Laois Ladies rally from six down to earn draw with Fermanagh in league opener

The Laois Ladies have a point to their name in this year's Lidl National Football League Division 3 after they came from six points down to rescue a draw in Heywood Community School on Sunday.

Laois might also have won the game as two goals from Mia Branagan had put them three points ahead with 38 minutes played. Emily Lacey, who scored eight points from play, got the equaliser in the 60th minute for Stephen Duff's side.

The new playing rules were also on show, and there were plenty of occasions on which they were showcased. The score that looked to have won the game for Fermanagh came from Laois not having three players up, so it gave the away side an easy opportunity to raise a white flag.

It only took Lacey 15 seconds to open her account in Heywood. The game was due to be played in Emo, but the constant rain over the last few days meant it was moved to the astro turf at the Laois school. There were some running repairs to be done before the game, as the 40-metre arc wasn't visible. A can of white spray paint had to be brought out, and it did the job.

Eimear McMahon got Fermanagh's first score of the game from a free. Katie Donoghue did likewise for Laois before Lacey's second point pushed Laois 0-3 to 0-1 ahead after seven minutes. Fermanagh would soon be level as Sinead Barrett and a second from McMahon levelled the sides. Then came Laois' first goal as Donoghue played a one-two with Kelly O'Neill before palming it into an empty Fermanagh net. Fermanagh responded with points from Brenda Bannon and Aisling O'Brien before O'Neill scored for Laois to increase their lead to two points.

Three points on the trot for the away side saw them go ahead for the first time. The scores came courtesy of Bannon twice and Joanne Doonan. Donoghue (free) and Lacey's third point of the half saw Laois go into the changing rooms ahead by a single point, 1-6 to 0-8.

Just like she had done in the first half, Lacey scored straight from the throw-up when she raised her fourth white flag of the game. Fermanagh would then hit a purple patch as they went from two points down to six points up in the space of five minutes. Aine McCarney and Doonan got a point each before the latter rattled the back of the Laois net. A second goal followed from the resulting kick-out as Niamh McManus took full advantage for Barry McKenna's side.

The pressure was now on Laois and they responded well to that pressure as they replied with 2-2 to take back the lead yet again. Captain Andrea Moran and Lacey scored the points, while substitute Mia Branagan came on for her Laois senior debut and raised two green flags in the space of a minute. Her second came from the penalty spot after Lauren Kearney was fouled after winning the kick-out from Branagan's first goal. Kearney also gave the assist for Branagan's first goal.

Fermanagh broke a 12-minute period without a score when Sarah Britton got her side back within a point of Laois. Lacey took her tally to seven points when she pointed two on the bounce Caoimhe Gallagher made an immediate impact from the bench for Fermanagh as she levelled the sides with her team's third goal. Ciara McGarrigle put Fermanagh ahead two minutes later. Branagan almost completed her hat-trick, but her shot was saved by Aisling Quinn. 

Fiona Dooley fisted the ball between the uprights to level the game once again with 56 minutes played. Laois then handed Fermanagh the chance to win the game when they broke the 3-up rule, and Doonan tapped over the free. There was still time for Laois to get a point down the other end as Lacey scored her eighth point of the contest. The game ended level to see both sides get their first points of this year's league campaign.

Next up for Laois is a home game against Down next weekend, while Fermanagh welcome Roscommon to Enniskillen.

Final Score

Laois 3-13

Fermanagh 3-13

SCORERS – Laois: Emily Lacey 0-8, Mia Branagan 2-0 (1-0 peno), Katie Donoghue 1-2 (0-2 frees), Fiona Dooley and Andrea Moran 0-1 each. Fermanagh: Joanne Doonan 1-3 (0-1 free), Niamh McManus and Caoimhe Gallagher 1-0 each, Brenda Bannon 0-3, Eimear McMahon 0-2 (0-1 free), Sinead Barrett, Aine McCarney, Ciara McGarrigle, Aisling O’Brien, and Sarah Britton 0-1 each.

LAOIS: Ava Shanahan (St Joseph's); Sinead Farrelly (St Joseph's), Aishling Saunders (Portlaoise), Faye McEvoy (Ballyroan); Aoife Gorman (Timahoe), Mary Cotter (St Conleth's), Andrea Moran (Captain, Ballyroan); Fiona Dooley (Portlaoise), Shifra Havill (St Conleth's); Ciara Crowley (Portlaoise), Sarah Larkin (Timahoe), Lauren Kearney (Sarsfields); Emily Lacey (St Joseph's), Katie Donoghue (Timahoe), Kelly O’Neill (Graiguecullen). Subs: Aishling Fitzpatrick (The Heath) for Crowley (24 mins inj), Mia Branagan (Graiguecullen) for Larkin (37 mins), and Ciara Byrne (Portlaoise) for Gorman (49 mins).

FERMANAGH: Aisling Quinn; Erica Douglas, Shannon McQuade, Aisling Keenan; Aisling O’Brien, Sarah McCarville, Brenda Bannon; Joanne Doonan, Catriona Breen; Aine McCarthy, Eimear McMahon, Sinead Barrett; Niamh McManus, Joanne Doonan, Ciara McGarrigle. Subs: Sarah Britton for McCarney (37 mins), Caoimhe Gallagher for McMahon and Hannah Murphy for Breen (Both 50 mins), Ellie Carrigan for Bannon (60 mins).

Referee: Patrick Smith (Waterford).