Inside Ladies see off Kildare in Leinster opener
WEXFORD ADVANCED to the TG4 Leinster ladies’ football Intermediate championship semi-final with a hard-earned success against Kildare in sun-drenched Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday.
It wasn’t the best performance of the season by Anthony Masterson’s side, but they were never in any danger of not coming out on the correct side of the scoreboard.
Yet, if ever there was a barometer of Wexford’s improvement in the last couple of years, it’s games against the Lilywhites.
Back in 2016 it was an achievement to stick with Kildare for most of the 60 minutes. Beating them was a nice thought but never a realistic proposition, as there was always a spell in the game that they were able to dominate and pull clear. It was a dream more than anything.
Fast forward two years; Kildare have won the Intermediate championship, been relegated back down from Senior, and it’s now roles reversed. This was the third time Wexford have beaten them this season, and the last two with their strongest available 15 have not even been close.
Seven points it finished in the end, despite the fact that for a lot of the final quarter Wexford were really wasteful in possession. Legs were tiring at that stage but, if anything, Kildare looked more out on their feet and ready to throw in the towel.
To Wexford’s credit, rather than Róisín Byrne’s 58th-minute goal being the fillip Kildare needed to kick on, the opposite happened. The hosts started to move the ball through the hand again and took their chances when the opportunity arose.
It’s great to get a home tie in the provincial championship, but Innovate Wexford Park hardly carries the advantage of familiar surroundings for this side, given how few opportunities they have to play in the county ground. Still, not having to travel was a welcome change for the Slaneysiders.
Masterson went with the side that beat Meath in Birr in the National League final and the set-up was similar, with Aisling Murphy and Caitríona Murray forming a two-woman full-forward line with Chloe Foxe dropping a little deeper.
Wexford did many of the same things well. The full-back line rarely looked like conceding a goal against a talented Kildare attack that didn’t miss many chances, while the energy and workrate of the ‘Niamh’ line and the midfield trio ensured that Wexford had the better of it in the middle third too.
In attack, the full-forward line were probably slightly less dynamic than they were against Meath, but a year at Senior has taught Kildare about a good time to foul and they lived on the edge in their tackling throughout.
The hosts took a 0-2 to nil lead against the breeze on the back of a Murphy point and a Murray free. Major half-chances for Bernie Breen and Clara Donnelly were repelled, but a point by the excellent Fiona Rochford meant that Wexford led by 0-4 to 0-2 at the end of the opening quarter.
All three of the Kildare full-forward line had got on the board when Eadaoin Connolly popped over a nice score in the 16th minute.
However, Wexford marched down the field and grabbed an opening goal when Aisling Murphy’s shot was partially blocked, only for alert midfielder Breen to ghost in unmarked, collect the dropping ball, navigate Aoife Wosser and fire home.
Rochford immediately put Wexford 1-5 to 0-3 ahead but, much like they did in the league final, the Division 3 champs had a second quarter lull and Kildare kicked five points in under five minutes, with Grace Clifford and Mikaela McKenna sharing them out, to pull level.
Wexford regained composure and used first-half injury time to their advantage. Moments after she was boxed out when trying to break in on goal, Murray kicked a first from play, then added a free after Murphy was shoved in the back.
Given that Wexford fell asleep for a few minutes, a 1-7 to 0-8 lead was a fair reflection on the first-half, and management would surely have taken a two-point advantage against the wind if offered it before throw-in.
Injures slowed down the third quarter but Wexford got the important scores to build a winning lead. Rochford popped over a third after her side’s most patient move of the afternoon, then Niamh Butler won back possession in defence, starting a move that ended with Murray darting in on Aisling Murphy’s pass and rattling the net.
A Sarah Harding-Kenny assist helped Minor team-mate Rachel Bennett kick her point in the 39th minute, and Murray made it 2-10 to 0-8 in the 44th after Clara Donnelly was fouled. The introduction of Róisín Byrne gave Wexford an exam they struggled to pass.
She kicked two points, and her side also countered two more Murray frees with placed balls as the gap closed to six.
Donnelly made it 2-13 to 0-12, only for Byrne to drive through the heart of the Wexford defence and send an unstoppable shot past Mary Rose Kelly.
With two minutes of normal time remaining, the Wexford lead was down to four. Promisingly, when the chips were down the hosts were their most composed and focused, as Donnelly, Rochford, Chantelle Martin and Murray all popped over points in a four-minute period to end any lingering doubt.
The impressive Mikaela McKenna did score the final point of the game but it could hardly dampen the joyous Wexford mood.
The Slaneysiders will host another relegated Senior side, Laois, in the semi-finals on June 17. Wicklow, surprise winners over Meath, will face Longford in the other last four clash.
Wexford: Mary Rose Kelly (capt.); Shauna Murphy, Maria Byrne, Sarah Harding-Kenny; Niamh Butler, Niamh Mernagh, Niamh Moore; Bernie Breen (1-0), Kellie Kearney; Clara Donnelly (0-2), Fiona Rochford (0-4), Chloe Foxe; Róisín Murphy, Aisling Murphy (0-1), Caitríona Murray (1-8, 0-7 frees). Subs. - Rachel Bennett (0-1) for Foxe, inj. (26), Georgina Hearn for Moore (51), Chantelle Martin (0-1) for A. Murphy (56), Marguerite Doyle for R. Murphy (59), Amy Wilson for Rochford (60+1), also Sinéad Whelan, Ann Byrne, Aoife Drennan, Aoife Sheil, Cailín Fitzpatrick, Fiona Bennett, Ciara Ryan, Ellen O’Brien, Lauren Cousins, Cathy O’Brien.
Kildare: Aoife Wosser; Tina Duggan, Amy Horan, Rachel Cribbin; Shauna Kendrick, Rachel Reidy, Gemma Harnett; Siobhán O’Sullivan, Aisling Curley; Grace Clifford (0-2), Niamh Sinnott, Louise Scully; Ellen Dowling (0-2), Eadaoin Connolly (0-1), Mikaela McKenna (0-6, 4 frees). Subs. - Claire Sullivan for Harnett (30+2), Róisín Byrne (capt., 1-2) for Sinnott (36), Róisín Forde for Scully, inj. (38), Molly Price for Connolly (48), Laura Quigley for Sullivan (59).
Referee: Niall McCormack (Laois).