Well-Earned Draw for Under-strength ‘Town
Charlestown Ladies will feel this was one that got away after squandering a commanding 8 point half time lead. In truth however, the Ladies can take great credit for eking out a draw from a game they looked destined to lose half way through the second half.
Starting the game without regular scorer-in-chief Deirdre Doherty and defensive linchpin Lauren O’Donnell it looked as if Charlestown would struggle to find the scores to win the game.
Doherty To The Fore
Step forward Chelsea Doherty. The youngest Doherty sister was inspirational in the first half. Being tasked with free-taking duties and a more prominent role in the forward line seemed to inspire her and she really took the game by the scruff of the neck in the first 30 minutes. She was involved in almost all of Charlestown’s 2-9 scored in the first half.
With Charlestown only playing with 4 in the forward line the attacking options were limited, with 90% of all attacks going through her as she demanded and showed for the ball at every opportunity.
A Cruel Blow
Possibly the key moment in the game occurred just before half time when the aforementioned Doherty went down with a game ending injury. This left Charlestown bereft of options in the already depleted forward line. Luckily for Charlestown the half time whistle came soon after. However, if anything negative could be said about the team it was that they didn’t use this period to gather and re-organise themselves ahead of the second half. Instead of re-focusing the ladies came out looking a little shell-shocked and unsure of themselves.
Defence Under Pressure
It was to Doherty’s credit that only after she departed the game would it become apparent that Charlestown were playing with one less forward. With both teams playing 13-a-side Charlestown brought one of their forwards back to play as a sweeper. Kilmovee exploited this however by pushing an extra player forward, negating Charlestown’s sweeper and essentially allowing Kimovee to play with 6 forwards compared to Charlestown’s 4.
It could be argued that as Kilmovee were exploiting this tactic to their benefit that Charlestown should have switched to a more orthodox line-up, as the 4 forwards of Charlestown looked increasingly isolated in Doherty’s absence while being asked to cover a huge amount of ground. Charlestown’s kick-out’s became increasingly difficult to win in Charlestown’s crowded, defensive third while Kilmovee were finding it increasingly easy to secure their own kick-outs as Charlestown’s forwards started to tire.
Kilmovee’s momentum now looked unstoppable and they drew level with the visitors as the second half reached the midway point.
Digging out a Draw from Certain Defeat
With the Charlestown team looking increasingly tired and lacking in offensive inspiration it was to their credit that they managed to battle through this difficult period, showing their never say die attitude. The decision to move Charlestown’s captain Nora McGovern from full-back into the centre-forward area was to prove a key decision. Charlestown now had a player in place to link forwards and backs, something they had lacked since Doherty’s earlier substitution.
It was no co-incidence that Charlestown would enjoy their best period of the second half with McGovern now involved in the attack. The forwards were now playing with a renewed fluidity, with Abaigeal Doherty coming back into the game after a long period of isolation in the second half.
Doherty would have a chance right at the death to win the game for Charlestown but it wasn’t to be and in the end a draw was probably a fair result. While Charlestown will probably feel a little disappointed to let this one slip, in truth, with both absentees and injuries, they showed true grit and determination to earn a draw against a fitter, stronger and more experienced Kilmovee team who had beaten them comprehensively only this time last year.
