Cornafean determined to keep historic run going

By Niall Keenan

Cornafean are keen to make the most of a historic opportunity as they prepare to face Truagh in the Ulster Ladies IFC semi-final on Sunday.

The club had never progressed beyond the semi-final stage of the Cavan championship, reaching the last four in Ulster represents another significant milestone in a season that has already delivered plenty. But while captain Fiona Morrow acknowledges the achievement, she insists Cornafean have no intention of simply making up the numbers when they visit their Monaghan neighbours on Sunday.

The Cavan champions booked their provincial semi-final place with a hard-earned victory over Tyrone double winners Moortown, showing both resilience and defensive discipline to negotiate a challenging quarter-final encounter.

“It’s absolutely great, the buzz around the club is amazing,” said Morrow.

“Just to see the girls, we’re connecting more as a team now and you never really get these opportunities, so it’s just absolutely unbelievable.”

The achievement has been built on contributions from well beyond the playing squad, with Morrow keen to acknowledge the work undertaken throughout the club to help the team reach this stage.

“The hard work that has been put in to get this far from everybody, from the committee members to all the people around the club trying to get everything ready, it’s just phenomenal.”

Their victory over Moortown was not without its difficulties. The Tyrone side made a strong start, racing into an early lead as Cornafean dealt with some nerves that affected their shot selection in the opening stages.

Morrow admitted that the occasion initially got the better of St. Fionnan's, who needed time to find their rhythm before working their way back into the contest.

“I definitely think nerves really got to us at the start of the game,” she said.

“Moortown were up and they had scored three points, and the nerves were in us at that stage. But for us to come back and recompose and focus on ourselves was important.

“Once we got that first score on the board, we were settled into the game no problem.”

That ability to recover from a difficult spell proved crucial. Although Cornafean felt they could have made better use of some scoring opportunities, they held their nerve when Moortown threatened to make a late push.

“We played very good football,” Morrow explained. “In the last ten minutes, we did sort of die off a wee bit, but we maintained our composure and we were able to get ourselves over the line.

“There were a few mistakes and we’re working on them now ahead of the semi-final, but it was great to get over the line.”

A particularly impressive feature of the quarter-final performance was Cornafean’s defensive organisation. Having identified their discipline without the ball as an area for improvement following their county final win over St. Finbarr's, the players delivered on that objective when it mattered most.

“Our backs fairly kept us in the game. Our defence was just very good,” said Morrow.

“It was one thing we said from the final in Cavan that we were going to work on a bit more, instead of giving away stupid frees. To get our defensive structure right really helped us out that day as well.”

Now Truagh stand between Cornafean and a place in the Ulster Final, with the geographical proximity of the two counties adding another dimension to the occasion.

Cavan and Monaghan have enjoyed plenty of sporting rivalries over the years, and Morrow expects that familiarity to contribute to an entertaining contest.

“It’s definitely going to be a tough battle,” she said.

“Down through the years Cavan and Monaghan always had a bit of rivalry, so I feel like it will be a good game to watch for both teams.”

For Cornafean, the challenge will be to reproduce the defensive resilience shown against Moortown while becoming more clinical.

Morrow believes continued discipline in their defensive structure, allied to improved shot selection and taking their scoring opportunities, will be essential if they are to advance.

“We just need to keep working on our structure a bit more, keep pushing up on defence and keep going the way we have been,” she said.

“We had a few shots on goal the last game and unfortunately we didn’t convert any, but just try to get them, keep tipping over points as well and keep converting when we have a chance.”

Morrow accepts that reaching this stage is bonus territory for a club breaking new ground, but her ambition is clear.

“It definitely is bonus territory. Not many clubs do get to this stage, but for us it’s definitely a bonus to get so far this year.

“It’s just unbelievable and we’re wanting to keep pushing on. We’re not showing up on Sunday just to make up the numbers, like Declan (Beard, Cornafean manager) said before the county final.

“We want to go out and win this and keep pushing on, so hopefully we can do that.”

For a club already enjoying a season to remember, another victory would take Cornafean into uncharted territory. Having overcome the nerves and pressure of their quarter-final, they now have the chance to turn a historic provincial run into something even more special.