|
Donegal Celtic U14 girls brought home the Derry Cup � their fourth trophy of the season � to Belfast last Tuesday. The girls have now completed a thrilling season, clinching every available trophy at their age group this year! It was none less than the girls expected, as they travel to England as N.Ireland champions to compete in the UK championship in two weeks!
DC�s first game was against �Muff� � a Derry team who are only in their first season of junior football. A comfortable 3-0 win with goals from captain Aideen Shannon and Joanne McCann set the ball rolling and set DC girls on their way to another trophy.
Next up was a tough game against �Omagh Cossacks�. DC started brightly and took the lead in the 2nd minute when last season top-goalscorer Rachel McCaffrey cheekily beat two defenders before finding the net. Two minutes later it was 2-0 when Aideen Shannon was put clear after some excellent play by Sarah Corr and Aisling Robinson, Shannon made no mistake and slotted home. With DC in control and Omagh struggling, the champions turned on the style and scored four goals in 10 minutes. Goals coming from Shannon (2), McMenemin and a hat-trick for McCaffrey.
The third game looked like tough opponents but DC found it easy to break them down and again completed the win in Style with an impressive 8-0 scoreline. McCaffrey was again on the scoresheet, scoring after a moment of brilliance from Sarah Corr. Aisling Robison and Brenda Barr kept the defense solid allowing their forwards to control the game. Player of the match Joanne McCann scored two and then set up Shannon, who completed a hattrick in 5 minutes. DC were cruising and still were not finished as with 2 minutes to go, good work from Ciara McMenamin and Grainne Lynagh allowed Carla Ferguson to volley home a great goal and then complete a double with a great solo effort.
DC then faced their rivals Belfast Untied (the only other Belfast team to compete) and new that a win would take them through to the semi-finals. Utd could not match the standard of play from the champions and were defeated 6-0. Again McCaffrey and Shannon produced the goods, both scoring two goals each. A Carla Ferguson goal and a stunning strike from Sarah Corr made that semi-final place a definite.
With one more group game left and their semi-final place intact, DC played Culmore, the team who posed the most threat to them. However, DC did not relax and again produced an excellent team performance, winning 4-0. McCaffrey showed her class, and why she is top-scorer by scoring all 4 goals in what was a comfortable win.
After a well deserved break - the seni-final was next up for DC girls. They were paired up with Omagh town � in which was going to be a tough contest. Omagh started brightly and nearly found themselves 1-0 up, only for a super save from DC keeper Orla Birch. This was the wake-up call for DC and they started to produce the champion quality that helped them win the league. Good defensive work from Meggan Thompson and Aisling Robinson let DC break clear. The very impressive Sarah Corr, put McMenamin clear and she beat two players before releasing Shannon who fired low into the net. It was then the turn of Shannon to turn provider as she fed Mccaffrey who secured the win and the place in the final.
The final saw DC meet Culmore who they had earlier beaten 4-0. Regardless of their previous win DC new any team would be up for the final and new they would have to play exceptionally well to win. With nerves kicking in the girls started shakily and could have been 3-0 down in the first 5 minutes, only for excellent blocks by Orla Birch and Brenda Barr.
DC got themselves together and began to play some nice football. Carla Ferguson and Joanne McCann were causing lots of problems and that first goal came through them. A lovely one-two move saw Ciara McMenamin through on goal and made no mistake rounding the keeper and making it 1-0 to DC.
DC then allowed their opponents back into the game when they gave away a penalty, which the player of the game put into the back of the net to make it all level. With time running out for both teams and extra time looking certain, McCaffrey scored with what was the last kick of the game - a move involving every team member.
This was a great win for the girls and it came just in time for their UK finals in England. The girls will be traveling to Derby on may 16th and will be hoping they can return with yet another trophy. Throughout the tournament the girls scored 34 goals and conceded one, a great achievement for any team!
To add to the enjoyment of the day Rachel Mccaffrey received the �Top Goalscorer Award� for the tournament after scoring 14 goals.
The U14 girls would like to say a big thank-you to the Donegal Celtic Club, Billy Mccaffrey, Lagmore Service Station and Dunnes Stores, the companies who sponsored the girls and made this trip possible.
|
|
