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Spot sealed in semi-finals

WEXFORD 1-15 MEATH 1-11

WEXFORD COASTED through to the Leinster ladies’ Intermediate football championship semi-finals in top spot in their group by beating Meath in Dunshaughlin on Sunday.

The Slaneysiders probably only hit top gear for the last 16 minutes of the first-half, but that superb spell, in which they scored 1-8 of their tally, was too much for the hosts to overcome as Anthony Masterson’s side maintained their unbeaten run against anyone not called Tipperary.

There was no surprise in the team selection, with the 15 that did the job against Wicklow two weeks earlier getting the nod again, despite the fact that attacker Chantelle Martin was back from injury.

The visitors played against a difficult diagonal breeze blowing into the left corner-back position in the opening half.

Strangely it seemed to make shooting difficult playing into that end of the ground, and Meath struggled with it at times in the opening half.

Wexford, meanwhile, took a little while to settle into their game. Most of the first quarter was sloppy from their point of view.

They worked hard and had a lot of possession, but couldn’t make the connection between midfield and the half-forward line work consistently.

They did have a Caitríona Murray point on the board in the opening 20 seconds, after good work in the build-up by Bernie Breen and Róisín Murphy, but after that the hosts registered the next three scores to lead by 0-3 to 0-1 after eleven minutes.

Also in the opening quarter Aisling Murphy picked the perfect moment to feed Rachel Bennett into the clear, but her low shot was maybe a little premature and smothered by goalkeeper Orlagh McLaughlin.

Slowly the hard work on and off the ball started to mesh and Wexford played some fantastic attacking football.

Fiona Rochford’s opening score of eight, which was initiated by great work from Bennett to win the ball back, started the purple patch.

When her club team-mate Bennett was fouled out in the left corner, Rochford nailed a really tricky free to level the scores.

Wexford took the lead for the second time when the captain launched over her third in a row from 30 metres out.

Meath responded with the last score of the half in the 17th minute, which came from Megan Thynne. Parity lasted mere seconds as, after Aisling Murphy was pulled back, Rochford and Kellie Kearney played a quick one-two from a free and the former registered again.

When getting the type of ball they received in the first-half, Murphy and Bennett proved a handful inside.

Gusserane clubwoman Murphy was next to break into the clear but she dragged her shot on goal wide of the far post.

Bennett won possession back and Kearney flashed over her score to make it 0-6 to 0-4 after 21 minutes.

Moments later, an excellent move down the left, involving Siobhán Cloake, Clara Donnelly, Aisling Murphy and midfielder Bernie Breen, ended with Rachel Bennett smacking a shot from just inside the ’20 past Orlagh McLaughlin to the net.

A full-tempo, driving block by Caitríona Murray halted Meath and set the Wexford attacker away for her second point in the 24th minute.

Donnelly notched her first when firing over two minutes later to put her team 1-8 to 0-4 in front.

Niamh Mernagh won the resulting Meath kick-out, fed Aisling Murphy, and she off-loaded to Rochford for another Wexford score.

They almost raised another green flag too, as Bennett latched on to Murray’s long ball, and was in on goal, but shot too close to the Meath ’keeper who produced the save.

Leading by 1-9 to 0-4 at the break, it looked like a straightforward task for Wexford in the second-half. Having completely controlled the first-half, they didn’t maintain that tempo after the break and it allowed Meath back into the tie.

Despite the fact that the hosts edged their way back into it on the scoreboard, there was never any sense that Wexford weren’t going to hold on.

They simply controlled the game and never allowed their opponents to get a run going.

Part of that control comes from slowing things down in possession, moving the ball through the hands more, and picking your moments to shoot.

While it frustrates supporters, it’s sensible football when you are so far ahead. That said, Wexford are not quite as good at it yet as they are at the quick stuff.

If there is an actual cause for concern, it’s how easily Meath worked several of their second-half scores. Wexford win a lot of ball that’s played into and around the goalmouth, but when they don’t get that first bite at it there is a tendency to get caught with a quick off-load and the excellent Fiona O’Neill, in particular, took advantage.

She scored the opening point of the half but Wexford hit back when Clara Donnelly scooped out to Bennett and she pointed.

Meath plucked the goal they desperately needed after a fairly basic one-two between Emma Troy and Stacey Grimes split the visitors open and ended with the former rounding Mary Rose Kelly to net.

A booming Siobhán Cloake point quickly followed to steady the ship. In fact, every time Meath scored, Wexford hit back in the third quarter.

Fouls on Murray, Aisling Murphy and Clara Donnelly ended with three converted Rochford dead-balls.

Wexford looked comfortable with their seven-point advantage with 14 minutes remaining but registered just once more, through Donnelly in the 50th minute.

At that point the Slaneysiders still held a 1-15 to 1-8 advantage.

Mary Rose Kelly made an excellent save over the bar from Fiona O’Neill’s goalbound shot with nine minutes left.

O’Neill soon picked up her fifth point, and Niamh O’Sullivan also scored as the gap narrowed to four.

Wexford kicked some woeful wides as tired legs and minds made mental errors.

However, apart from a fairly weak Marion Farrelly shot from tight out on the right that Kelly comfortably caught, Meath never came close to completing the comeback.

Having finished top of the group, Wexford now play the second place finisher in the other group on Sunday week.

The three teams - Longford, Offaly and Louth - all finished level so Leinster ladies’ football must decide how to split them before an opponent is known.

Wexford: Mary Rose Kelly; Sarah Harding-Kenny, Marica Cullen, Marguerite Doyle; Clara Donnelly (0-2), Róisín Murphy, Niamh Mernagh; Bernie Breen, Kellie Kearney (0-1); Niamh Butler, Caitríona Murray (0-2), Siobhán Cloake (0-1); Aisling Murphy, Fiona Rochford (capt., 0-8, 4 frees), Rachel Bennett (1-1). Subs. (not used) - Sarah Merrigan, Brídín Doyle, Chantelle Martin, Emer Cahill, Eleanor Neville, Elaine McCabe, Georgina Hearn, Maeve Quill, Fiona Rowe, Ciara Walsh, Ann Byrne.

Meath: Orlagh McLaughlin; Aideen Guy, Kate Flynn, Paula Dunne; Emma Troy (1-0), Niamh Lister, Niamh Gallogly; Kate Byrne, Máire O’Shaughnessy (0-1); Megan Thynne (0-1), Niamh O’Sullivan (capt., 0-2), Emma White; Marion Farrelly (0-1), Stacey Grimes (0-1), Fiona O’Neill (0-5). Sub. - Aoibheann Leahy for White (31).

Referee: Maurice Mulcahy (Dublin).