Saints claim Division 1 title in thriller

St Loman's 5-6, Milltown 2-13

If one wanted to see all that was good about ladies football then Cusack Park on Sunday last was the place to be as St Loman's and Milltown played out an absolute thriller that went down to the last kick of the ball, literally.

This had everything, skill, scoring, excitement, excellent defending and passion and was a joy to watch and if the football committee are looking for ways to improve the game then perhaps they should take a leaf out of the ladies book. It was end to end stuff with both sides having their patches of domination and the momentum switched many times, but with referee John Gallagher almost ready to sound the final whistle, up stepped Ciara Blundell to net a winning goal to the delight of her support and to the heartbreak of a very gallant Milltown team that can also be proud of their efforts.

The game began with Milltown on top and they hit the first four points from Clodagh Dillon, Orlaith Sheerin and two (I free) from the impressive Leanne Slevin. But St Loman's eventually stirred themselves and a brilliant team move ended with Shannon Breslin netting a badly needed goal and on 16 minutes Caoimhe Kilmurray levelled with an opportunist strike. Milltown hit back and Gráinne Byrne and another Slevin free saw them hit the front again only for Katie Kilmurray to pull one back with a super individual effort.

Milltown finished the half with a wet sail though and after Amy Crowley was hauled down for a penalty, and Katie Dunne shown a yellow card for St Loman's, Slevin netted brilliantly from the spot. Then just before the short whistle blew Crowley did get her major when a field long move was converted expertly and Milltown led by 2-6 to 1- 2 at the half-time break.

Orlaith Sheerin extended that lead on the resumption with an excellent point but St Loman’s then had a purple patch with Katie Kilmurray netting a quite unbelievable solo goal and Ciara Blundell burying a penalty, after Caoimhe Kilmurray was brought down in the square. It was game on again at this juncture. Slevin pointed two frees and Rachel Dillon added three for Milltown to get them going again, while St Loman's only reply came from a Katie Kilmurray free, but Emma Murtagh was shown yellow for the Greens and St Loman's upped the tempo.

Caoimhe Kilmurray from distance and Katie Kilmurray from even further out narrowed the gap, but Slevin kept Milltown ticking over with a free and they led by three points as we headed into the final moments. Vicky Carr strode through to level the game with a quite sublime solo goal and when Caoimhe Kilmurray added a point it looked as if St Loman’s had timed their run to perfection. However, Amy Crowley equalised immediately with a superb point and five minutes into added time Gráinne Byrne looked to have won the game for Milltown with another beauty, but amazingly that was not the end of the drama.

From the kick out St Loman's worked the ball down the field and it eventually arrived at the boot of Blundell, the coolest person in Cusack Park, and she shot the ball to the net for the winner and the St Loman's faithful erupted as the game was finally blown up. We all paused for breath at that stage after a stunning and eventful game of football.

Afterwards, Geraldine Giles presented the League cup to St Loman's captain Katie Dunne as the blues recorded back to back titles after claiming the division 2 title last year.

Scorers - St Loman's: Ciara Blundell 2-0, Katie Kilmurray 1-3 (1 free), Caoimhe Kilmurray 0-3, Vicky Carr and Shannon Breslin 1-0 each. Milltown: Leanne Slevin 1-6 (5 frees), Amy Crowley 1-1, Orlaith Sheerin and Gráinne Byrne 0-2 each, Rachel Dillon and Clodagh Dillon 0-1 each.

St Loman's: Jane McKenna, Ellen Kilmurray, Keelie Mulderry, Megan Ennis, Julie McLoughlin, Katie Dunne, Lara McCartan, Annie Kilmurray, Vicky Carr, Laura Murphy, Caoimhe Kilmurray, Ciara Blundell, Aileen Duffy, Shannon Breslin and Katie Kilmurray. Subs: Lucy McCartan for Annie Kilmurray (H-T), Gráinne Cleary for Dunne and Sandra McGrath for Mulderry (52 mins).

Milltown: Karen Walsh, Jilly Ballesty, Aoife Kenny, Muireann Donohue, Emma Murtagh, Nicky Feery, Rachel Dillon, Leanne Slevin, Tracey Dillon, Katie Smith, Gráinne Byrne, Orlaith Sheerin, Amy Crowley, Clodagh Dillon and Bronagh Beglan. Subs: Leah Heduvan for Smith (25 mins), Isobel Finn for Beglan (47 mins).

Referee: John Gallagher.