Rousing recovery ends Carlow rising
WICKLOW 4-7 CARLOW 2-7 THE Wicklow ladies made it five wins from five in their NFL Division 4 campaign and secured a league semi-final berth last Wednesday night in Fenagh, but Mick O’Rourke’s charges put their supporters through the mill in the process as they slipped three points behind late in the second half having led for most of the game.
Initially scheduled for the Carlow COE for the previous Sunday, the clash had to be rescheduled after the snow arrived again and it was a brisk, clear Wednesday night that saw both teams take to a field that looked to have a heavy draw from one end to the other.
This was a belter of a football match from start to finish. The pace of the game was frantic with attacking moves sweeping up and down then field throughout and some fine scores recorded on the night.
For the opening 15 minutes of the game it was nip and tuck with Carlow enjoying serious momentum in the early stages. Mick O’Rourke said that it was always going to be the case that Carlow were going to be a big test, especially at full strength and with former Monaghan player Nuala Mohan now in their ranks.
“We knew over the last couple of weeks we had a good few girls with injuries and that, and a lot of them only coming back into play either tonight or this coming Sunday, we had a lot of girls out there and we knew it would be a big test for us, we knew Carlow were going to be a big test, at the end of the day Carlow made the league semi-finals last year,” said the Wicklow boss after the game.
“They’re (Carlow) looking to go one step further this year like what we are as well. We knew this would be a test, midweek with Carlow at full strength. Tonight was vital for them to keep in competition, for us it was vital to qualify, now we’re through to the semi-finals and we can look forward to the next two games, against Fermanagh and Louth, to test out the squad.
“Carlow went straight away with a sweeper system and they played Nuala Mohan, who used to play with Monaghan and plays with Foxrock-Cabinteely still, she’s a big girl to come in to the Carlow set-up, they were hitting her in the first five or six minutes and she had the skills to carry ball forward and be a link. I felt that once we cut that out and Clodagh Fox picked her up for the kick-outs, I think that kind of made the play and they had to go searching a little further out with their kick-outs and we started to win 50-50 ball again,” he added.
O’Rourke was delighted with the win but knows that improvements can be made all over the pitch.
“The girls will know, and I’ve spoken to them, for 50 minutes we were below par, and we know that, but the big thing was with 10 minutes left and they were behind, and they were able to pick themselves up and go finish the job,” he said.
Key to the victory was the performances of some key players and the luxury of being able to call on some serious warriors off the bench. The likes of Jackie Kinch and Emily Mulhall shone in this pitched battle, and when the backs were against the wall, stalwarts like Sarah Jane Winders, Sarah Hogan, Sarah Miley and Laurie Ahern were ready to answer the call.
“Sarah-Jane Winders, Sarah Hogan came in, and then two girls coming back from injuries, who are very experienced, they were involved in this team 10 years ago when I was previously involved, in Sarah Miley and Laurie Ahern. It’s Sarah Miley’s first game back in a year and a half so it’s great to get her back on the pitch, she’s is one of those natural leaders, and likewise with Laurie Ahern, a huge leader to get on to the pitch as well and only back from a broken bone in her hand. We’ve plenty of leaders there, thankfully we’re starting to get them back on the playing pitch again,” said Mick O’Rourke.
The semi-final landscape is unclear as of this moment in time, but Mick O’Rourke is calling for a big crowd to get behind this Wicklow side as they look to get one over on Fermanagh in Roundwood on Sunday at 2pm.
“It’s very hard to see how it’s going to go at the moment (the semi-final draw). I knew all along when the draw was done that our three biggest tests were our last three matches, which was going to be Carlow, Fermanagh in Roundwood this Sunday at 2pm, and the following Sunday against Louth away. They’re the three big tests. I expected those three and possibly Limerick are going to be in the shake up for the semi-final with us now.
“Absolutely, need a big crowd. Fermanagh are going to be coming back looking for revenge for the league semi-final last year, where we got out by a couple of points. It’ll be a big test. At the end of the day, Fermanagh are Junior All-Ireland champions
Realistically this game should have been put to bed long before Carlow found their mojo in the second half and caused the nervous chewing on a host of Wicklow fingernails on the sideline.
Early in the game, Katie Miley blazed wide when she should really have made the net dance and then 14 minutes into the second half Clodagh Fox fired a rasper of a shot which cracked back off the crossbar.
But Wicklow did take a commanding 1-05 to 0-02 lead into the break thanks to points from the excellent Jackie Kinch (four) and Marie Kealy and a ripper of a goal from Katie Miley. Carlow’s early impetus had been diluted through quality play and hard work all over the field from the visitors.
Jackie Kinch pointed a free after the restart and things were looking fairly comfortable despite the fact that Wicklow were now being forced to slog up a significant rise for the second half.
Carlow’s Elaine Ware found her shooting boots at the break and she popped over two frees and Aoibhinn Gilmartin added another, and, suddenly, things weren’t looking so smooth at 1-06 to 0-05 with 10 minutes on the clock.
Carlow stormed back to within one a moment later when Rachel Sawyer waltzed past three Wicklow defenders to blast home past Kim Connors in the Wicklow goal.
Carlow were most certainly in the ascendency at this stage, but they couldn’t dominate the scoreboard, with wides from Elaine Ware and a goal chance fluffed by Nuala Mohan damaging their cause.
Mick O’Rourke sent Katie Miley back into the fray at this point, the full-forward being taken off at the break after apparently picking up a knock, and Sarah-Jane Winder was deployed as well.
But Wicklow were in trouble. Elaine Ware fired home past Kim Connors and Rachel Sawyer pointed and Carlow were now three up.
However, Wicklow stayed calm and kept probing. Amy Murphy launched a high ball towards the Carlow posts and found Nicole Hanley poorly positioned and the ball was in the back of the net. Sides level.
Back came Wicklow. The ball was worked to Jackie Kinch who sent over a point to return the visitors to the lead and then Marie Kealy got on the end of a speculative Amy Murphy ball from the wing and lashed home to the roof of the Carlow net.
Worse was to follow for the Carlow netminder as a Marie Kealy high ball slipped through her fingers and landed in the back of her net to kill off the Carlow challenge completely and see Wicklow win by 4-07 to 2-07.
Scorers – Wicklow: Marie Kealy 2-01, Sarah Miley 1-00, Amy Murphy 1-00, Jackie Kinch 0-06 (2f).
Carlow: Rachel Sawyer 1-02, Elaine Ware 1-02, Aoibhinn Gilmartin 0-02.
Kim Connors; Emily Mulhall, Sarah Fennelly, Aoife Gillen; Rose Fagan, Aoife Gorman, Lorna Fusciardi; Niamh McGettigan, Alanna Conroy; Helena Dowling, Jackie Kinch, Meadhbh Deeney; Clodagh Fox, Katie Miley, Marie Kealy. Subs: Sarah Hogan for R Fagan, Amy Murphy for K Miley, Sarah Jane Winder for S Fennelly, Katie Miley for H Dowling, Sarah Miley for A Gorman, Laurie Ahern for C Fox.
Nicole Hanley; Antoinette Dowling, Amy Dooley, Niamh Forde; Maria Kinsella, Ann Roche, Orlagh Hickey; Ellen Atkinson, Muireann O’Sullivan; Sinead Ruth, Aoibhinn Gilmartin, Rachel Sawyer; Nuala Mohan, Elaine Ware, Grania Murphy. Subs: Kate Nolan, Niamh Byrne.