Prendergast fires the Boro past old rivals Piltown

Dicksboro corner forward Aoife Prendergast scored seven points as she helped her club get over the line and into another Senior County final at the expense of their big rivals Piltown on a chilly, but sun-drenched Saturday afternoon in Thomastown GAA club. 

Referee Conor Everard threw the ball in and battle commenced, with Katie Power getting the ball in hand, ran through and placed the ball over the black spot in the second minute.

Piltown had the strong breeze that was blowing towards the dressing room, with the sun shining from behind the stand across the pitch.

On the pitch, Aoife Prendergast was standing over her first opportunity of a score and she made no mistake to draw it level in the fourth minute, she repeated the feat one minute later as once again the Piltown defence committed a foul within scoring range.

Katie Power matched the Boro forwards tally with her second point and then Piltown went ahead as Aoife Doyle struck one over the bar from play.

Once again, another foul, another free, another point as the Boro number 13 Prendergast made it three from three for herself after 10 minutes.

Orla Hanrick then got her first of the day as she scored a fine point from outside the 21 as she got some space and put the ball over Aoife Norris’s crossbar.

21 minutes gone and Aine Doyle grabbed a point from a central position.

Heather Phelan then scored a free after Katie Power was dragged down, and again the same taker pointed a free after a foul on Emer Long.

Boro captain Jenny Clifford duly made her presence felt as she got a point from the right-hand side.

Piltown had the breeze, but the Boro had Prendergast, and she put another of the six frees conceded by Piltown in the first half over the bar to make it level again.

Amy Clifford got free on the right side, took aim and fired her first shot in anger at Piltown, it was accurate and it went over the bar in the 29th minute to regain the lead.

But the half wasn’t over yet, Kellyann Doyle strode out from the half back line, looked up and placed the ball in Katie Powers hand on the Boro 45 yard line, Power twisted, turned and got away from Niamh Phelan and headed for goal, she took aim and fired a bullet to the back of Kirsty Mahers net as she did in the League Final two weeks ago.

The roar that erupted in the full stand barely eased when ref Everard blew the whistle for half time.

Piltown missed three frees at the start of the second half from the left side as they dropped or just went wide and those chances were becoming vital as the Boro upped their intensity and effort to try get back into the game. 

Aoife Prendergast opened the scoring in the second half in the 37th minute with her fifth free of the game, as Piltown were getting forced deeper and deeper into their half by the sheer force of the Boro attack.

Niamh Culleton got a lovely point as she picked up a breaking ball and put it over Mahers head and crossbar.

Boro were on top, but still behind on the score board until, guess who? 

Yes, Aoife Prendergast once again rose the white flag, this time from play and then from a free to level the match in the 48th minute.

The fact that there were only four scores in the first 18 minutes of a semi final will tell you how tense this was. 

But now the undoubted class that the Boro team possess came to the fore despite the Piltown team leaving it all on the pitch, no regrets, no lack of effort, sheer doggedness and determination, even with all that against them.

Dicksboro went ahead through Amy Clifford in the 50th minute.

Piltown huffed and puffed but could not break down the Boro defence.

They had a few half chances, but unfortunately, they drifted wide or fell short and were cleared.

Amy Clifford got her third, and the final point of the match in the 55th minute to make the final score  Dicksboro 0-12 Piltown 1-7.

Teams and Scorers

Dicksboro - Aoife Prendergast 0-7 (6f), Amy Clifford 0-3, Orla Hanrick, Jenny Clifford 0-1 each

Piltown - Katie Power 1-2, Heather Phelan 0-2 (2f), Niamh Culleton, Aine Doyle, Aoife Doyle 0-1 each

Dicksboro – Kirsty Maher; Jane Cass, Tara Clifford, Katie Byrne; Niamh Phelan, Caoimhe Dowling, Tara McGrath; Ciara Phelan, Ciara O’Shea; Asha McHardy, Aobha O’Gorman, Rachel Dowling; Aoife Prendergast, Amy Clifford, Jenny
Clifford.

Subs – Orla Hanrick, Niamh O’Donoghue, Danielle Kenny, Bronagh Doheny, Sarah O’Gorman, Caoimhe Carroll.

Piltown - Aoife Norris; Lorraine Long, Kellyann Doyle, Jenni O’Dea; Emer Long, Laura Norris, Emily McCarthy; Aoife Doyle, Katie Power; Aine Doyle, Alanna Gallagher, Ellen O’Keeffe; Sophie Holden, Heather Phelan, Sinead McCarthy.

Subs – Niamh Culleton, Maire Beth Kirby, Karen Duggan, Alice Talbot, Chloe Power, Leah Cooney.