Wicklow set up Dubs clash
‘Gutsy’ win over Longford
WICKLOW LONGFORD 1-15 2-9
THE lead story this week in 1989 in the Wicklow and Bray People newspapers was the ’gutsy’ performance by the Wicklow Senior footballers as they toppled Longford in Aughrim in the Leinster Senior football championship quarter-final.
There was a real sense of hope in the reporting of this victory seeing as it followed on from the thumping the Garden County side gave Carlow in the opening round in Dr. Cullen Park, 2-14 to 1-7, on May 14.
It was Wicklow’s first victory over Longford in three outings in the 1980s and while the smell of success was sweet, reporter Mark Kennedy was quick to point out deficiencies in the squad that would need to be rectified before the meeting with Dublin two weeks later.
‘Wicklow rallied their forces in the second half to recapture the initiative they had earlier conceded to Longford and in the end, they were deserving winners,’ wrote Mark Kennedy.
In terms of the deficiencies he mentioned, in defence he felt that the Garden County were particularly vulnerable under pressure from Longford and that it was not until the return of Sean O’Brien to his customary defensive position in the second half that a semblance of composure was restored to this sector.
‘Longford corner-forward Dessie Barry was the thorn in Wicklow’s defensive side, whose weakness was emphasised in a two-minute spell in the first half when he set up Michael O’Hara for Longford’s first goal and scored the second himself,’ wrote Kennedy.
‘And but for the fact that Wicklow’s new goalie John Walsh twice denied Barry goals with brilliant saves, Wicklow could well have found themselves in deep trouble in this match.
Kennedy went on to describe how it was in midfield and the attack that the game was won by Wicklow.
‘Wicklow midfielder Fergus Daly gave an exhibition of high-fielding allied to pin-point accuracy with his ball deliveries, while ace free-taker Pat Baker and Kevin O’Brien were on top of their form.
‘Baker ended up as Wicklow’s chief marksman for the 70 minutes, scoring nine points from placed balls, a number of the frees having been won by Kevin O’Brien off Longford full-back Joe McCabe, who was put through a torturous hour by the Baltinglass stalwart. ‘Signs of jitters in the Wicklow backline, where winger Seamus Morris was showing up as the most reliable player, were evident early on as Longford jumped into a two-point lead inside two minutes.
‘However, further outfield, Wicklow were playing with much greater poise and purpose and by the 15-minute mark they had rightly taken a 1-3 to 0-2 lead,’ he added, the Wicklow goal coming from Ashley O’Sullivan after a Conan Daye shot had come back off the post.
Two memorable saves from John Walsh helped Wicklow to a two-point deficit at the break, 1-6 to 2-5, and it is reported that the introduction of Philip McGillycuddy for Mick Murtagh which allowed Sean O’Brien retreat back to the defence might have been the key move in the game.
Kevin O’Brien opened the scoring for Wicklow in the second half and this was answered by two Longford scores but the visitors were only to score twice more in this game as the Wicklow defence shut off avenues that had been previously open.
Pat Bakers nine-point haul was very significant on the day.
It would be a busy few weeks for the management team of Michael Sargent, Peter O’Neill and Gerry Farrell as they prepared for the Leinster SFC semi-final against the Dubs.
That clash would end in a Wicklow defeat, however. The Dublin team would win by six points, 1-12 to 1-6, before going on to beat Meath in the Leinster final.
Wicklow: John Walsh; David Gordon, Hugh Kenny, Mick Murtagh; Seamus Morris, Philip Healy, Robert Boothman; Pat O’Byrne, Fergus Daly; Pat Baker, Sean O’Brien, AShley O’Sullivan; Conan Daye, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Kenny. Subs: Vinny Hatton for R Boothman, Philip McGillycuddy for M Murtagh.