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St Francis 2-1 Peamount United

The St Francis players celebrate their injury-time victory
The St Francis players celebrate their injury-time victory

St Francis came from behind to beat local Dublin rivals Peamount at Richmond Park and win their first-ever FAI Umbro Women's Cup.

Mary Waldron clinched the trophy for the Saints with a penalty in stoppage time after Sharon Cullen had earlier cancelled out Peamount's opener through Stacey McGlone.

McGlone opened the scoring with a shot from the edge of the area on 69 minutes before Cullen equalised two minutes later, but Waldron won it at the death after referee Paula Brady awarded a spot-kick two minutes into added time.

It came at the end of a pulsating Cup final which had plenty of chances at either end.

A long ball into the St Francis area on five minutes caused problems and goalkeeper Aine Genocky had to be alert to keep out a snap-shot by Rachael Jenkins.

The Saints soon began to control matters and created a number of chances as the game intensified.

Former Ireland International Grainne Kierans floated a diagonal shot from the right side narrowly over the crossbar on nine minutes and, two minutes later, Waldron saw her free-kick well gathered by Peamount goalkeeper Linda Meehan.

Striker Waldron is known as a free-kick specialist and she almost caught out Meehan with another effort from the left after 24 minutes which dipped late but cleared the crossbar by a couple of inches.

Waldron again came close to opening the scoring just past the half hour mark when she met Sharon Cullen's excellent cross from the right on the volley only for Meehan to turn the shot from eight yards around the post.

Peamount ended the opening half with a decent opportunity to forge ahead, captain Louise Quinn rising high from a Wendy McGlone corner but steering her header over the bar.

St Francis were presented with a glorious opening within a minute of the restart after Sharon Cullen wriggled free of her marker into the space but angled her close-range shot the wrong side of the post.

Laura O'Connor and Jenkins squandered chances at the other end as each side became more adventurous in attack but the deadlock was broken on 69 minutes.

Jenkins cut the ball back from the right side to Stacey McGlone, who arrived at the edge of the penalty area on cue to power a shot into the net off the underside of the crossbar.

It took just two minutes for St Francis to draw level when Sharon Cullen availed of some hesitancy in the box to fire a low shot beyond Meehan from ten yards.

The Saints chased a winner as the minutes ticked away and Waldron was desperately unlucky when her splendid shot rebounded off the post in the 90th minute.

The striker did get her chance of glory two minutes later after referee Paula Brady blew for a handball in the area and awarded a penalty.

Waldron stepped up and blasted the spot-kick to the Meehan's right and sealed the trophy for the first time in the history of St Francis.

St Francis: Aine Genocky; Niamh Nolan, Louise Corrigan, Kelly Burchill, Sharon Horgan; Grainne Kierans, Karina Kelly, Caroline McEvoy, Sandra Mulhall (Kerrie Kinsella 93); Mary Waldron, Sharon Cullen.

Peamount United: Linda Meehan; Nicola Synnott; Jennifer Murphy, Ann Meenagh, Catriona Dunne; Rachael Jenkins, Emma Donohoe, Louise Quinn, Wendy McGlone; Laura O'Connor (Stacey McGlone 73), Siobhan Fitzgerald.

Referee: Paula Brady (Dublin).

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