Player of the match Anna Dillon lets her feet do the talking
Anna Dillon of Kildare celebrates after scoring her side's goal during the AirNav Ireland All-Ireland U-16 A Championship final Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Harry Styles might have written the original song, “Oh Anna”, but three quarters way through Wednesday’s Air Nav LGFA All Ireland U16 “A” Final Kildare supporters may well have been singing the refrain as the shy but lethal Sarsfields player, Anna Dillon, had just scored the golden goal which propelled Kildare to their first ever All Ireland U16 “A” title with victory over Cavan in Pairc Chiarán, Athlone.
Dillon was a constant threat running at the Breffni rearguard at every opportunity on a sweltering evening at the Westmeath venue and ended up with 1-2 for her heroic endeavours which earned her the Player of the Match Award on the evening.
Indeed, with a bit more luck in front of the posts, she might also have had two first half goals as well. Speaking to the Kildare Nationalist after the game, Anna, who is also an accomplished athlete, said, “It’s just unreal. We have worked so hard all year and to come away with it (the All-Ireland) is obviously amazing.”
Kildare played with the stiff, trickly breeze in the first half and led 0-5 to 0-2 at the break but despite a whirlwind restart by Cavan, James Costello’s Lilywhites never wilted.
“Against Cork (in the All-Ireland semi-final), we were six points down at half time and we just worked hard to come back and we were three points up here but we just had to work hard as well,” she explained.
Speaking of the three goals chances which went abegging in the first half Anna Dillon said, “we decided to just take our points whenever we had the option so that definitely worked anyway.”
There was disappointment in the past for Anna at U14 level when Kildare lost out at Leinster LGFA Final stage and for Kildare, who reached an All-Ireland U16 “A” semi-final last year so Wednesday night’s victory was all the sweeter for the sharp shooting corner forward.
"So different, unreal,” she smiled. It has been a busy time for Dillon as not only was she preparing for and winning an All-Ireland U16 “A” title she was also competing in the All-Ireland Juveniles Athletics where she finished seventh in the Long Jump for Newbridge AC and she will be on the track again in the coming weeks.
“On Saturday last I competed in the 250m hurdles and the Long Jump and I did OK. I couldn’t be training for that because I was training for this,” she laughed.
