North Tipperary Girls narrowly miss out on silverware at Gaynor Cup

By Gary Culbert

An epic week of football in the University of Limerick saw the North Tipperary Schoolchildren’s Football League (NTSFL) Under 14 girls win four out of their six matches but just miss out on silverware.

Group stage

Drawn in a very competitive group alongside the Midlands, Roscommon, and Clare leagues, head coach Paul Hearty and his backroom team of Catherine Kirwin, Nicole McKay and Donal McKenna knew that every point was crucial in determining whether the girls would compete for the Cup, Bowl, Shield or Trophy sections at the end of the week.

North Tipp kicked off their group stage on Monday with a tough clash against Roscommon. Despite a strong performance, the girls found themselves 2-0 down at the break. They created several good chances but were denied by some outstanding goalkeeping and a dramatic goal-line clearance. Tara Hanrahan did pull one back with ten minutes remaining, a stunning left footed strike from the corner of the box, but the Rossies held on. Alanna O'Carroll had a standout performance and was duly named player of the match.

Day 2 would require a mammoth effort from the full twenty-player squad, as North Tipp faced Clare in the morning, before taking on the Midlands later that day.

Hailee Tanner got the NTSFL off to the perfect start with a goal after three minutes against Clare. Captain and eventual player of the match, Zoe Nash from Killavilla United doubled the lead just after the interval. The Banner County rattled in two goals in quick succession, and it looked like the points would have to be shared, but Maddie Deane had other ideas, the Moneygall player coming in clutch with a composed finish late in the game to restore the North Tipp lead.

It was a quick turnaround to take on the Midlands less than five hours later, but North Tipp rose to the challenge and put in their best performance of the tournament, controlling the game, and showing real grit and teamwork.

Captain Zoe Nash led the charge, scoring the only goal of the game in the 21st minute. Defender Abi O’Brien was named player of the match for her part in nullifying a Midlands frontline that had scored six goals in their opening two games.

Group 3 was now complete, and with three of the four teams’ level on six points, goal difference would determine which team progressed to the Cup, Bowl, and Shield. North Tipp’s goal difference was inferior to Roscommon’s and the Midlands,’ so they would go on to compete in the shield quarter final on day three.

Gaynor Shield

NTSFL took on Longford on Wednesday in the quarter finals of the Shield and progressed to the semi-finals thanks to a Jenna McSherry strike in the second half.

With some tired legs after a taxing few days, squad depth really shone through as North Tipp dominated for large spells. But despite hitting the woodwork twice in the first half, the NTSFL went in at half-time with the score at 0-0.

The pressure finally paid off in the second half when McSherry broke the deadlock, calmly slotting home after getting in behind the Longford defence. Midfielder Izzy Slevin was named player of the match.

Donegal were now all that stood between North Tipp and a place in Friday’s final. Defences reigned supreme in what was a physically demanding match on the fourth day of the tournament. With limited chances the teams went into half-time deadlocked at 0-0.

The second half continued in similar fashion until Maddie Deane finally broke the stalemate just after the restart; the wide forward scoring with a cross from the right that went all the way over the keeper and into the net, with Zoe Nash integral in the build-up with some fine hold-up play. Donegal remained a constant threat on the counter and managed to equalise with just seven minutes remaining, meaning the dreaded penalty shootout would be required to determine who advanced to the final the next day.

Addison Feehan proved to be the hero for North Tipp, saving two penalties before Ciara Austin, Hailee Tanner and Emma Austin all found the net in succession to secure a spot against South Belfast in the Gaynor Shield final.

The final was another a tightly contested affair, that unfortunately saw a physical South Belfast side come out on the right side of a 1-0 scoreline.

North Tipp started well and played some good football, but South Belfast took the lead mid-way through the half against the run of play, the goal coming when a pass back to Feehan was intercepted by the pacy striker.

The second half was a scrappy affair, with the ball seeming to spend more time out of play than not, much to South Belfast’s delight. There was to be no grand stand finish on this occasion, but plenty of footballing and life lessons learnt in what was another hugely promising week at the Gaynor cup for the NTSFL.

Zoe Nash was awarded player of the final by the match officials, whilst Ciara Austin was picked as the NTSFL’s player of the match, and afterwards there were presentations back at Plassey Village, University of Limerick with the girls’ families in attendance.

NTSFL Squad: Abi O’Brien, Isobel Slevin, Jenna McSherry, Kyrra Ford, Milena Halbina, Tara Hanrahan (Knigh United); Addison Feehan, Aoife Moore, Lucy Hayes, Zoe Nash (Capt) (Killavilla United); Emma Austin, Megan Davis, Ciara Austin (Borrisokane); Maddie Deane, Anna Costello (Moneygall); Jane Power, Allannah O’Carroll (Arra Rovers); Hailee Tanner (Nenagh Celtic); Kate Daly (BT Harps); Elle Jorgenson (Lough Derg).