Leitrim ladies win again with ruthless dismantling of Kilkenny

Leitrim will consider Sunday’s round four clash a box ticked as they leave Kiltubrid with a commanding 35-point victory over a bare-bones Kilkenny side.

The Cats looked like a skeleton crew as they made the perilous trip up to Leitrim with only 16 players in tow, while the home team was strikingly dominant from start to finish. Leitrim was a step above in class, more clinical, and ruthless in piling on scores long after the game was decided.

The win puts Leitrim at the top of the Lidl Ladies Division Four Football League, with three victories from the first four rounds. Meanwhile, the Green and Gold are finding good form ahead of a crucial clash against second-placed Antrim next week.

The game was one-sided from the start. Leitrim had a goal on the board before Kilkenny even seemed to know what was happening. The home side won the throw-in, and a few quick handpasses and some direct running later, Ella McNamara was rocketing the ball into the net before the game was a minute old.

Leitrim added two points from frees courtesy of their captain, Michelle Guckian, before Aoife Gilmartin split the posts with a left-footed effort. Guckian then hammered over a massive 40-yard point—before adding another—to remind everyone why she was the Intermediate Player of the Year last season.

Kilkenny defended hard, dropping numbers back, but lacked pace and attacking options. Despite doing well in terms of winning possession, they struggled to advance beyond their own 45-meter line, and within ten minutes, Leitrim was already eight points up.

The Green and Gold didn’t score much during the middle of the half but continued to look dangerous. Roísín McHugh cut inside the Kilkenny defence, and a quick handpass inside put Shaylyn Ward through on goal. However, she couldn’t keep her shot down, and it rocketed over the bar.

Kilkenny responded with their only scores of the game—two free kicks from Kate Purcell around the 20-minute mark.

The Cats’ momentum didn’t last long; however, just a minute later, Emma Guckian got inside their defence and sent a shot off the inside of the post and into the net.

Purcell missed a chance to add another point from a free for Kilkenny before Aoife Gilmartin and Ella McNamara slotted over points for Leitrim, with Michelle Guckian expertly adding two more frees from range.

Leitrim found the net twice more in the final five minutes of the half—first, when Lauryn McKeon finished off a well-worked handpassing move by tucking the ball neatly into the bottom corner. Then, a dropping shot from Roísín McHugh sneaked in over Kilkenny goalkeeper Ellie Moran to tie off the half for Leitrim.
With almost 20 points between the sides at halftime, Leitrim was well and truly in charge and made rolling substitutions in the second half while continuing to apply pressure on Kilkenny.

Leitrim started the second half much like the first—by putting the ball in the back of the Kilkenny net. Once again, it was Ella McNamara who struck within a minute, this time when a long-range shot dropped short and slipped in under the crossbar.

Shaylyn Ward and substitute Leah Fox added points in the following minutes before Leitrim made a slew of changes, introducing Muireann Devaney, Dearbhaile Beirne, and Laura O’Dowd.

Kilkenny missed several opportunities to add to their tally in the second half, while for Leitrim, it was simply a matter of how many more scores they could rack up before the final whistle.

The last quarter saw points from Róisin McHugh, Chloe Dolan, Laura O’Dowd, and Síomha Quinn, along with two frees from Muireann Devaney.

Leitrim capped off their dominant performance with a sixth goal when Leah Fox pounced on a loose ball ping-ponging around the Kilkenny box and hammered it into the back of the net.

Leitrim

Michelle Hackett; Edel Shanley; Charlene Tyrrell; Eimear Quigley; Lauryn McKeon; Lauren Tivnan; Emma Honeyman; Aisling Quinn; Anna Devaney; Emma Guckian; Michelle Guckian; Róisín McHugh; Shaylyn Ward; Ella McNamara; Aoife Gilmartin. Subs: Leah Fox (30); Jasmine Maye (34); Chloe Dolan (34); Laura O’Dowd (34); Laura Redican (39); Muireann Devaney (39); Dearbhaile Beirne (39); Mollie Murphy (44); Ailbhe Clancy (44), Síomha Quinn (44).
Scorers
Lauryn McKeon 1-0; Michelle Guckian 0-6,2f; Róisín McHugh 1-1; Shaylyn Ward 0-2; Ella McNamara 2-2; Laura O’Dowd 0-1; Síomha Quinn 0-1; Muireann Devaney 0-2, 2f; Chloe Dolan 0-1; Leah Fox 1-1, Emma Guckian 1-0.

Kilkenny
Ellie Moran; Siadhbh Mooney; Ailbhe Galwey; Jennifer O'Keeffe; Sara Dunne; Rebecca Roach; Amy Ring; Ellen Lawlor; Sarah Smith; Kate Purcell; Niamh Ward; Louisa Gilmore; Aoibhe Ryan; Laura McDowell; Kate Ryan. Subs: Sarah Corcoran.
Scorers
Katie Purcell 0-2, 2f.

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