Castlebar Town 0
Ballyglass FC 4
Westport United
Eoin Horkan
Ballyglass lifted the shield in Westport on Friday night after a dramatic second-half performance saw them overcome Castlebar, with Isabelle Delaney producing a remarkable hat-trick from set pieces to settle the final.
The sides were inseparable for long periods, with Castlebar’s disciplined defensive display frustrating Ballyglass and goalkeeper Jelinska making several outstanding saves. However, once Ballyglass finally found the breakthrough, Delaney’s delivery from dead-ball situations proved impossible to contain.
The opening exchanges were closely contested, with neither side willing to give the other an early advantage. Ballyglass came closest first when Aoife McHugh looked to have found a route in behind the Castlebar defence, only for the move to be halted by an offside decision.
Castlebar responded with a chance of their own. Roisin Horkan created space on the edge of the area and unleashed a shot, but it cleared the crossbar.
The deteriorating weather conditions added another element to the contest, as strong winds and persistent rain made it increasingly difficult for either side to play their football on the ground.
Ballyglass gradually began to take control and put the Town defence under pressure. Jelinska was equal to everything that came her way, though, producing a succession of important saves to keep the scores level.
A dangerous corner shortly before the half-hour mark caused further concern for Castlebar. The defence failed to properly clear the danger, but Emily Vahey could not keep her resulting effort below the crossbar.
Castlebar then almost punished Ballyglass at the other end. Captain Sarah Bright found an opening and came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock, as her long range effort flew past the far post.
Ballyglass continued to struggle with the Town's well-organised defence for the remainder of the half, with several attacks ending with the offside flag being raised.
The second half began at a livelier pace.
Kate Brennan, who had only arrived shortly before the interval after travelling from college in Dublin, immediately made her presence felt when she broke through the Castlebar defence. Her finish, however, drifted narrowly past the upright.
Horkan then tested the Ballyglass defence from distance, but her attempt also failed to find the target.
The breakthrough finally arrived shortly before the fifty five -minute mark.
Brennan collected a well-weighted through ball and, with the slick astro turf adding pace to the move, she kept her composure to fire beyond Jelinska and give Ballyglass the lead.
Castlebar refused to surrender and soon had a chance to respond. A quick counter-attack earned them a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the Ballyglass penalty area.
Horkan stepped forward to take it, but with the ball so close to goal, she could not generate the necessary dip and her effort cleared the crossbar.
Jelinska continued to give Castlebar hope, making two more excellent saves as Ballyglass searched for a second.
But the goalkeeper could do little moments later when Delaney delivered from a corner.
Her set piece caused havoc in the swirling wind and instead of finding a teammate, the ball travelled directly towards goal and ended up in the back of the net.
That goal shifted the momentum firmly in Ballyglass' favour.
Delaney was at it again from another corner, this time producing a delivery perfectly suited to the conditions. The wind carried the ball into the goal, leaving Castlebar with an increasingly difficult task.
With the final whistle approaching, Delaney was handed one final opportunity from a free kick approximately 35 yards from goal.
She made no mistake.
A powerful strike, helped by the difficult conditions, flew beyond the Castlebar defence and into the net to complete an extraordinary hat-trick — all three goals coming from set pieces.
It was the perfect way to round off a memorable second half for Ballyglass, who held their nerve through a difficult contest and ultimately brought the shield home from Westport.
Castlebar Town:K Jelinska,M Palka,H McDonagh,C O’Mally,R Moran,A Keavney,S Bright (c),L Kosmokova,R Horkan,N Tuite Dillon,C Loftus.
Subs used:C Moynihan,M Gaughan.
Ballyglass FC:A Conroy,K Gibbons,E Vahey (c),E Joyce,I Delaney,K Corcoran,H Donovan,H Pecak,A Duggan,A McCugh,E Walsh.
Subs used:K Brennan,M Keane,L Finnerty.
Referee Patrick Foley
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