Can Charlestown follow up their county and provincial success with a national title? The All-Ireland quest starts at the weekend against Leinster champions Longford Slashers. PHOTO: DAVID FARRELL

Charlestown ladies set to continue winning ways

LGFA ALL-IRELAND INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW

CHARLESTOWN, who were recently crowned Mayo and Connacht LGFA intermediate club champions, are now setting their sights on the All-Ireland championship title.

First up will be an All-Ireland semi-final meeting against Leinster champions Longford Slashers, a game that will be played in Michael Fay Park, Longford, on Sunday next at 1.30 p.m.

Little did this Charlestown team think or even dream of at the start of the year that they would be contesting an All-Ireland semi-final. Their only goal was on trying to win the Mayo championship and move up to the senior grade. But after achieving this goal, they went on to represent their club and county in Connacht where, again, they produced two breathtaking performances to claim the title.

Now they are just 60 minutes away from an All-Ireland final spot and judging by the form they are in at present, there is no reason why the can’t continue their winning ways. Anyone who has followed this Charlestown team all year will not be a bit surprised at the success they have had. As we have said so many times in the past, they are a well balanced side and play as a unit. From one to 15, there isn’t a weak link in the team. They just work extremely hard for each other from start to finish in every game.

They are also a team that will battle and battle all day. We saw in the Mayo county final against Louisburgh that when the game was there to be won or lost, the Charlestown girls dug deep into their reserves to get over the line.

It was the same in the Connacht final against the Leitrim champions, Kiltubrid. As the finishing line approached the sides were level. But again, this Charlestown's magnificent never-say-die attitude came to the fore to edge out their opponents in a thrilling and exciting game.

It must also be stated that this victory was achieved against a Leitrim senior side which, as runners-up in their senior championship, were allowed to take part in the Connacht intermediate club campaign. They were also a team that beat the Galway champions on their own patch in the semi-final, where they scored six goals in the process.

But now it is on to the All-Ireland semi-final, where Charlestown will face a very experienced Longford team. It comes as no great surprise to see this Longford Slashers side doing so well in the intermediate club championship as they have won the Longford senior club title for the past four years. Longford is one of the counties that is allowed play their senior club champions in the Leinster and All-Ireland championships. So, again Charlestown will face senior club opposition when they take the field next Sunday.

While the Charlestown confidence is sky high at the moment, they are well aware they face really tough opposition in Longford Slashers and know that nothing less than their best performance will do if they are to beat the Leinster champions on their own patch. However, we can be sure Charlestown will rise to this challenge and produce a performance that could easily see them cross the line in front.

As already alluded too, Longford Slashers are a very experienced team. In 2021 they qualified for the Leinster intermediate final, in which they played St. Sylvester’s of Dublin. Although they lost out by 3-13 to 0-9, the experienced they gained really stood to them this year. In the Leinster final they defeated the Meath champions, Skryne, by 3-10 to 3-6. Like Charlestown, they are a balanced team and will prove very tough opposition.

On a line through last year’s intermediate championship, Charlestown stand a very good chance of beating Longford Slashers. As already mentioned, Longford lost to St. Sylvester’s last year by 13 points. The Dublin side went on to win the All-Ireland title by only just beating Mayo champions, Castlebar Mitchels, by two points, 1-6 to 0-7. If Charlestown bring their A game to Longford next Sunday, they are in with a massive chance of reaching the All-Ireland final.

Verdict: Charlestown