Leah plays her part in Republic of Ireland schoolgirls' victory

FOXFORD schoolgirl Leah McHugh represented a Republic of Ireland Select Under 15 team in a 1-0 win over their Northern Ireland counterparts at Oriel Park, Dundalk, on Saturday.

Going into the game, manager Lorraine Counihan guaranteed all players a piece of the action and St. Joseph's Secondary School pupil Leah, who plies her trade with Castlebar Celtic at club level, certainly played her part in the victory.

Lilly Hengerer, one of four representatives from Dominican College, Taylor's Hill, Galway (including her twin sister Meghan), bagged the match winner at the death to seal victory for the Republic side.

Fellow Taylor's Hill girl Aoife Lynagh captained the side, while another Galway girl, Claregalway pupil Sinéad Donovan, picked up the player of the match accolade.

Next up for the squad is a trip to Manchester in early March as they take on England Schools in another friendly at Bury FC on March 6. The girls will have one final training session following that outing as they meet in Dublin on Saturday, March 19, to apply the finishing touches before travelling to Wales for the Bob Docherty Tournament in early April.