Our Lady's Bower Athlone Come Up Agonisingly Short In All-Ireland Final

Photo Credit: LGFA

They scored three goals on the day.

Two goals from Keeva Reid and a second-half penalty from Marian Nolan wasn't enough for Our Lady's Bower Athlone in their Lidl All Ireland Post Primary School Senior 'C' Championship Final. 

They lost out to Sacred Heart Secondary Clonakilty by two points, 3-3 to 1-11. 

The Athlone girls came out the traps fast and found the back of the net with the first coherent attack of the game when Lisa Serry burst through and found Elaine McGiovern in space with a low foot pass, she gathered and shipped the ball immediately to the onrushing Keeva Reid and Reid made no mistake in smashing the ball home. 

Clonakilty would find the resolve to hit four points in succession before The Bower raised their second green flag. 

Tegan Foley found herself in space in the middle of the field and carried the ball well before finding Reid once more, she sent a thunderous strike off the crossbar, before flipping the rebound home as a number of players contested the dropping ball. 

The turning point in the game came in the 41st minute with the sides level when Clonakilty were awarded a dubious penalty. Orlaith Deasy stepped up to fire the ball home into the bottom left corner and give the Cork side a three point lead. 

To Bower's credit they never gave up the ghost and found a third goal in the 53rd minute through another penalty, which again on second viewing my have been a soft one. 

Nonetheless Marian Nolan made no mistake from the spot and the sides were level once more. 

That unfortunately would be their last score of the game as Clonakilty finished stronger, rattling off three scores in the closing ten minutes to claim the title. 

Sacred Heart - Clonakilty:

K Hearne; M Murphy, A O’Brien, R Shanley; M Condon, K O’Donovan, M Kingston; K O’Driscoll, C McCarthy; R Ni Bhuacalla, E O’Brien, L Sutton; S Pattwell, O Deasy, A Moloney.

Subs used: A O’Flynn-Meade for McCarthy, N Kennedy for Moloney.

Scorers: O Deasy 1-4 (1f), S Pattwell 0-3 (1f), C McCarthy 0-1, A Moloney 0-1, M Condon 0-1, R Ni Bhuacalla 0-1.

Our Lady's Bower - Athlone:

C Fitzpatrick; E Fitzpatrick, E Galvin, J Begley; D Ní Ruairc, A McGrath, L Nugent; T Foley, M Nolan; E McGovern, A Curran, L Seery; O Craven, K Reid, S Kenny.

Subs used: K Stuart Trainor for Craven, A Nugent for McGovern, C Fallon for Kenny, O Craven for Nolan.

Scorers: K Reid 2-1, M Nolan 1-0 (pen), T Foley 0-1 (1f), A Nugent 0-1.

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