Liscannor show plenty of life to win intermediate championship after extra time

*An emotional Sinead Considine watches as her sister Roisin lifts the Sile Callinan Cup. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography

LISCANNOR have secured promotion to the senior ranks of Clare ladies football after digging deep in extra time to win the intermediate championship.

Liscannor 0-10
West Clare Gaels 2-2
Venue: Páirc Cuar an Chláir, Cooraclare

Trailing by two goals after the opening quarter, things didn’t look good for Liscannor in this Clare ladies intermediate football final played at Cooraclare on Sunday

In true Liscannor style, last year’s beaten finalists refused to give in and from there to the finish they confined their opponents to a point.

Before a huge crowd in Cooraclare, the North Clare outfit simply refused to accept defeat and with the contest in the second minute of ‘added time’ team captain Roisin Considine fired over the levelling tie to send the tie to extra time.

Each side added a point in the opening period of extra time fuelling the view that the contest would go to frees to find a winner.

Two Ella Healy points, the second a particularly outstanding score, in the second half of the extra time sparked off wind scenes of celebration amongst the North Clare side’s players, mentors and supporters and left the West Clare outfit devastated.

This was a tremendous tussle between two well matched and very determined sides and the result was in doubt right to the final whistle.

The start time was delayed for five minutes to accommodate the huge crowd, described by local officials as the biggest crowd at the grounds this year.

West Clare Gaels made the better start and they struck for goals from Aine Bonfil and Ruth Fitzsimons inside the opening ten minutes.

Play swung from end to end throughout the half with players finding scores hard to come by in the very tricky wind which was mainly crossfield.

When the half time whistle sounded it was 2-1 to 0-2 in West Clare Gaels’ favour and while a strong response was expected from Liscannor, few would have predicted that that whey would manage to hold their opponents scoreless.

Sinead Considine and Ella Healy had points in the third quarter to cut their opponents lead to a goal.

When Katie Considine was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes midway through the half, things didn’t look good for the eventual winners but they continued to take the game to their opponents.

Another point from Ella Healy closed the margin to two before West Clare Gaels were reduced to fourteen as Ailish Brew was sent to the sin bin.

Sinead Considine left the minimum between the sides before the tie was delayed for a few minutes as Caoimhe Harvey suffered an injury which led to her leaving the game.

When play resumed Liscannor, to the delight of their vocal support, took up where they had left off and they were rewarded with a point from team captain Roisin Considine which tied up the game and led to extra time.

Caoimhe Harvey was back in the line up when play got underway in extra time and both sides continued to enjoy periods of dominance before Roisin Considine gave Liscannor the lead for the first time when converting a 13 m, free only for the afore mentioned Caoimhe Harvey to do likewise and tie up the game at 2-2 to 0-8 at the end of the opening period of extra time.

Two minutes after the resumption, Ella Healy converted a free to put the winners back in front and the same player lofted over an excellent score from play five minutes later to seal victory and ensure that the Sile Callinan memorial cup was Liscannor bound.

After the game Clare Ladies football chairman David Nagle congratulated all involved before Anne Marie Callinan presented the cup in memory of her sister to Roisin Considine the Liscannor captain.

Orlaith Considine, named as the player of the match, Lisa Conneally, Roisin Considine, Ellla Healy and Sinead Considine were prominent for the winners while Grainne and Caoimhe Harvey, Aine Bonfil, and Grace Marrinan did well for West Clare Gaels.

All photographs by Burren Eye Photography