CCFL Ladies Review

Ballymackey Women made the early Sunday morning journey to Gainstown for an 11:30am kick-off against Mullingar Athletic Swans and produced a fine performance to secure an impressive 5-1 away victory.

The visitors wasted little time in stamping their authority on the contest. After just ten minutes, Aoibhín Delaney opened the scoring confidently dispatching a superb 20-yard free kick to give Ballymackey the perfect start.

Their lead, however, proved short-lived. Just three minutes later, Mullingar capitalised on a moment of uncertainty in the Ballymackey defence. A dangerous corner caused confusion in the box and resulted in an unfortunate own goal to bring the sides level.

Undeterred by the setback, Ballymackey quickly regained their composure and rhythm. On 25 minutes, Christine O’Keefe demonstrated excellent determination to reach a through ball ahead of the advancing goalkeeper, applying a decisive touch to restore her side’s advantage.

From that point, Ballymackey took firm control of proceedings. Allison McDonnell came close to extending the lead when she rattled the crossbar, while Delaney continued to drive the attack with energy and creativity. Sustained pressure eventually paid off when a handball inside the area presented Ballymackey with a penalty. O’Keefe stepped up and calmly converted from twelve yards, sending her side into the interval with a deserved 3–1 advantage.

Any hopes of a Mullingar resurgence were swiftly extinguished just one minute into the second half. A perfectly weighted through ball from Delaney split the home defence, sending McDonnell clear on goal. She made no mistake, finishing coolly past the keeper to effectively seal the result.

Ballymackey maintained control throughout the remainder of the game, showcasing their depth and attacking intent. Amber DeLewis, McDonnell, Lilykate Kenneally, Shauna Egan and Seonaid McGuigan all came close to adding further goals as the visitors continued to press.

The scoring was eventually rounded off by Ava O’Rourke, who capped a fine team performance with a clinical striker’s finish, timing her run to perfection before confidently finding the net.

It was an excellent all-round display from Ballymackey, characterised by relentless work rate and composure on the ball. In midfield, Joanne O’Brien, Amber DeLewis, Aoibhín Delaney and Sadhbh Connolly on her introduction dictated the tempo throughout, ensuring their side remained firmly in control. Player of the Match was Allison McDonnell, whose constant attacking threat and tremendous work rate in both attack and defence epitomised Ballymackey’s performance.