Women fall short in their first six-pointer

WEXFORD YOUTHS came up short in their first SO Hotels Women’s National League championship six-pointer of the season against Peamount United in Greenogue.

The Ferrycarrig Park side came into the game with three straight wins to start the year, but this was always destined to be a sterner test of their title credentials for this 2019 campaign.

In truth, the games between Wexford, Peamount and Shelbourne will likely decide the destination of the league title.

Galway may nab a result or two against the ‘big three’, while Cork have one shock a season in them if they have everyone available, but the clashes between the trio are where it will be won and lost.

The job Youths did in those fixtures last season (four wins, one draw, one loss) allowed them to coast over the line in the final few weeks. They know the importance of these match-ups so it was no surprise that this was a cagey affair until the first goal.

What has to be disappointing was the fact that Wexford created almost nothing in the 57 minutes leading up to Eleanor Ryan-Doyle’s opener.

Just once Rianna Jarrett got away on a Kylie Murphy flick from Sophie Lenehan’s kick-out, but her angle was tight and the chance was merely a half one at best.

Peamount didn’t exactly cut Wexford up, and they didn’t create too much themselves, but they did boss possession and looked to have outlets in the wide areas that could get at the visitors and give them problems.

The hosts had a few efforts from distance in the first-half. Áine O’Gorman landed one in Sophie Lenehan’s hands, Amber Barrett missed the target, and the Wexford ’keeper spilled Karen Duggan’s shot from distance but was able to gather at the second attempt.

When the hosts did take the lead through Ryan-Doyle’s longrange strike it was probably a fair reflection on how the game was going. However, like most goals Wexford concede, it was preventable.

It was no coincidence that Peamount had just switched Amber Barrett inside and brought Áine O’Gorman onto the right. If the Wexford centre-half pairing lack anything it’s a bit of pace, and they immediately looked concerned by the Barrett challenge.

So much so that they backed away from Ryan-Doyle when she attacked with the ball at feet. They might have been expecting help from midfield but it wasn’t coming, and the Peamount attacker was able to ping off a shot at goal.

Grabbing a share of responsibility with the midfield and defence was the goalkeeper. It’s hard to know if Sophie Lenehan would have stopped it had she set her feet and dived to the right, as maybe it would have been out of reach anyway, but the wafting arm in fresh air is a direct result of poor footwork.

Wexford started to commit more bodies forward after the goal and Ryan-Doyle tested Lenehan with another effort from distance that she tipped over the bar. However, there was less of a shared responsibility for the second goal when it arrived in the 69th minute.

Lenehan found herself with the ball at her feet and seemingly ample time to clear. She tried to go to her right with Barrett closing in and the forward sensed blood.

She blocked the tardy clearance and quickly shot. Lenehan saved but the ball fell to Ryan-Doyle and she calmly tucked it home.

Just over a minute later Wexford got back into the game, and it was no surprise that it came from a set-piece. Lauren Dwyer flighted it in to a dangerous area, Niamh Reid-Burke fluffed her punch, and Kylie Murphy volleyed back to the net.

Despite looking a constant threat from set-pieces, the visitors’ corner-taking was inconsistent at best and they wasted several opportunities to get meaningful delivery into the box.

Tom Elmes threw Sarah McKevitt and Vanessa Ogbonna on with 15 minutes left and Wexford looked better.

Ogbonna in particular was a handful the Peamount defence didn’t enjoy. There was a bizarre moment at the other end when referee Gary Leeper gave a foul for ‘obstruction’ which is an offence no longer in the rulebook, as it is now ‘impeding the progress of an opponent’.

When there is any contact at all, the recognised norm for referees is to award a direct free-kick. It got stranger as four Peamount players danced over the dead-ball before Barrett hit it and Lenehan fumbled it to the net. The whistle went for a free-out although the Peamount infringement was far from clear.

Youths’ best chance for an equaliser came five minutes from time. Again it was a ball in from deep, and this time it fell to Jarrett inside the box and to the left of goal. She came onto it perfectly with her right but got under her shot and it whizzed a yard over.

Wexford kept peppering the box when they got the chance but Peamount held on to take the points.

Youths come back after the international break with a trip to Limerick on April 14.

Wexford Youths: Sophie Lenehan; Aisling Frawley, Nicola Sinnott, Orlaith Conlon, Lauren Dwyer; Kylie Murphy (capt.), Edel Kennedy; McKenna Davidson, Lauren Kelly, Doireann Fahey; Rianna Jarrett. Subs. - Katrina Parrock for Davidson (64), Sarah McKevitt for Fahey (75), Vanessa Ogbonna for Kelly (75), also Maeve Williams, Ciara Delaney, Orla Casey, Jenny Clifford.

Peamount United: Niamh Reid-Burke; Lauryn O’Callaghan, Claire Walsh, Louise Corrigan, Chloe Moloney; Karen Duggan, Niamh Farrelly; Amber Barrett, Eleanor Ryan-Doyle, Dearbhaile Beirne; Aine O’Gorman (capt.). Subs. - Megan Smith-Lynch for Moloney, inj. (81), Jade Reddy for O’Callaghan (90+4), also Naoise McAloon, Gillian Keenan, Lauren Kealy, Louise Masterson, Lucy McCartan.

Referee: Gary Leeper (Dublin).