the previously unbeaten hosts.

What it means: While the win gives Bealnamulla a mathematical chance of forcing a play-off, a more likely scenario is that either Ballymackey or Willow Park will lift the trophy. The teams meet next in Nenagh where Willow must avoid defeat to have any chance of forcing a play-off. Another loss for the Athlone team will see Ballymackey take the silverware.

Willow Park: Laoise Kavanagh, Rachel Rourke, Anna Grant, Katelyn Curtis, Lauren Shannon, Jamie Poole, Ciara McManus, Savannah Cassidy, Kyana Lee, Yasmin Rodgers, Aoife Toner. Subs: Ciara Corcoran for Poole (half-time); Ciara Dunne for Toner (80 mins).

Bealnamulla: Grace Coughlan, Aoife Molloy, Aoife Irwin, Karen Irwin, Rebecca Collins, Ashley Hellenbrand, Sarah Coote, Nicole Kelly, Holly Cassidy, Siva Malassou, Patricia Coote. Sub: Leasha McHale for Kelly (83 mins).

Referee: Damien Conlon (Athlone).