Ladies Gaelic: Ladies' slide continues against clinical Armagh
By Martin Wynne at Ballyleague

Bord Gáis Energy National Ladies' League Division Three
Armagh 3-15 Roscommon 2-5

WHILE THEIR male equivalents have been adjusting quite well to life in Division Three of the National League, the fortunes of the Roscommon ladies seem to be going in the opposite direction. A poor start against Westmeath on Sunday week last was compounded last weekend as a weakened Roscommon team were on the receiving end of a 13-point defeat to Armagh at Ballyleague.
A look at the dugouts on both sides summed up the problems faced by Roscommon. The home side had three players warming the substitutes' bench while Armagh had 14. A glance at Roscommon's starting 15 revealed further anomalies as regular goalkeeper Maire Mullooly took up residence at the far end of the pitch at full-forward.
It had all the hallmarks of a patched-up team set up with a sense of damage limitation in mind. The opening seven minutes offered little in the way of comfort as Armagh reeled off six points without reply. It could have been worse only for a fine diving save from Roscommon ‘keeper Carol Manning to deny Armagh corner-forward Ciara Lennon in the sixth minute.
The home side managed to get off the mark in the 14th minute when Natalie McHugh pointed a free. However, the Orchard County were quickly back on the scoring trail, reeling off four points in a row between the 14th and 24th minutes.
An injury-time point from Martina Freyne was Roscommon's first from play. The wing-forward converted from close range after some good build-up play from Amy McAleer. It left the home side trailing by eight points at half-time, 0-10 to 0-2.
A goal from Lennon 60 seconds after the restart was quickly followed by a Shauna O'Hagan point as Armagh extended their lead to 12. The next six points were shared between the sides, the Roscommon scores coming from Freyne (two frees) and Natalie McHugh.

It meant there was still 12 points separating the sides entering the closing quarter. A couple of goals from Freyne, in the 50th and 56th minutes, provided some consolation for Roscommon. But it was a brief respite as Armagh hit 2-1 in the closing minutes to push the margin of victory back out to 13 points.
The goals came from Sinead McCleary and substitute Sinead McPartland, both from close range as the Roscommon defence was pulled apart. It completed a poor day at the office for Roscommon and the spectre of relegation back to Division Four already looms large unless the squad can be strengthened over the coming weeks.

MATCH STATS
ARMAGH: C. McAlinden; D. Morgan, F. McKenna, C. Duffy; C. O'Hare, C. McCann, S. McConville; S. Marley, S. McCleary (1-1); C. O'Hanlon (0-4), M. McAlinden (0-3, two frees), S. Mackle; A. Hughes (0-4), S. O'Hagan (0-3), C. Lennon (1-0). Subs used: L. Brown for McKenna (9 mins), M. Luckie for Mackle (26 mins), S. Mackle for McConville (34 mins), S. McPartland (1-0) for Hughes (43 mins), A. Hughes for Lennon (46 mins), S. McConville for McCann (47 mins), K. Daly for McAlinden (49 mins).

Subs used: M. Harney-Nolan for Beirne (24 mins), Niamh McHugh for Wilson-Bennett (38 mins), L. Fleming for Compton (46 mins).

Referee: G. Chapman (Sligo)