Holders too strong for Carrick in Shield final

While the flow of the game was ultimately influenced by the weather conditions and a spate of Carrick injuries late in the second half, an early brace of goals from Randalstown’s Jayne McGrillen put the challengers on the back foot right from the outset.

A slow start from Carrick cost them dearly with McGrillen striking home twice in the first 10 minutes as the underdogs struggled to contain some early nerves and build an effective rhythm.

But despite of their initial set-back, Carrick steadily managed to find their feet with Christine Waide and Kerry McIlroy driving forward forcefully from the midfield aided by their hardworking young centre-forward Chloe Mitchell. Their determined fight-back pushed them deeper into their opponent’s territory and Randalstown eventually succumbed to the continuing pressure when Christine Waide hammered home a penalty corner.

Carrick looked to have the wind in their sails as they continued to press for an equaliser, but it all went wrong for them again as they somehow failed to cut out what appeared to be a fairly low-key Randalstown counter attack. Totally against the run of play a loosely marked Grace Louise Palmer found space to hammer home an unstoppable shot from the edge of the circle.

With their first half momentum lost, Carrick again struggled to find their shape in the opening minutes of the second half and team captain Lois Passmore had to produce an excellent goal-line clearance to prevent Randalstown killing the match off completely.

The holders moved their entire defensive line deeper into Carrick territory effectively denying playmakers like Christine Waide, Kerry McIlroy, and Lois Passmore the vital space required to beat their markers and feed their ever-alert forward line. With the weather already deteriorated markedly and Randalstown digging in to defend their lead, the game was effectively over for Carrick when they lost Passmore to a hand injury, followed by Melissa Taylor with an injured arm and Julie Oliver with a damaged knee.

While the challengers refused to give up hope and the entire team fought on gamely, Randalstown’s steely defence held firm for the remainder of the match enabling them to claim their second Shield victory in succession and their third in four years, an impressive record by any standards.

Carrick Ladies 1st XI 2013 McConnell Shield final squad: Karen Nelson (GK), Emma Boal, Emma Nichols, Julie Oliver, Sophie Mills, Lois Passmore (capt), Chloe Mitchell, Amy Cross, Christine Waide, Kerry McIlroy, Melissa Taylor, Jill Leslie, Kerry Erskine, Katie Houston, Robyn Poots, Lyndsey McClurg. Coaches: Neil McConnell and Gary McIlroy, Physio, Glenn Houston.