Shels prove point
League win ends year on high note
SHELMALIER CLONEE
A DOMINANT first-half proved crucial as Shelmalier wrestled back the ladies’ football Division 1 league title from Clonee in Craanford on Friday.
The Hollymount side clearly had a point to prove. After losing the 2016 league title to Clonee and their county championship crown to St. Anne’s, the usually bulging Shelmalier trophy cabinet has recently been a little less shiny than usual.
They played like a hurt side. Right from the first whistle Pat Quill’s team motored along with a greater intensity.
Their play in the first-half was excellent as they moved the ball quickly and accurately. It was a controlled power attack and it led to a 2-10 to 1-1 interval lead.
It’s not easy to hit the ground running on Friday night, under the lights, in the long grass, as winter is about to set in.
Clonee paid a heavy price for being a step behind in the first 30 minutes. They were excellent after the break but had left themselves too much to do.
The defending champion were quickly two points down to Ailis Neville and Leona Tector scores, but maybe their evening would have ended differently had Josie Dwyer found the net, rather than drilled wide, when one-on-one with Deirdre Fox in the fourth minute.
Tector made no mistake with a rebound at the other end after Kellie Kearney’s shot was tipped onto the post by Trish Murphy. Shortly after pointing herself, Deirdre McMahon sent Tector away in the 16th minute and she flashed home to make it 2-3 to nil.
Clonee were going long, quickly, looking to get Dwyer and Caitríona Murray isolated inside. After a few close calls, they finally clicked in the 18th minute when the latter fed All-Ireland camogie winner Dwyer and she dribbled a shot past Fox.
The goal seemed to anger Shelmalier and they outscored their opponents by 0-7 to 0-1 in the remainder of the half. They kicked some fine scores and with the whole front eight involved there was no respite anywhere for Clonee.
Marguerite Doyle gave her side the start to the second-half that they desperately needed when she rattled the net from Dwyer’s feed.
A more controlled build-up began to pay dividends for Clonee as they started to close the gap.
Veteran Caroline Murphy flashed over and Katie Kehoe also added two points. Clonee were right back in the game when Caitríona Murray blocked down a Michelle Harding clearance, won the break, sprinted away and netted.
Murphy pointed to leave just three in it (2-11 to 3-5) with eleven minutes left.
However, Shelmalier slowly started to regain their rhythm and intensity, scoring three of the next four points through McMahon, Tector and Clara Donnelly.
There was still five points in it when Mary O’Neill was somewhat surprisingly sent-off for a high tackle four minutes into added-time. A late foul on Ali Evered allowed Murray to fire home a penalty with the last kick of the game but it was too little, too late to deny Shelmalier their win.
Shelmalier: Deirdre Fox; Ceara O’Brien, Sadbh McCarthy, Shauna Murphy; Ciara Neville, Michelle Harding, Eleanor Neville; Kellie Kearney, Siobhán Cloake; Lauren Murphy, Clara Donnelly (0-3), Ailis Neville (0-2); Sarah Harding-Kenny, Leona Tector (2-6, 0-1 free), Deirdre McMahon (0-3). Subs. - Maeve Quill for L. Murphy (37), Fiona Kinsella for Harding, inj. (47), also Lisa Quill, Caroline Curran, Chloe Mythen, Finola Monahan, Eadaoin Fitzgerald.
Clonee: Trish Murphy; Claire O’Rourke, Danielle Hayden, Marguerite Doyle (1-0); Marie McDonald, Mary O’Neill, Chantelle Hayden; Brídín Doyle, Cathy Kavanagh; Katie Kehoe (0-2), Caroline Murphy (0-3), Anne Byrne; Caitríona Murray (2-1, 1-0 pen., 0-1 free), Josie Dwyer (1-0), Ali Evered. Subs. - Rachel Collier for McDonald (31), Teghan Furlong for Byrne (60+3), also Róisín Fitzgerald, Caoimhe Doyle, Maura O’Rourke.
Referee: John Bermingham (Wicklow). WEXFORD RE-IGNITED their SSE Airtricity Under-15 League campaign with a bang as they crushed the Kerry League in Ferrycarrig Park on Sunday.
For the boys of Wexford it was another must-win, as Cork City held rivals Waterford to a point on Saturday, so they granted the Ferrycarrig side control of their own destiny once again.
It was a second chance that Wexford certainly took as they made Kerry’s long trip back home as painful as they come.
While Kerry enjoyed some early pressure, the chances began to fall in favour of the home side. Cormac Bruce shot from distance before Seán O’Brien-Murphy rampaged forward and saw his effort smothered from close range.
The breakthrough finally came in the 23rd minute when Gavin Doody’s misplaced pass was pounced on and finished through the ‘keeper’s legs by captain Darragh Levingston.
Even in games where the scoreline ends as one-sided as this one did, there are still turning points which dictate the outcome.
The turning point in this encounter came just before half-time, when referee Eric Molloy somehow decided that three minutes of additional time were warranted.
Wexford counter-attacked from a Kerry corner and Bruce’s shot was parried for Brody Murphy to tap in deep into this period of added time.
Kerry, clearly fuming from another case of refereeing incompetence in this Under-15 league, picked themselves up and gave it a good go for the first ten minutes after the re-start.
Yet, as Wexford’s rearguard held strong for their first clean sheet in five, they began to pick off the Munster men.
Dylan Whelan saw his acrobatic bicycle kick saved before Luke Greene fed Levingston for the third, the midfielder half-volleying low past Doody into the right bottom corner.
Levingston completed his hattrick in slightly less assured circumstances, as his overcooked cross from distance beat Doody for height and flew into the top of the net.
Wexford’s fifth also came from a free-kick. However, this one was certainly intentional. Brian Byrne stepped up with time running out to make it a round five with his knuckleball over the Kerry wall and into the roof of the net.
This is certainly a win which will give Wexford renewed confidence. By the time they play their final group game next Sunday they will know exactly what is required of them.
A draw between Waterford and Limerick on Saturday means a win over bottom-placed Cobh will see Wexford qualify for the quarter-finals atop of the Group 3 table.
A win of any kind, regardless of scores elsewhere, will see this Under-15 side become the first-ever Wexford F.C. team to qualify for the cup quarter-final stage in any under-age league.
Meanwhile, the Wexford Youths Women won’t be in action again until Sunday, October 29, when they travel to Bishopstown to take on Cork City in a must-win league encounter.
They will be seeking revenge for their recent cup semi-final exit to the Leesiders in Bunclody.
Wexford: David Murphy; Seán O’Brien-Murphy, Kyle Scallan, Dylan Whelan, Shane Gibson; Luke Greene, Graham O’Reilly, Darragh Levingston, Cormac Bruce, Evan Farrell; Brody Murphy. Subs. (rolling) - Brian Byrne, James Dowling, Darragh O’Donoghue, Darragh McGuire, Rian Fitzpatrick, Mark Atkin, Cian Kinlough.
Kerry: Gavin Doody; Zack Behan, Liam Collins, Ted Moloney, Eliah Riordan; Junior Ankomah, Soni Ramani, Seán McGrath, William Shine, Robert Vasiu; Leo Ghaxa. Subs. (rolling) - Phillip Evans, Cian Brosnan, Daniel Okwute, Dylan Doona.
Referee: Eric Molloy (Wexford).