Kildare ladies retain top spot in Division 2 with commanding Cavan win

Kildare 3-12

Cavan 0-3

Kildare remain top of Division 2 after making it three wins from three following promotion last year. There were no more than 20 seconds gone in this game before the Lilywhites were bearing down on goal.

Captain Grace Clifford found Róisín Byrne in space before the Sarsfields forward burned her opposite number. Byrne got her shot away, but was clearly fouled in the process and the referee was left with no choice and a penalty was awarded inside the first minute.

Neasa Dooley stepped up to the spot and made no mistake with a cool finish low into the bottom right corner. Dooley would set up Kildare’s next score too when she found Róisín Byrne who converted superbly after gathering the excellent through ball.

The conditions had an enormous impact on this fixture and Kildare were kicking into a chaotic wind in the opening half.

However, The Lillies must be praised for their control of this game as they held possession and their nerve for the first 30 minutes.

Cavan would get their first score of the game through Sinead Levingstone with an exquisite score from out wide after 20 minutes.

Grace Clifford would get Kildare’s score in reply, before two Cavan points before the break gave their hopes in this game some life. Kildare held a 1-2 to 0-3 lead going into the second half.

The home side's points couldn't have been more different too as Niamh McCorry's close range score was followed by a booming point from Zara Fay.

In truth, a team of Kildare’s scoring prowess already holding a lead was never going to end well for Cavan as the leading side now had the wind at their backs.

The signs that this could get ugly for the home side in the second half came early and came frequently as Róisín Byrne and Lara Gilbert registered points quickly after the restart.

Neasa Dooley scored a brilliant point too as she slotted her effort over the bar off her left-side. Dooley had a mixed bag when it came to finishing in this game, but her unshakeable confidence to try and do the extraordinary are what makes her a special player to watch. She finished the game with 1-1 to her name too.

Kildare’s lead was further extended by points from Byrne and Dooley before Ellen Dowling put this game to bed before the game even reached the 40 minute mark.

Dowling slotted over an exceptional point and was straight back in again from the next play. The Suncroft forward saw her first effort at goal batted away superbly by the Cavan ‘keeper, but Dowling finished off the rebound to make it 2-7 to 0-3 after 39 minutes.

Holly Tyrell would also get on the scoresheet for Kildare in the second half with a fine point. An undoubtedly big moment for the Rathcoffey corner-forward, who was a late replacement for Lara Curran in the starting team.

Trina Duggan also made her return to the Kildare set-up after returning from an injury suffered in last year’s county final. It didn’t take long for her to join her Suncroft teammate in hitting the back of the net as she raised a green flag after coming onto the field a few minutes after half-time.

Duggan latched onto a long-range effort that was spilled by Evelyn Baugh in the Cavan net to finish in true poacher’s fashion.

Kildare would make no less than 10 changes throughout this game as Diane O’Hora used her side’s dominance to get minutes into nearly every member of the Kildare sideline.

The Lillies scoring output ended with points from Róisín Byrne and Erin Brereton Foley as Kildare finished this game with an impressive tally of 3-12 to their name.

Added to that, Cavan did not score in the second half of this game and after Donegal only registering one point the week before it is further testament to this team’s ability to shut down their opposition.

Kildare now sit top of Division 2 and, while relegation was certainly never likely for this team, it demonstrates how much they have improved once again to be challenging for promotion to the top tier.

Game at a Glance

MAIN PLAYER - Ellen Dowling

Ellen Dowling's 1-2 on the day affords her the opportunity to get the praise she deserves week-to-week. The Suncroft player is now operating at centre-forward for Kildare and fit into her new role superbly. As well as scores, Dowling wins countless turnovers for her side in great areas of the pitch.

TURNING POINT

An obvious turning point was half-time. When the opening half ended and Kildare held a lead before they had the wind at their backs, you felt this game was going to be tough time for Cavan..

TALKING POINT

Kildare are one of the clear contenders for promotion. I'm not sure how many saw this level of performance coming in Division 2, but credit must go the incredible management staff.

WHAT NOW?

Kildare face their third away trip in a row next as they travel away to Tipperary on February 18. Tipperary sit third with two wins and a loss in their Division 2 campaign thus far.

Scorers: Kildare, Ellen Dowling 1-2, Róisín Byrne 0-5 (0-2 frees), Neasa Dooley 1-1 (1-0 penalty), Trina Duggan 1-0, Grace Clifford 0-1, Lara Gilbert 0-1, Holly Tyrell 0-1, Erin Brereton Foley 0-1.

Cavan, Sinead Levingstone 0-1, Zara Fay 0-1, Niamh McCorry 0-1.

KILDARE: Anna Dunlea; Fiona Troute, Laoise Lenehan, Aoife Clifford; Mia Doherty, Ellie O'Toole, Lara Gilbert; Grace Clifford, Hazel McLoughlin; Aoife Rattigan, Ellen Dowling, Sarah Munnelly; Neasa Dooley, Róisín Byrne, Holly Tyrell. Subs: Trina Duggan for Sarah Munnelly (35 minutes), Aine Mernagh for Mia Doherty (39 minutes), Erin Brereton Foley for Holly Tyrell (45 minutes), Elaine Keogh for Ellie O'Toole (47 minutes), Aoife Kilkenny for Lara Gilbert (47 minutes), Lisa Shaw for Neasa Dooley (50 minutes), Alex Reynolds for Fiona Troute (55 minutes), Leah Doran for Aoife Clifford (58 minutes), Jenna Kearney for Róisín Byrne (58 minutes), Yasmin Browne for Aoife Rattigan (58 minutes).

CAVAN: Evelyn Baugh; Ciara Brady, Áine Brady, Niamh Briody; Hannah Gilsenan, Roisin Dolan, Ruth Gilsenan; Áine Smith, Aine Brady; Zara Fay, Sarah McCabe, Deirbhile McCaffrey; Christina Charters, Niamh McCorry, Sinead Levingstone. Subs: Amy Wharton for Aine Brady (45 minutes), Aoibheann Morrison for Sinead Levingstone (52 minutes), Aoife Brady for Sarah McCabe (52 minutes), Kaioni Tuipulotu for Ciara Brady (52 minutes).

Referee: Aaron Clogher