Outclassed Longford ladies no match for awesome Antrim

Katie Crawford pictured in action for Longford | Syl Healy

placeholder image — Katie Crawford pictured in action for Longford | Syl Healy

TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Junior Championship Group A - Round 4

Antrim . . . 6-20 Longford . . . 1-7

Understrength Longford suffered another severe setback in a lost cause against a far superior Antrim side in Randalstown on Sunday.

In making a very tame exit from the All-Ireland Junior championship in the aftermath of the other heavy defeats against Offaly and Derry in the group stage, Longford were no match for the strong Antrim outfit.

The landslide margin of 28 points separated the teams in the end and nothing went right for the visitors with three players sin-binned in the first half while Leanne Keegan was forced to retire injured at the break.

There was just no stopping rampant Antrim who had built up a very commanding 3-9 to 0-3 lead at the break with the Longford points coming from Katie Crawford, Katherine Kilduff and Aoife Darcy (free).

It was the same sad story in the second half as awesome Antrim added another 3-11 to their most emphatic tally in the quest to qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals.

A fourth yellow card was issued to Longford with Katie Crawford sent to the sin-bin in the 41st minute and another booking for the Abbeylara girl in the closing stages saw the visitors finish up with 14 players on the pitch.

Longford battled it out to the bitter end in their final fixture this year with Fumni Talabi scoring a consolation goal in stoppage time while Sorcha Dawson, Shauna Madden (2) and Talabi accounted for the four points in the second half.

LONGFORD: Aoife Cooney (Clonguish); Amy Creegan (Ballymore), Leanne Keegan (St Brigid’s Gaels Ardagh), Emma Doris (Killoe); Sorcha Dawson (Ballymore, 0-1), Emma Bleakley (Dromard), Aoife Nolan (Rathcline); Sian Gallagher (St Brigid’s Gaels), Fumni Talabi (Mostrim, 1-1); Shauna Madden (Clonguish, 0-2), Katie Crawford (Carrickedmond, 0-1), Emma Farrell (St Brigid’s Gaels); Aoife Darcy (Clonguish, 0-1, free), Ailbhe Brady (Mostrim), Katherine KIlduff (St Brigid’s Gaels, 0-1).

Subs:- Riane McGrath (Killoe) for L Keegan (half-time, injured); Sarah McDermott (St Brigid’s Gaels) for A Cooney; Aisling Scanlon (Mullinalaghta) for A Creegan.