Magical Mitchels reach the All-Ireland final
What a difference a water break makes! Whatever Castlebar Mitchels manager Fintan Keane said to his team during the second water break – with his side level at 0-6 each with Castleisland Desmonds, the leveller coming just before play was stopped – seemed to work a treat as his charges cut loose when play resumed, ultimately winning on a 3-7 to 2-7 scoreline to reach the LGFA All-Ireland club intermediate final.
It could and should have been much easier for the Mayo and Connacht champions as they had actually scored 3-1 without reply in four scintillating minutes after that second water break.
Credit to the visitors from Kerry, they rallied and had Mitchels under severe pressure in the closing stages, scoring 2-1 and generally giving the Castlebar girls and their supporters quite a few moments of panic.
The home side prevailed, however, encouraged hugely by a vocal crowd in Josie Munnelly Park, Castlebar.
It would have been a shame had they failed to make it through to the final for they were clearly the better team in general play but didn't have their scoring boots with them, kicking 16 wides in all and 11 in an otherwise dominant first-half display.
Still, points from Niamh Hughes (two, one free), Anna Tuohy, Orla Conlon and Laura Brody had them 0-5 to 0-3 ahead at half-time, and it looked for all the world that the oodles of possession they enjoyed would pay off at some stage if they continued to dominate in the second half.
It didn't really pan out that way, however, as they added just one point through Niamh Hughes (free) after the turnround and missed the target with a few, letting a Castleisland team short of two of their best players – Kayla O'Connor and Labhaoise Walmsley were injured in a car accident during Christmas – off the hook and allowing them to stay in touch when they should have been out of sight.
The visitors made the most of it too, points from Niamh Walsh, Lorraine Scanlon (a free from miles out) and Paris McCarthy drawing them level as the whistle sounded for the second water break.
The goal Mitchels had been threatening and badly needed was scored after play resumed, Laura Brody with a looping left-footed shot that deceived Fiona Griffin in the Castleisland Desmonds goal.
Before they had time to regroup, Mitchels launched another incisive attack that ended with Niamh Hughes blasting a shot to the top corner of the net.
Anna Tuohy followed up with a free and then a third goal, scored brilliantly by the increasingly influential Danielle Caldwell, seemed to have confirmed Mitchels' place in the final, the scoreboard now actually reflecting accurately their dominance at 3-7 to 0-6.
Castleisland hadn't made the long journey to Mayo for nothing, however, and when Amy Curtin, who turned in an eye-catching performance, fired a shot past Fiona McLoughlin to the back of the Mitchels net, there was still some hope for the Kerry girls.
That sense of hope was heightened when they added a second goal following a scramble in front of the Mitchels net, Julie Ann Twomey with the finish from close range in the final minute of normal time.
Now dominating, Castleisland forced Mitchels to defend frantically as they kept looking for something off the pumped high ball into the area. The only score they added, however, was a free through Paris McCarthy as Mitchels scrambled heroically to keep Desmonds out.
Despite more than six minutes of added time, Mitchels held on and deservedly won through to the All-Ireland final, which will be played on the weekend of February 5/6.
*See Tuesday's print edition for a full match report and reaction