Offaly ladies footballers suffer second defeat on the bounce

Offaly ladies intermediate footballers promotion hopes took another massive dent as Down took the three available points from the visitors in Ferbane on Sunday last.

It was the visitors who opened the scoring inside the fourth minute when Natasha Ferris pointed a close range free after Laoise Duffy was fouled.

Ellee McEvoy’s quick thinking just a minute later almost led to a goal for her side as the Offaly skipper put a quickly taken free into the back of the Down net, however referee Raymond McBride adjudged McEvoy took it too quick and it was brought back to be retaken, McEvoy made no mistake in pointing for Offaly's opening score.

Down took the lead again in the 12th minute when Vivienne McCormack pointed from just inside the Offaly twenty-one, this lead could have been at least doubled had it not been from a couple of poor wides from the visitors.

Ciara Walsh come close to equalising once again for the Offaly side however her shot was deflected to the wrong side of the post and out for a forty-five, Abbi Stafford played a quick ball in and once again McEvoy had a score ruled out as Walsh was adjudged to have charged through the Down defence and a free out was awarded.

A second McEvoy free from forty meters out in the seventeenth minute after Nicole Buckley was fouled left proceedings all square once again in what was a lively opening quarter.

A fine effort from Vivienne McCormack looked to have creeped just the wrong side of the post in the twentieth minute however following consultation with his umpires the white flag was raised despite the objections from the Offaly camp and lines person who had a good view of the McCormack shot.

It was once again McEvoy who levelled affairs from a free just outside the fourteen meter line when she was herself fouled just out side the box as she looked to find her was through for a goal for the Faithful ladies.

That was to be as good as it got for the home side and it was the visitors who reeled off the remaining three points of the opening half with Niamh Scullion pointing well from play before Natasha Ferris got her first from play and second of the game, this was soon followed by another Scullion effort to leave the Mourne ladies three ahead at the break.

Offaly looked to inject some life into their game in the second half and the introduction of Emma Hand along with two returnees from long injury layoffs, Kym Furey and Roisin Ennis at the break was what Greg Farrelly and his backroom team would have being hoping would be the solutions to some of their first half problems.

The faithful ladies came close once again to raising a green flag five minutes into the second period when some excellent play from McEvoy and Marie Byrne saw the latter play a lovely pass to Ciara Walsh who was millimetres away from being left with an open goal however Down corner back Aimee Greene just got her hand on the ball to set her side out of danger. Seconds later another opportunity came for Offaly when Emma Hand failed to see the run of Kym Furey and blasted her shot wide from close range, a green flag at this stage in the game could have kicked the home outfit really into life.

Down's lead was out to six points by the midway point of the second half when a Niamh King free before a Laoise Duffy effort from play raised white flags for their side slowly diminishing any hopes of a come back for the home side.

Substitute Erin Sands found herself in space thirty meters out from the Offaly goals and she made no mistake in getting her sides tenth of the afternoon as the clock descended towards the fifty minute mark.

Niamh King pointed her sides last three points of the afternoon, one from a free to bring her tally to six leaving them ten points to the good as the clock ticked into injury time.

Amy Gavin-Mangan pulled one back for the faithful county in the sixty second minute, the faithful county’s only score of the game to come from open play, and this was quickly followed by the sound of Raymond McBrides full time whistle.