Ladies march on
Convincing win seals place in final
WEXFORD 2-16 LOUTH 0-7 WEXFORD ENCOUNTERED few problems as they eased past Louth in Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday and booked their place in the Leinster ladies’ Intermediate football championship final opposite Kildare.
The Slaneysiders weren’t perfect but they were plenty good enough to dismiss a poor Louth outfit. They even had the luxury of missing a penalty in either half, with Aleisha Cullen firing wide in the first 30 and Catríona Murray drilling over in the second.
Otherwise Shane McCormack’s side functioned well enough. Louth probably found their occasional scores a little easier to come by when they got into shooting position, but Wexford dominated territorially throughout.
The visitors were set up defensively, looking to hit Wexford with long balls into space. Yet this played into a strong gameplan by the hosts who swept up the aimless balls with their spare players in the middle third and countered continuously to mixed results.
Fiona Rochford opened the scoring in the fourth minute after nice work by Niamh Cloke-Rochford. Catríona Murray kicked a close-range free before Maeve Quill popped one over from the right corner to make it 0-3 to nil.
When Wexford coughed up cheap possession in defence and gave away a free-kick, Kate Flood kicked her side’s first point. The home team were awarded a penalty when Aleisha Cullen was fouled in the 14th minute but she flashed her spot-kick high and wide to her right.
However, Wexford didn’t have to wait long for their first major. Tidy and energetic in midfield as always, Niamh Moore started the move that ended with Murray feeding Clara Donnelly, and the Shelmalier player shot low to Una Pearson’s left to the net.
Paula Murray was undoubtedly Louth’s most dangerous attacker, and she scored the first of four points to make it 1-3 to 0-2 after 19 minutes. At the other end Murray converted a free after Quill was felled on the right.
The Wee county had their best spell between the 24th and 26th minutes, scoring three points in a row through Murray (two) and Flood (1-4 to 0-5). Yet they would manage just two further scores in the remainder of the clash as Wexford dominated.
Significant damage was done to their hopes before the break. The Model girls cleaned up the individual errors and took their chances.
Murray cut in and pointed from Donnelly’s pass down the left. They combined again for another point a minute later and Murray added her fifth score of the half in added-time.
Increasing her side’s 1-7 to 0-5 interval lead, Kellie Kearney cut in from the left wing and tapped over shortly after the resumption. Murray clipped over her sixth score a minute later and Kearney added a second to make the advantage eight.
Aleisha Cullen got in behind the Louth defence with ball in hand but somehow screwed her shot wide. It would prove to be the first of two stunning misses.
Fiona Rochford added her second point in the 38th minute as Wexford took advantage of the favouring breeze.
Credit where it’s due, Cullen did superbly to dispossess Pearson breaking off her line with the ball in hand. It fell perfectly for the Wexford forward around the 13-metre line with the goal gaping, but the Crossabeg-Ballymurn forward somehow fired wide off the deck.
Rochford flashed over the bar to make it 1-12 to 0-6. Maria Byrne was involved in that move and she scored a fantastic goal, hauling in a Murray ‘45 and firing past Pearson with eleven minutes remaining.
Soon after Rochford kicked her fourth point, Wexford were awarded a penalty for a foul on Siobhán Cloake but Catríona Murray clipped the woodwork and it flew over. She added two further late minors as her side ran out comfortable 15-point winners.
Next up is a date with Kildare in the final after they eased past Wicklow by 2-13 to 0-10 at the weekend.
The Lilywhites beat Wexford twice last season but the Slaneysiders will be hopeful of putting in a decent show in the July 10 decider in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise.
Wexford: Natasha Walsh; Ciara Corrigan, Marica Cullen, Georgina Hearn; Niamh Cloke-Rochford, Róisín Murphy (capt.), Beth Cardiff; Clara Donnelly (1-0), Niamh Moore; Ellen O’Brien, Fiona Rochford (0-4), Kellie Kearney (0-2); Aleisha Cullen, Catríona Murray (0-9, 5 frees, 1 pen.), Maeve Quill (0-1). Subs. - Siobhán Cloake for Quill (43), Maria Byrne (1-0) for A. Cullen (43), Caoimhe Denton for Hearn (52), Trina Sinnott for Moore (53), Eleanor Neville for Cloke-Rochford (57), also Bríd Byrne, Fiona Bennett, Fiona Rowe, Brídín Doyle, Eimear Cahill, Rachael Bridges, Niamh Mernagh, Caoimhe Roche, Aoife McAuliffe, Ann Byrne.
Louth: Una Pearson; Ciara Nolan, Emma Singleton, Rebecca Howell; Michelle McMahon, Eimear Murray, Janine Kelly; Emily Norton, Rebecca Carr; Emma McArdle, Susan Byrne, Shannon White; Paula Murray (0-4), Kate Flood (capt., 0-3, 2 frees), Aoife Gregory. Sub. - Alanna Finn for Pearson, inj. (51).
Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).