Women's Hockey: Maybe it was the early start that was the problem for Ireland at Belfield yesterday but, after being rudely awoken from their slumber, when they went a goal down to Scotland on 12 minutes, they fought back to win the game 3-1, thus securing their European Championship A division status and their place in next April's World Cup Qualifier in Rome.
Assured, then, of a top-six finish, Ireland play Ukraine today (12.30) in the fifth-place play-off - if they win they will match their highest ever placing in the European Championships. Two years ago they had to settle for sixth in Barcelona after losing 3-0 in the play-off for fifth. The team that beat them? Ukraine.
Ukraine will be without Olha Hulenko for today's game after she was hospitalised with a suspected broken jaw, sustained in yesterday's 2-1 victory over France, who, like Scotland, are relegated to the B Division.
It is 21 years since Ireland achieved that fifth-place finish, when they beat Scotland in Lille (the tournament was a 12-team affair), and since then there have been countless meetings with the Scots, most of the recent ones going Ireland's way. The hosts might, therefore, have begun with a spring in their step but the fear of losing such a crucial tie had them overcome by nerves. Barely two Irish passes were strung together in the opening stages, leaving the impressively large crowd as apprehensive as the coach was appalled.
"I just couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Riet Kuper, who conceded her decision to switch Linda Caulfield from midfield to right-back, to create more attacking options down the right, had failed.
That anxiety intensified when Sam Judge turned home the rebound from a Cheryl Valentine shot, following slack Irish defending. It could have been worse 10 minutes later when Angela Platt had to make a smart save from Aimee Clark. But Lynsey McVicker began to ease fears of what would have been a calamitous defeat when, in the 26th minute, she scored her team's first goal in 230 minutes of hockey. A simple goal it was too.
The Irish captain, stationed at the left post, turned home a Ciara O'Brien free-hit from the edge of the circle.
It was, however, far from plain sailing after that as Scotland almost regained the lead a minute later when Platt, again, was the saviour after another sloppy pass had let Valentine in.
The Ballymoney goalkeeper was called into action twice more early in the second half, denying Holly Cram and Rhona Simpson, but from then on Ireland were, finally, in the ascendancy, Eimear Cregan giving them the lead on 46 minutes when she reverse-sticked the rebound from a Jenny Burke effort past Abi Walker.
Scotland's hopes of a comeback dwindled when they lost a player for 10 minutes, Caitriona Forrest yellow carded for a stick tackle. Forrest's return coincided with the decisive goal of the game, Burke drilling home a well-worked short corner, the third Ireland won in quick succession in a dominant phase, to make it 3-1.
Platt, yet again, thwarted Cram and Julie Kilpatrick as Scotland attempted to find a way back into the game, while Cregan was denied at the other end.
"Relieved in the end," said Kuper. "We're now playing for fifth, and fifth would be an okay achievement in this tournament."
Burke wouldn't confirm whether she would be available for the World Cup Qualifier in Rome, saying she had yet to "definitely" make up her mind about retirement. "It's a nice city, though," said Kuper to her vice-captain, evidently hoping the player will stay on.
Today's final (5.30) pairs European champions and world number ones Holland with Olympic champions Germany.
The Dutch beat England 2-0 in yesterday's semi-finals, with goals from Sylvia Karres (sixth minute) and Naomi Van As (48th), while Alexandra Kollmar and Martina Heinlein put the Germans 2-0 up against Spain, for whom Sylvia Munoz scored what proved to be a consolation.
IRELAND: A Platt; L Caulfield, C O'Brien, B McKeever, K Smyth, C Carey, J Orbinson, J Burke, J McDonough, E Cregan, L McVicker (capt). Subs: N Symmons, F Connery, C McKean.
SCOTLAND: A Walker, V Bunce, J Burley, C Forrest, S Judge, R Simpson, L Clement (capt), C Valentine, E Rochlin, L Carroll, H Cram. Subs: A Clark, J Kilpatrick, A Rowatt, C Semple.
RESULTS - Fifth-eighth place play-offs: Ireland 3 (L McVicker, E Cregan, J Burke), Scotland 1 (S Judge); Ukraine 2 (N Vasyukova, T Salenko), France 1 (G Dutel). Semi-finals: Holland 2 (S Karres, N Van As), England 0; Germany 2 (A Kollmar, M Heinlein), Spain 1 (S Munoz).
Today - Seventh-eighth play-off: Scotland v France, 10.0. Fifth-sixth play-off: Ireland v Ukraine, 12.30. Bronze-medal match: England v Spain, 3.0; Final: Holland v Germany, 5.30.
