SIX OF THE BEST FOR WICKLOW LADIES
WICKLOW 2-12 FERMANAGH 1-08
WELL, at least the Wicklow Ladies Football team is successful. They sit top of Division 4 with six wins from six and have qualified for the league semi-final.
While they racked up some big scores in their earlier rounds they have faced stiffer competition recently, not least against Fermanagh who led at half-time and were still a point ahead in the 40th minute.
Wicklow moved up the gears though and outscored their Northern counterparts by 2-03 to a point in the final twenty minutes.
There were good Wicklow performances around the field but the full back line had a great day. Emily Mulhall was good. Sarah Jane Winder was better. Aoife Gillen was best.
The trio couldn’t take too much blame for Fermanagh’s scores, they had a clear plan of running at the Wicklow defence which forced the defenders to either meet the player with the ball and risk leaving their forward unmarked or give the player a free run towards goal.
In the second half Wicklow remedied the situation, getting players back in defence and suffocating the Fermanagh attack, pushing them outside the scoring zone. It also freed up space for the forward line and the likes of Laura Hogan who scored 1-02 in the second half.
The teams opened with a flurry of scores, five each after fifteen minutes. Katie Miley started really well, getting the first score and then either setting up or getting fouled for three of the next four. If the pass into her was good, bad or indifferent she could win it, and her one-two with Marie Kealy was beautiful and set up the Baltinglass woman for her first point of the game.
Miley did score her side’s last point of the half and had a late goal chance blocked though her influence waned in the second half as the Fermanagh full back got to grips with her.
In the first half Fermanagh were like that annoying guest who stays beyond their welcome. Wicklow were the slightly better team, they just couldn’t translate that onto the scoreboard. They went a point ahead, Fermanagh replied with two to take the lead. Wicklow opened a two point gap, Fermanagh worked hard to level the game.
They had a sweeper in place to frustrate the Wicklow attack and they struck for a goal late in the half to lead by two at half time. Nuala McManus was left totally unmarked around the Wicklow 21 metre line and she passed to Eimear Smyth who smashed the ball past Kim Connors.
In the second half Laura Hogan switched from wing forward to corner forward with Amy Murphy going in the opposition direction which worked a treat. They teamed up well for Wicklow second point of the half, Hogan kept a wayward shot on the field of play and Murphy was on hand to raise a white flag.
Still, Fermanagh never went away and had a one point lead in the 40th minute. Five minutes later, all had changed, changed utterly.
Jackie Kinch converted a free before a Katie Miley shot was half blocked. Hogan followed the dropping ball in around the square and hit the back of the net. Seconds later Aoife Gillen won a ball in defence and found Marie Kealy who did well. She, in turn, found Miley for Wicklow’s second goal and suddenly a one point deficit turned into a six point lead.
Back came Fermanagh to salvage something from the game but Wicklow shut up shop, not letting them near the goalposts. Hogan added another couple of points from play while Fermanagh scored a late consolation free.
They visit Louth at the weekend in an Easter Sunday showdown between the top two teams in the division and a league title in their sights.
Scorers – Wicklow: Laura Hogan, Katie Miley 1-02 each; Meadhbh Deeney (2f) 0-03; Jackie Kinch (1f), Marie Kealy 0-02 each; Amy Murphy 0-01.
Fermanagh: Eimear Smyth (f) 1-01; Joanne Noonan (1f) 0-04; Blaithin Begue 0-02; Cliona McElroy 0-01.