Sigersons Progress in Ulster Championship

Ulster Junior Football Club Championship Preliminary Round
 
By Aodhán Harkin
Strabane Sigersons 2-14
Newry St John Bosco’s 2-10
Sigersons Senior Ladies made their Ulster Junior Football Club Championship debut at Páirc Mhic Sioghair last Saturday when they hosted Down Champions St John Bosco Newry and in a very entertaining game emerged victorious with four points to spare over the visitors with Ciara McGill the star of the show for the home side hitting 2-8 including 1-1 in injury time to set up a clash with Monaghan side Donaghmoyne “B” in the quarter-final.
 
St John Bosco opened the scoring with a point from a free kick via Lauren Carnegie but Sigersons responded with Ciara McGill sending over a brace of points and one from Lorraine Conwell. The impressive Michaela Downey drew the Newry girl’s level with two fine points from play but Sigersons then hit a fine spell during which they scored four unanswered points, Ciara McGill got two with Rachel Brennan and Hollie Friel also on target.
 
The sides then traded points with Rachel Brennan for Sigersons and Kirsty McKevitt for Bosco’s. the game the swung in favour of the Newry girls and the first goal of the contest arrived on twenty-five minutes with Michaela Downey the architect as she set Niamh Monaghan up to finish excellently to the Strabane net.Downeythen gave her side the lead when she tagged on a brace of points but with the interval looming Strabane drew level with a fine score from Lorraine Conwell.
 
Half-time score; Sigersons 0-9, Bosco’s 1-6
Strabane lost the services of the hard working Donna Devine early in the second half to an arm injury with Karen Feeney coming in to replace her and she along with Hollie Friel helped set Ciara McGill up for a goal with just five minutes of the half elapsed. Zara O’Hagan added a point for Strabane and Lorraine Conwell was the unlucky not to have added a goal when her rasping effort struck the crossbar.
 
St John Bosco girls responded in great fashion with Michaela Downey finishing excellently to the Sigersons net after a neat passage of play, the same player drew the side’s level once again with a point from a free kick and Kirsty McKevitt then gave Bosco’s a slender lead with around ten minutes remaining, Michaela Downey made it a two point lead and it looked as though Bosco’s would shade the game.
 
A point from a free kick from the boot of Ciara McGill brought Strabane to within one but Newry substitute Danielle McCourt was both the hero and the villain after adding a point from play and then being sin binned in the closing seven minutes.

Two points from play by the excellent Ciara McGill brought the sides level once again and with around five minutes of injury time played she slotted over a close range point from a free kick to send Sigersons into the lead. The same player then sealed the contest with a well taken goal to ensure that Strabane would go through to meet the Monaghan Champions and for McGill a personal tally of 2-8 spoke volumes about her contribution to this evenly matched contest.
 
Sadly there had to be a loser in this contest as the Newry side performed admirably but to Sigersons credit they never stopped trying even when it looked as though the game was going out of their reach late on. Hard work, persistence and leadership paid great dividends for the home side that enjoyed their debut at Ulster Club level and will be keen to progress even more in the competition.
Teams and scorers;

Strabane Sigersons; Meghan Bonner, Emer McLaughlin, Morgan McGlynn, Melissa Roberts, Áine O’Connor, Rachel Brennan (0-2), Laura Coyle, Tori McLaughlin and Michella Moss, Lorraine Conwell (0-2), Ciara McGill (2-8), Zara O’Hagan (0-1), Sheree Connolly, Hollie Friel (0-1), Donna Devine
Substitutes: Karen Feeney for Donna Devine, Bronagh Hoynes for Zara O’Hagan, Katy McGillian for Melissa Roberts, Leonie Cooke for Tori McLaughlin (Blood Sub).
Newry St John Bosco’s; Elaine McCourt, Shannon Carroll, Elaine Rooney, Aisling Turley, Aisling Fox, Aoibheann Downey, Kirsty McKevitt (0-2), Orla McLogan and Nicola O’Gorman, Niamh Tumelty, Michaela Downey (1-6), Laura Doran, Emma Walsh, Niamh Monaghan (1-0, Lauren Carnegie (0-1).
Substitutes: Danielle McCourt (0-1) for Niamh Tumelty, Terri Quinn for Aisling Turley, Emma Gray for Nicola O’Gorman.
The referee was; Maggie Farrelly (Cavan)