TG4 All-Ireland ladies intermediate football championship semi-final

Fermanagh 7-12 

Roscommon 3-12

SISTERS CAROLINE AND Sharon Little combined to crush Roscommon in Saturday’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies intermediate football semi-final at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park in Longford.

Fermanagh atoned for last year’s heartbreaking semi-final defeat against Tipperary with a remarkable 12-point win over Roscommon.

And it was the Littles to the fore as Sharon helped herself to 3-3 from play, with Caroline adding 2-5, including a penalty goal and four pointed frees.

That combined haul of 5-8 from the Littles was good enough for Fermanagh to set up a 28 September final against Down, and a repeat of this year’s Ulster final.

Caroline Little’s midfield sidekick Áine McHugh added 1-2 for Fermanagh, with Lynne McFrederick and Marita McDonald bagging points.

Roscommon had a 1-7 haul from Jenny Downey and two goals from Martina Freyne but that wasn’t enough in a hugely-entertaining game that rained goals from start to finish.

The sides were level seven times but a run of 1-4 without reply early in the second half put beaten Ulster finalists Fermanagh in the driving seat.

McHugh scored the 38th minute goal in that spell, finishing from close range from Sharon Little’s pass after Roscommon needlessly turned over possession.

Roscommon were dealt an added blow 19 minutes from time when Jenny Higgins was yellow-carded and sin-binned for ten minutes, with Fermanagh pair Joanne Doonan and Marcella Monahan suffering similar fates later in the closing stages.

But Fermanagh, with a growing lead, could absorb those blows and the Erne County added three further goals from Caroline Little, Sharon Little and sub Naoimín Daly before full-time.

Fermanagh’s winning margin was somewhat harsh on Roscommon, who were level at half-time and playing with the breeze in the second half.

But Fermanagh were driven by the pain of that defeat against Tipp last year, when they blew a four-point lead and were rocked by 1-2 from their opponents in the final minute.

Caroline Little’s penalty in the 6th minute was the first of ten goals, after the Lisnaskea Emmetts player was fouled herself.

Freyne replied for Roscommon with the first of her brace but Fermanagh were back in command when Sharon Little batted home Noelle Connolly’s pass.

In a rip-roaring start, Downey hit back with Roscommon’s second goal and a four-minute spell had yielded as many goals.

Sharon Little scored her second goal midway through the first half and six minutes before the break, Fermanagh had a comfortable lead, 3-6 to 2-3.

But spirited Roscommon hit back with an unanswered run of 1-3, including Freyne’s second goal, to ensure parity at half-time.

Scorers for Fermanagh: S Little 3-3, C Little 2-5 (1-0 pen, 0-4f), Á McHugh 1-2, N Daly 1-0, L McFrederick & M McDonald 0-1 each.

Scorers for Roscommon: J Downey 1-7 (0-5f), M Freyne 2-0, C Raftery & J Conlon 0-2 each, J Higgins 0-1.

FERMANAGH: S Murphy; S McQuade, K McManus, S Hamilton; M Monahan, T Little, D Maguire; C Little, Á McHugh; L McFrederick, A Moane, J Doonan; S Little, N Connolly, M McDonald.

Subs: N Daly for McFrederick (h.t.), R Gallagher for Maguire (46).

ROSCOMMON: R Timothy; F Beirne, S Brady, R Finlass; S Bruen, S Kenny, J Cregg; C Regan, J Higgins; L Fleming, C Raftery, S Tully; J Conlon, J Downey, M Freyne.

Subs: N Ward for Brady (25), D Regan for Bruen (45), L McLoone for Cregg (47), N O’Beirne for Finlass (55), E Callaghan for Raftery (55).

Referee: C McManus (Meath).

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