Ladies' footballers with it all to do against high-flying Down
Roscommon captain and goalkeeper, Helena Cummins, in action against Down when the sides met in their Division Three League encounter in Belfast earlier this year. Picture: Michelle Hughes Walsh
The Roscommon intermediate ladies’ footballers will have to produce their best performance of the season to remain in this year’s championship when Down are the visitors to Enfield on Sunday next (throw-in at 2 p.m.).
While there were shoots of encouragement during the 0-16 to 2-7 loss against Cavan on Sunday week, Down’s thrashing of Cavan — a side that were promoted to Division One and were one of the favourites for the intermediate championship — in Newry last weekend puts a different complexion on things.
Of course, the goal of winning the game remains the same for Roscommon, but it’s hard to see how Finbar Egan’s side can contain a team that scored 5-13 against the Ulster champions and will be full of confidence coming to St. Croan’s GAA grounds.
Throw in the residue from the league meeting between the teams last February when Roscommon were left aggrieved by their treatment in Belfast, and it’s fair to deduce that, alongside having momentum, Down won’t lack for motivation given some of the media attention that accompanied events at Cherryvale Playing Fields a few months ago.
Down won that league meeting by three points, and while they didn’t uproot any trees in Division Three — finishing third behind Louth and Antrim in the race for promotion — it’s that 5-13 to 0-8 victory against Cavan on Sunday that has thrown the cat among the pigeons.
Down fielded 11 of the side that started against Roscommon in the league against Cavan, and in midfielder Meghan Doherty, Niamh Edgar, Niamh King, Eimear Fitzpatrick and Laoise Duffy, they have the players that will test the home side to the limit.
For Roscommon, it will be a case of building on a solid defensive display against Cavan where Saoirse Wynne and Ria Lennon caught the eye. Captain Helena Cummins remains one of the best shot stoppers in the business, but the bulk of this team’s problems are in attack where only Caoimhe Lennon has consistently shown that she’s a reliable score-getter this season.
Home advantage will be worth something to Roscommon, but a Down side full of confidence represents danger with a Capital D.
A Roscommon win will mean progression. A loss will trigger that unpalatable feeling of elimination.
Based on form, it’s the latter that’s the more likely.
