Wexford perform well in Viking Cup
Used as a preparation for the Gaynor Cup, Wexford Under-14 manager Philip McGrath was happy with his side’s performances in this non-competitive Viking Cup tournament.
A nervous start on day one saw Wexford trail 2-0 to a very strong Cork side at half-time.
A much-improved second-half performance saw Nadine Fortune strike the post with a shot, but Shauna McGovern was on hand to slot the rebound into the net.
Wexford battled hard for an equaliser but found the Cork ’keeper difficult to beat, and the Rebel county held on for the win.
Wexford then had to go straight into game two with no break, and the tiredness showed as North Tipperary took all their chances to run out 3-0 winners.
The second day saw Wexford play better as a team and, despite going behind to a first-half goal to the Metropolitan Schoolgirls’ League (Dublin), a slick second-half performance saw Aimee Bates-Crosbie put Hollie Jenkinson through to equalise.
Shortly after, Kiera Payne put Hollie through again and she held her nerve to shoot past the ’keeper for a well-deserved 2-1 win.
The final game saw a local derby against Waterford, with Hollie Jenkinson once again finding the net to give Wexford the lead although Waterford levelled just before the final whistle.
Hollie Jenkinson was rewarded for her performance by being selected on the team of the tournament.
Our Under-14 development squad played in the Viking Cup for the first time, with this team made up of players who will be in competition for next season’s Gaynor Cup squad.
They got off to a flying start when goals from Zoe Butler, Erin Saunders-Foley, Aoife Rees and Ellie Jenkinson saw them overcome South Tipperary 4-0.
The team played Kilkenny next and although Gráinne Allen scored for Wexford, the opposition were much stronger and ran out 5-1 winners.
North Tipperary were up next and although the game was end to end with plenty of excitement and entertainment, defences dominated and it ended 0-0.
The final game was a repeat of the first outing against South Tipperary, and this ended in a draw with Zoe Tobin-Cosgrave scoring for Wexford.
Overall this was a good exercise for the Wexford development side and shows that the strength in depth in the league is very strong.
The Wexford Under-16 squad which will be travelling to the Gaynor Cup in June also competed in the Viking Cup, and manager Mick Bennett will be content with the overall performance.
Laura Butler was on target in the first game when Wexford drew 1-1 with the Limerick Desmond League, and this was followed by a 1-0 win over North Tipperary with Shannon McGovern on target for Wexford.
On Friday Sarah Siggins scored the goal as Wexford overcame South Tipperary, and in a group of very closely-contested matches, Wexford lost 1-0 to Limerick County in the final game.
Tombrack United 1, Fastnet Rovers 0: The home side rounded off their season with a victory when they overcame Fastnet Rovers 1-0 in a fast-paced, entertaining match. Emer Roche scored the only goal to see Tombrack finish off the season in third place.
Ferns United 4, St. Leonards 2: Katie Ryan scored twice for St. Leonards but it was not enough against a Ferns side which put in its best performance of the season. Ellie Kate Larkin scored a hat-trick for the home side, with Katie Murphy also finding the net.
Corach Ramblers 0, Bree United 2: Bree kept up their chances of finishing runners-up when they travelled to Corach and came away 2-0 winners. Casey Cullen and Ella Doyle were on target for the visitors and now just need a point from their final game to clinch second.
Carnew FC 2, Aughrim Rangers 0: Carnew completed their season with a win when they overcame a young Aughrim side 2-0 to move second in the table.