Gleneely Colts U16 girls beat Dublin's Granada FC in National Cup semi-final

Gleneely Colts booked their place in the Subway SFAI U16 National Cup final in dramatic fashion on Saturday, as substitute Anna Lynch produced a stunning late strike to seal a 1-0 victory over Granada FC at a windswept Glenview Park.
Played in dry but blustery conditions, the Dublin side who made the brighter start and looked the more dangerous in the opening exchanges. Inside five minutes, Granada carved out a clear-cut opportunity when Amelia Hoyne broke through one-on-one, but Gleneely goalkeeper Abbie McNamee reacted sharply, racing off her line to make an excellent save and keep the tie level.
Granada continued to apply pressure, but the Gleneely defence held firm under sustained spells. On 17 minutes, the visitors were left to rue another good opportunity when Isla Hindle’s delivery found Taya in space, only for the forward to blaze over the bar.
Gradually, Gleneely began to settle into the contest and by the midway point of the half had found their rhythm. Ava McCauley and Aimee McLaughlin both went close as the home side grew into the game, turning the momentum in their favour.
They came close to breaking the deadlock just before the interval. McLaughlin’s inswinging corner caused problems in the Granada box, and McCauley rose highest to send a header goalwards, only to see it hit the side netting.

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Scoreless at half time, Gleneely got on the front foot in the second half. Sophie Duffy forced a good save early on, winning a corner which again threatened danger. From Aimee McLaughlin’s delivery, Hannah McCandless connected well, but her effort was cleared off the line.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 50th minute - and it was worth the wait. Introduced moments earlier, substitute Anna Lynch made an immediate impact. Cara Lafferty set the move in motion with a superb tackle to regain possession before feeding McCauley, who showed great composure to hold up the ball and lay it into Lynch’s path. From 35 yards out, Lynch unleashed an unstoppable strike that flew into the top corner.


Gleneely girls celebrate the all important goal

Granada threw everything forward in the closing stages in search of an equaliser, but McNamee stood tall between the posts, producing three outstanding saves to preserve Gleneely’s lead.
Backed by a resolute defensive effort and cheered to the rafters of the stand, Gleneely held firm to see out the game and spark huge celebrations at the final whistle.
The victory sends Gleneely into the National Cup final where they will face Midleton FC of Cork on the weekend of 9-10 May, with venue details yet to be confirmed.