Armagh's Aimee Mackin. Leah Scholes/INPHO

Relegation-threatened Armagh earn vital win as Waterford fight back to draw against Kildare

Armagh held off Kerry to secure a two-point win.

LGFA Division 1

  • Waterford 2-10 Kildare 1-13
  • Armagh 1-13 Kerry 2-8

***

ARMAGH DESPERATELY NEEDED a win to move out of the Lidl National Football League Division 1 relegation zone and they managed to get it in a tight tussle against Kerry with a two-point victory.

While there was no breeze in Silverbridge, Kerry were playing into the sun as it dipped low in the sky after the 5pm thow-in.Armagh avoided the blinding light as it had sunk below the treeline for the second half.

The Orchard County led 1-6 to 1-2 at the break, thanks to a free from Aimee Mackin, who was a welcome returnee to the field from injury, and a brace from the dead ball converted by Kelly Mallon.

Before that the sides there was just one score in it with the home side leading 1-3 to 1-2 as after Kerry battled back from a five-point deficit.

The Kingdom almost had the ball in the net twice in the first quarter, but it was the Orchard County who rattled it first with a goal from Blaithin Mackin, well set up by Lauren McConville in the tenth minute. A couple of points followed and the home side led 1-3 to 0-1 but Leah Boyle socre the next point and on 20 minutes Siofra O’Shea drilled the ball to the roof of the net for the Kingdom.

The aforementioned Armagh frees concluded the half in a close contest between these two familiar foes. Kerry were reduced to 14 players when Aoife Dillane was sinbinned before the break and that certainly helped Armagh’s cause as they came out strong in the second half.

They went nine points clear after Mallon put two over the bar and Aimee Mackin, McCoy and Marley made it 1-11 to 1-2.

Kerry were struggling to find the target, while Aimmee Mackin sent another beauty between the sticks before Niamh Ni Chonchuir and sub Maeve Mulvihill responded.
Kerry continued to chip into Armagh’s lead and a second goal from O’Shea made it a two-point game 1-13 to 2-8 with minutes remaining. Armagh gained possession and tried to keep it as the clock wound down and they managed to do just that to win 1-13 to 2-8 .

kellyann-hogan Waterford's Kellyann Hogan. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

Áine O’Neill struck a late goal at Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field in Dungarvan as Waterford fought from behind to claim a share of the spoils with Kildare in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League.

Despite Waterford creating early daylight in this contest with points from Hannah McGrath and Kellyann Hogan, Kildare soon replied with fine efforts courtesy of Molly Aspell and Alannah Prizeman.

Hogan did find the target for a second time after an Aoife Rattigan free had briefly put their opponents into the lead, but the Lilywhite outfit flexed their muscles with a powerful second-quarter showing.

Having already joined Mayah Doyle, Aoife Murnane and Rattigan (two) in kicking unanswered points, centre-forward Ciara Wheeler seized upon a short kick-out in the 29th minute and proceeded to chip Waterford netminder Gemma Corcoran for a superbly-taken goal.

Waterford had lost Laura Mulcahy to a yellow card not long before this green flag strike and even though Brid McMaugh responded with a two-point salvo, Kildare brought a healthy 1-8 to 0-5 cushion into the interval.

They reasserted their authority on the resumption with Rattigan’s fourth point of the game, but Waterford came roaring back into life when Hogan used the element of surprise to rattle a close-range free to the net on 35 minutes. This reinvigorated the Deise challenge and Hogan was also on hand to cancel out another Aspell score at the opposite end in advance of Mulcahy returning to the fray.

The Lilies were still four ahead in the 51st minute thanks to a brace of Rattigan points matching the contributions of Hogan and substitute Lia Ní hArta for the Munster side, but Waterford brought the gap down to two when Katie Murray and Hogan split the posts in quick succession.

While a Ciara Wheeler point offered Kildare some much-needed breathing space, O’Neill embarked on a strong run before unleashing a powerful shot to the net at the end of normal time.

Despite coming away with something to show from this encounter, third-place Waterford will miss out on a final spot in Division 1 due to victories elsewhere for Cork and Galway ensuring their places in the upcoming showpiece decider.

The point garnered from this game could yet prove to be vital for Kildare, but Pat Sullivan’s charges have now slipped back into the relegation spots ahead of their home showdown with Kerry tomorrow week.

With reporting by Elaine Ingram and Daire Walsh

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