Steelstown Ladies secure senior County crown after defeating Ballymaguigan

Steelstown Brian Ogs 1-11, Ballymaguigan 0-03

Steelstown Brian Ogs Ladies are Derry senior football champions for the second time in four years after defeating Ballymaguigan in emphatic style at Celtic Park on Sunday.

The Ballyarnett girls last won the title in 2017 but put two years of heartbreak behind them with a blistering first half display that left them 1-06 to no score ahead and with one hand already on the trophy. Despite turning to face a considerable breeze after the break, Thomas Cusack's side managed the second half superbly, never allowing Ballymaguigan the foothold they needed to get back into the game.

With Ella Rose Sainsbury superb, she claimed the 'Player of the Match' trophy but she had plenty of competition for the award with Katy Holly, Emma Doherty and Orlagh McGeough outstanding among a team of brilliant individual performances.

The city girls elected to play with the breeze at their backs in the opening half and the decision looked fully justified as they steadily built a nine point first half advantage while keeping the St Trea's scoreless.

Holly and Doherty were the Steelstown driving force but all over the pitch the Brian Ogs girls looked sharper as Ballymaguigan struggled to come to terms with the difficult blustery conditions. Steelstown set up with Kathryn Canavan seeping, a role Aoife McGlone fulfilled for Ballymaguigan and it was the latter who was the busier of the two thoughout.

Aoife Collins was the focal point of the Steelstown attack with the dangerous Leah McGonagle and Ciara McGurk tucked in behind as Holly drove the team forward from half-back and Doherty from her usual midfield position.

It took until the seventh minute for Doherty to open the scoring from a free but it wasn't long before Holly and Doherty (free) again added to the tally after McGonagle had been fouled. Three points up, the frustration for the city girls was the number of shots dropping wide or short given their dominance but Lea Casey, Aoife McGough and Niamh Rankin were looking completely secure in a full-back line which was providing the platform to commit more bodies forward.

Collins hit a superb score on 21 minutes before the best move of the half saw Doherty find McGonagle who in turn released McGeough to hit the score of the half. When Ella Rose Sainsbury then found her range with a lovely long range strike, Steelstown were 0-6 to no score up and still eight minutes of the half remaining.

The concern was the breeze and how big a factor it would prove in the second half, especially without the cushion of a goal. The girls in blue needn't have worried though as in first half stoppage time, Steelstown had the goal their display deserved, even if it arrived in rather fortuitous fashion.

There were 31 minutes on the clock when McGeough engineered herself some space to shoot from the right but she was undoubtedly going for a point. The shot dropped short though but with the sun directly in the eyes of Ballymaguigan No. 1, Cliodhna Bradley, the St. Trea's keeper lost the flight of the ball, allowing it to find its way into the net for a 1-06 to no score interval lead.

Steelstown reshuffled slightly at the break, dropping McGurk into a deeper role to shore up the defence as they prepared to face the elements but any thoughts of a comeback were dispelled by a Doherty free seconds into the half.

From there, Steelstown only got stronger even though Brigid McMullan finally got the hard working St Tea's team's first score on 32 minutes with a lovely point.

Steelstown's short passing, possession based style was perfectly suited for playing into the breeze and there was to be no way back into the game for the south Derry team for whom Erin O'Neill was excellent throughout. It was a tough afternoon for Sean Brady's young side but they will be back and better for the experience.

Leah McGonagle hit two well struck points to extend the Steelstown advantage but it was only ever the margin of victory that was in doubt, Sainsbury and McGeough tagging on insurance points to ensure a memorable evening was completed in style.

The final whistle confirmed a second county title in four years and on this type of showing, there could be more ahead.

Steelstown scorers: Orlagh McGeough (1-2) ,Emma Doherty (0-3, 3f), Katy Holly (0-1), Aoife Collins (0-1), Ella Rose Sainsbury (0-2), Leah McGonagle (0-2)

Ballymaguigan scorers: Brigid McMullan (0-1), Katie Gribbin (0-1), Caoimhe McNally (0-1)

Steelstown Brian Ogs: Molly McBride, Lea Casey, Aoife McGough, Niamh Rankin, Enya Doherty, Katy Holly, Niamh Gilmore, Kathryn Canavan, Emma Doherty, Ella Rose Sainsbury, Aoife Collins, Leah McGonagle, Orlagh McGeough, Ciara McGurk, Clodagh Laverty. (Subs) Beth Heaney for C Laverty, 56mins; Maeve Mooney for L McGonagle, 60mins; Ruigan Doherty for L Casey, 61mins;

Ballymaguigan: Cliodhna Bradley, Clare McCartney, Caoimhe O'Kane, Joanne Corr, Sinead Brady, Nicole Nugent, Dervla Stinson, Erin Doherty, Kathleen Burke, Anna Martin, Erin O'Neill, Aoife McGlone, Brigid McMullan, Lauren Crozier, Caoimhe McNally. (Subs) Katie Gribben for K Burke, 33mins; Kayla Letters for C McCartney, 40mins; Aisling O'Neill for A McGlone (inj), 45mins; Emma Jo O'Neill for A Martin, 52mins;

Referee: Terence McGilligan (Slaughtmanus)