Ladies back to winning ways
Kildare lose for fourth time
WEXFORD KILDARE
WEXFORD GOT back on the winning trail with a relatively straightforward success over Kildare in Group 3 of the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate ladies’ football championship at Baltinglass on Sunday.
The meeting was the fourth between the Leinster rivals this season and this nine-point success matched the highest winning margin in the tetralogy. Wexford have won all four but realistically this could easily have been by 20-odd points.
It’s doubtful whether the Lilywhites came into this game really thinking they could cause an upset. To their credit they battled away to the end but they lacked in every department compared to their opponents.
It certainly wasn’t a perfect Wexford performance but it did allow Anthony Masterson’s side to knock off the cobwebs after their disappointing Leinster championship semi-final loss against Laois last month.
Undoubtedly the star group in this game was the trio in the fullback line. Kildare rarely had a sniff of goal and their constant ability to nip in, win possession back and counter laid the foundations for this success.
The 1-6 conceded equals the lowest scoring total of the season allowed by Wexford, with just 1-3 of that salvo coming from play. Given that the whole defence played a cracking game, a 3-9 tally at the other end was clearly a little light of what it might have been.
Slippery conditions hardly helped but the inter-play of the forwards can improve going forward. That said, scoring seven goals wouldn’t have flattered Wexford as Rebecca McGuirk made three tremendous saves and Bernie Breen missed a sitter.
An Aisling Murphy dipping effort found the net in the third minute and it was the start of a solid afternoon for the Gusserane clubwoman.
She was out in front of Amy Horan every single time, and it feels like she’s getting close to the type of performance where everything she touches turns to goals or assists. When that happens, Wexford are going to annihilate someone.
Moments after Róisín Byrne pointed, a high tackle on Niamh Mernagh saw Ellen Dowling head to the sin-bin.
Clara Donnelly broke through soon after and was clearly fouled in the process of shooting, but McGuirk made the save and Wexford got no penalty.
A patient build-up ended when Ellen O’Brien tapped over against the breeze in the eleventh minute.
McGuirk redeemed herself for a poor kick-out by pulling off a fantastic save to deny Caitríona Murray a goal, but the lively Wexford attacker worked the resulting ‘45 short with Róisín Murphy and kicked a tidy point to make it 1-2 to 0-1.
At the start of the second quarter Niamh Sinnott became the second Kildare player to receive a yellow card for a foul on the superb Sarah Harding-Kenny.
Wexford managed just a Murray free in the remainder of the half although she did see a shot blocked and Róisín Murphy fired across goal and wide off the deck.
Dowling’s free left four between the sides at the break (1-3 to 0-2) but that should have increased when Aisling Murphy sent Breen away and she fired wide with just McGuirk to beat.
Siobhán O’Sullivan put a goal between the sides but Fiona Rochford replied in kind.
The major-burst that always looked imminent arrived when Murray netted twice in two min- utes.
The first started with Shauna Murphy in defence and ended with Aisling Murphy sending the Clonee player clear to score, and the second came after she was first to react to Rachel Bennett’s shot coming down off the upright.
Points from Murray and Rochford made it 3-6 to 0-4 with eleven minutes left but Kildare responded with Byrne netting.
At the other end Amy Wilson was only on the pitch a couple of minutes when she brought another excellent save from McGuirk.
Dowling pulled Kildare within seven but Wexford managed the game without worry in the last few minutes.
Rochford, Chloe Foxe and Donnelly all pointed to see the Slaneysiders into next weekend’s meeting with Down in excellent position (Sunday, 2 p.m., St. Margaret’s, Dublin).
Wexford: Mary Rose Kelly (capt.); Shauna Murphy, Maria Byrne, Sarah Harding-Kenny; Clara Donnelly (01), Niamh Mernagh, Niamh Moore; Kellie Kearney, Bernie Breen; Rachel Bennett, Fiona Rochford (0-3), Ellen O’Brien (0-1); Caitríona Murray (2-3, 0-1 free), Aisling Murphy (1-0), Róisín Murphy. Subs. - Niamh Butler for Bennett (47), Amy Wilson for O’Brien (49), Cailín Fitzpatrick for A. Murphy (49), Chloe Foxe (0-1) for Rochford (60+3), also Sinéad Whelan, Marguerite Doyle, Georgina Hearn, Ann Byrne, Aoife Sheil, Cathy O’Brien, Chantelle Martin, Ciara Ryan, Lauren Cousins, Clara Rochford, Niamh Dunne.
Kildare: Rebecca McGuirk; Rachel Cribben, Amy Horan, Claire Sullivan; Louise Scully, Rachel Reidy, Trina Duggan; Siobhán O’Sullivan (0-1), Aisling Curley; Grace Clifford, Róisín Byrne (capt., 1-2, 0-1 free), Molly Price; Niamh Sinnott, Ellen Dowling (0-3, 2 frees), Mikaela McKenna. Subs. - Shauna Kendrick for Curley (44), Róisín Forde for Sinnott (50), Michelle Curley for Sullivan (52), Eadaoin Connolly for Scully (54).
Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).