Gallagher nets treble as Athlone seal league title

For the first time in 11 years, Athlone Hockey Club’s senior team have won the Connacht 1B league and have gained promotion to the top division.

Not only have they been promoted, but they've done it in style by remaining undefeated throughout the season.

The league final took place on Sunday last, March 6 in Dangan against NUIG 2, Athlone's closest competitors and always a difficult team to beat.

Coincidentally, it was exactly 11 years to the day since the last time the club had been promoted to Division 1A. On March 6, 2011, Athlone won the league undefeated and got promoted to Division 1A, and they did so again on the same date in 2022.

Athlone and NUIG seconds had already met twice this season, once in league action and once in the cup, with Athlone winning on both occasions. However, Athlone couldn’t afford to be complacent as they knew they had a tough game ahead of them to seal the league title.

From the starting whistle, it was end to end stuff with both teams having opportunities to score. NUIG were resilient and more difficult to break down than in previous encounters.

A momentary lapse in concentration saw NUIG strike the first blow when the ball crept past Athlone goalkeeper Ríona Cunningham.

This was the wake-up call Athlone needed to get going. Team captain Anna McCullagh led by example from the backline driving through the middle of the pitch into the heart of the NUIG defence. Her sister Laura was superb in central midfield, dominating the play.

It wasn't long before Athlone secured an equaliser through Áine Gallagher to make it 1-1. Gallagher was relentless up front, getting on the end of every ball and making the most of her opportunities.

Aoife Healy was also full of running in attack. Pressing high on the NUIG defence, Healy won possession and set up Megan Clinton, who slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the NUIG goal. The goal was unfortunately disallowed but this didn't stop the Athlone girls from continuing the fight.

Jodie Shortall and Sally O'Hara also worked tirelessly in midfield turning over possession time and time again. It wasn't long before Áine Gallagher found herself in front of the goal once more, again hitting the target. Athlone were now 2-1 up and the league title was in sight.

Athlone were persistent and didn’t sit back, instead continually applying pressure on the NUIG backs. Similarly, NUIG never gave up and the Athlone backline had to work hard to keep them at bay.

In the dying minutes of the game, Gallagher found herself in a goalscoring position once more and she struck a killer blow to the NUIG team by completing a well-earned hat-trick.

With a scoreline of 3-1, the final whistle blew to the delight of the Athlone coaches, management and players.

Player coaches Jen Hyde and Elaine Couper were immensely proud of their team after the game in what is their most successful season in a very long time. Many of these girls have been with the club from underage and they are passionate about seeing the club compete at the highest standard.

Special mention must go to goalkeeper on the day Ríona Cunningham who, at just 15 years of age, filled in last minute for Róisín O'Neill and did an absolutely fantastic job.

Athlone has three senior teams competing in Connacht league and cup competitions, indicating the huge potential within the club.

Athlone Hockey Club senior squad: Sarah Lawless, Jodie Shortall, Laoise O'Donovan, Jen Hyde (player/coach), Ríona Cunningham, Elaine Couper (player/coach), Fee Muller, Sally O'Hara, Aoife Healy, Liberty McGovern, Megan Clinton, Anna McCullagh (captain), Laura McCullagh (vice-captain), Áine Gallagher, Emma Flannery.