Powerful Wexford put Kilkenny to the sword
WEXFORD Youths bounced back from a disappointing league performance to batter Kilkenny United in the SÓ Hotels Women’s National League Cup quarter-finals at Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday evening.
The hosts limped to an uninspiring victory against the same opponent seven days earlier but Tom Elmes shuffled the pack, giving a full debut to Vanessa Ogbonna, and Wexford were a much more powerful outfit as a result.
Ogbonna wasn’t the only change to the starting line-up, there were five in total.
In defence, Lauren Dwyer was absent and Becky Cassin dropped to the bench, it gave Ciara Delaney a first start of the season while Nicola Sinnott also came back into the side.
After missing the last two games, Aisling Frawley came back into the starting eleven for Katrina Parrock on the left wing. The influential Edel Kennedy also returned to the middle of the park, with Aoife Slattery dropping to the bench.
Clearly the weak performance seven days earlier was in Wexford heads as they went out and battered Kilkenny from the first whistle. They had multiple chances before they took the lead in the seventh minute.
Doireann Fahey slipped Ogbonna through but she fired wide of the near post, the full-back was involved again when Frawley crossed low for Jarrett effort that Lauren Davis saved. The Kilkenny ‘keeper tipped behind a McKenna Davidson shot for a corner with Kylie Murphy forcing Davis to push wide her header from Fahey’s delivery.
From the resulting Fahey corner Jarrett rose highest to head to the Kilkenny net for her side’s opener. The Wexford striker almost added a second when she broke away on Ogbonna’s pass but this time she was denied by Davis diving at her feet.
After a quiet opening for the visitors they almost got themselves back into the game in the 11th minute. Carla McManus was sent into the clear with a long ball over the top on the breeze, with Maeve Williams off her line the Kilkenny forward got too much on her looping effort and it sailed over the crossbar.
The Kilkenny opening didn’t halt Wexford momentum and it was the inspired Davidson that was heavily involved in the next few chances. She miscontrolled when she may have been in position to shoot, she then forced Davis into a stop but it was third time lucky when she got away after great work by Ogbonna and fired home off the foot of the post.
McManus flashed over the crossbar for Kilkenny in the 19th minute as they had a little spell without troubling Williams between the sticks. More powerful play by Ogbonna sent Davidson away as the first quarter came to an end, she squared for Frawley but her finish meekly dribbled wide with only the last defender and no goalkeeper to beat.
The chances kept coming for Wexford, the Kilkenny defence parted as Jarrett strode through on the left but the league’s top scorer sent a weak effort straight at Davis, she saved again from the same player moments later on the other side of goal.
With Kilkenny temporarily down to ten, the defence went AWOL as Kylie Murphy strode through and slotted a right footed effort low to the net.
The Youths captain notched again in the 44th minute, tapping home from two yards out after Davis parried Ogbonna’s low shot into her path.
Just before the break Davidson crossed for Ogbonna to nod wide but four, when it could have been ten, wasn’t too bad for 45 minutes work.
It didn’t take long for Jarrett to make it 5-0 after the break, she slotted home after a clever onetwo with Davidson on 49 minutes.
When Jarrett hit the deck in the 59th minute referee Michelle O’Neill pointed to the penalty spot, the Youths hot-shot stepped up and tucked away the spot-kick to complete her hat-trick and make it six.
After a superb performance, Vanessa Ogbonna got her reward in goals in the final quarter. She controlled Aoife Slattery’s cross and thumped it past Davis for her first, then ran onto Frawley’s through-ball and slotted home her second to wrap up an eight goal win for Youths.
Wexford have this coming weekend off before going headlong into another title six-pointer away to Shelbourne on Saturday 11th.
They follow that with another trip to the capital seven days later when they visit DLR Waves. WEXFORD YOUTHS: Maeve Williams; Ciara Delaney, Nicola Sinnott, Orlaith Conlon, Doireann Fahey; Edel Kennedy; McKenna Davidson, Kylie Murphy (capt.), Vanessa Ogbonna, Aisling Frawley; Rianna Jarrett. Subs. - Aoife Slattery for Kennedy (56), Becky Cassin for Fahey (60), Lauren Kelly for Murphy (71), also, Sophie Lenehan, Katrina Parrock. KILKENNY: Lauren Davis; Aoife Brophy, Emma Boyle, Zara Lawless, Jennifer O’Neill; Bronagh Kane (capt.), Abbie Brophy, Kayla Cooling, Tara Long, Naima Cheamou; Carla McManus. Subs. - Nicole Plunkett for Boyle, inj (19), Lia Reilly for Lawless, inj (32), Leah C. Doyle for Cooling, inj (40), also, Shauna Martin, Amy Cahill, Leah C. Doyle, Sarah Donoghue. REFEREE: Michelle O’Neill (Wexford).