Glenamaddy CS 1

St Peter’s CS 0

Aisling Kennedy’s seventh minute strike was enough to send Glenamaddy Community School through to the final of the FAI Schools Junior ‘B’ Girls National Cup (small schools) later this month, when they will Gaelcholáiste Reachrann of Donaghmede in the decider.

This was the second meeting between the schools in cup competition this season, with the Cork outfit prevailing in the semi-finals of the John Murphy Boys Cup, but there was to be no repeat in this meeting in Limerick last week.

The Galway side – captained by Emily Stephens – shaded the opening half, but only had Kennedy’s goal to show for their efforts, though Ali O’Toole went close to doubling their lead only to see her blistering effort hit the post with St Peter’s goalkeeper, Chloe Walsh, beaten.

Ruby Maguire was unlucky when her finish didn’t match her brilliant run, jinking her way through the Cork defence three minutes before the break, only to scuff her effort.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic, and Glenamaddy goalkeeper Katie Forde had to be at her best to keep out an effort from Meabh Deasy; and then got her positioning bang-on to gather a Lucy Finlay free-kick.

Deasy was St Peter’s biggest threat, and she almost caught Forde off her line with an audacious lob on the hour mark, but the goalkeeper was calmness personified as she back-pedalled to gather.

The momentum was now with the team for Passage West, and Forde was to the fore again for Glenamaddy, denying Broke Manley four minutes from time, pushing her effort away to safety.

The Galway side, under the management of John Kennedy and Gerry Davis, defended well, and with a calmness that St Peer’s couldn’t breach to set up a cup final meeting with Donaghmede at the Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen on Wednesday February 26 (1pm).

Glenamaddy CS: Forde, E Kilmartin (Gordon 44), Collins, Conneely, Stephens, Kennedy, Maguire, Davis, O’Toole, O’Mahony, Higgins (inj, Mulryan 29).

Subs not used: Boyle, McGann, N Kilmartin, Brennan, O’Neill, Mulhern.

St Peter’s CS: Walsh, T Hanlon (Hendrick 41), Farrell, Ryan, R Hanlon, Lucy Finlay, Barry, Manley, Bandos, Deasy, O’Mahony.

Referee: P McMahon (Limerick).

Pictured: The Glenamaddy Community School squad which is through to the FAIS U-17 National Cup final after a 1-0 win over St Peter’s Community school form Cork last week. Back row, from left: Charagh Higgins, Katie Conneely, Ali O’Toole, Edie Kilmartin, Beth O’Mahony, Katie Forde, Alison McGann, Michelle Mulryan, Nicole Mulhearn, Lily Kelly, and Róisín Brennan. Front: Ruby McGuire, Lauren Davis, Aisling Kennedy, Eibhlin Collins, Emily Stephens, Amy Boyle, Chloe Gordon, and Nuala Kilmartin.