Slevin goal crucial as Milltown deny The Downs

Milltown 1-6, The Downs 0-6

At the end of a pulsating encounter in The Downs on Thursday evening, it was Milltown who emerged victorious with three points to spare over the home side, in the Westmeath Ladies Senior Football Championship.

Milltown made the better start and led by five points at the end of the first quarter and it was that spell that gave them the platform in a tit for tat encounter.  The Downs outscored Milltown thereafter, but they failed to get the goal they needed to stop the reigning champions chalking up another good victory as they remain very much the team to beat in a competitive championship.

Milltown led by 1-3 to 0-3 at the break and were deserving winners; they pressed hard in the final quarter, almost getting a second goal, but substitute Sarah Dillon was denied by opposing ‘keeper Sarah McGuire in the final minute of normal time.

This was quite an intense game and both sides were made to work extremely hard for scores. Milltown took the lead when Leanne Slevin converted a free after four minutes, following a foul on Clodagh Dillon. However, a quick response saw The Downs equalise through midfielder Lucy Power.

The Downs’ defence stood firm as a unit, breaking up many Milltown attacks through the centre, while Kelly Boyce Jordan was excellent when it came to gritty defensive work on the part of the visitors. The Downs’ defence creaked first and that was crucial - Kate Whye linking up with Leanne Slevin through the centre and the midfielder found the net with a crisp left-footed finish.

Laura Kiernan then exchanged passes with Bronagh Beglan and fired over, while Sarah Dillon, introduced very early by the Milltown management, pounced on a slack kick-out to score Milltown’s third point. That gave them a lead of 1-3 to 0-1.

The Downs got to grips with the challenge again and the lively Holly Dowdall set up Michelle Bohan for a point in the 22nd minute. The same combination led to the next score, Michelle Bohan again pointing.

Megan Dowdall missed a goal chance for the home side as they grew into the contest, her left-footed shot flashing wide. And at the other end, Sarah Dillon played in Kate Whyte, whose effort was saved by Sarah McGuire after the ball had been dropped.

While The Downs missed a chance on the restart when Holly Dowdall’s effort was off target, they created a fine score when Megan Dowdall, Michelle Bohan and Niamh Rowan combined, leading to Rowan firing over.

Crucially, Milltown found a response as Leanne Slevin converted a free with a fine strike from the hands to keep that three-point advantage. Holly Dowdall cut through and shot a neat point for the home side, keeping the contest very much in the balance.

Milltown kept the pressure on and good work by Orlaith Sheerin and Emma Murtagh led to Rachel Dillon slicing through the heart of The Downs’ defence and pointing. Rachel Dillon also engineered the next scoring chance for the visitors, winning a free which Leanne Slevin converted in the 50th minute to put four points between the sides. Following that Bronagh Beglan had a chance that was blocked and the home side cleared the danger.

The Downs replied with a Beth McGuire free on 57 minutes, but that was to be the final score of the match.

Milltown had a chance to add a second goal when Sarah Dillon was clean through, but her shot, a decent height for a goalie, was saved by Sarah McGuire. It had no material effect on the outcome and Milltown showed their delight at the end as they saw off one of the pretenders to their throne.

Overall, there’s still much work to be done before the cup is retained.

Scorers - Milltown: L Slevin 1-3 (0-3f), L Kiernan, R Dillon and S Dillon 0-1 each. The Downs: M Bohan 0-3, H Dowdall, B McGuire (free), and L Power 0-1 each.

Milltown: Karen Walsh; Emma Murtagh, Kelly Boyce Jordan, Emma Ballesty; Nicole Feery, Laura Kiernan, Rachel Dillon; Leanne Slevin, Tracey Dillon; Bronagh Beglan, Kate Whyte, Orlaith Sheerin; Clodagh Dillon, Sinead Boyce, Katie Smith. Sub: Sarah Dillon for C Dillon (12).

The Downs: Sarah McGuire; Aisling Egerton, Helen Walsh, Lauren Guilfoyle; Aoife Rowan, Niamh Nolan, Gemma Faulkner; Lucy Power, Megan Dowdall; Olivia Glynn, Niamh Rowan, Holly Dowdall; Kristabella Tamosiunaite, Beth McGuire, Michelle Bohan. Subs: Francesca Walsh for K Tamosiunaite (34), Róisín Scally for G Faulkner (42), Emily McNamee for L Guilfoyle (60), Niamh Keogh for F Walsh (60).

Ref: Michael Gordon (Shandonagh).

Examiner's Eye on game

Player of the match

Rachel Dillon (Milltown): The irrepressible wing back was everywhere and when Milltown appeared to be struggling, she carried the battle forward in relentless fashion. Leanne Slevin and Kelly Boyce Jordan were excellent also at different stages and a return of 1-3 makes Leanne Slevin’s contribution a significant one given how the game played out.