Women in winner takes all home tie
Winner takes all at home to Peamount this Saturday
CORK CITY 0 WEXFORD YOUTHS 1
THE DESTINATION of the Continental Tyres Women’s National League trophy will be decided in Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday evening after Wexford Youths edged past Cork City in Bishopstown on Sunday.
Laura Heffernan’s side needed the points to ensure that victory over title rivals Peamount at the weekend will be enough to secure their third crown in four seasons, and they got it thanks to a closerange Aoibhín Webb finish in the 20th minute.
Peamount’s victory over UCD Waves last weekend means only a win will do for Youths.
Anything other than full points will mean the south Dublin side are champions and leave Wexford trophy-less for the season.
There were changes galore from the team which slumped out of the cup to the same opposition in Bunclody earlier in the month. That loss meant the hosts had one eye on next Sunday’s Aviva decider and it showed in their team selection.
Clare Shine was left on the bench for Cork and it was a big deal. Wexford boss Heffernan lauded her side’s defensive efforts leading up to this game, mentioning a clean sheet record that now stands at nine in 17 league games.
However, tellingly, when a top line, quality attacker has started against Wexford in the league - Shine, Leanne Kiernan, Amber Barrett and Aine O’Gorman - they have yet to keep a clean sheet in six games.
When those four attackers were unavailable to start the game for their team, which fortuitously has happened five times so far, Wexford have kept four clean sheets and are unbeaten, picking up eleven out of a possible 15 points.
It’s extra important because Amber Barrett missed Peamount’s win at the weekend and her availability could be the difference between the league trophy staying in Wexford on Saturday evening or heading back up the N11 on the bus with the current leaders.
As well as starting Shine on the bench, Cork didn’t play with the same intensity in this contest that has seen them beat Youths twice this season.
Wexford were able to start with a good tempo and work a handful of half-chances in the opening quarter of the game.
Aoibhín Webb got a rare start in her best position and a lot of what was good about Youths went through the Carlow native. As well as Webb, Kylie Murphy also stepped up with a captain’s performance deep in midfield.
It was her ball that split Cork open and got Orla Casey away in the sixth minute.
The Kilkenny youngster was a lively contributor in the first-half but she was denied by a fine save from the advancing Amanda Budden.
Edel Kennedy tried her luck several times from distance but never troubled the hosts’ stopper. At the other end, on a rare foray forward, Saoirse Noonan’s slicing shot had just enough spin to keep Sophie Lenehan attentive.
Wexford took the lead in the 20th minute and it was a deserved goal. It was one of only a handful of occasions that Youths got into a good position out wide. Casey did well on the left to work a yard of space and send in a deflected cross for Webb to prod in at the near post.
Webb’s beautifully weighted ball got Jarrett in two minutes later but her chipped effort didn’t rise high enough to trouble Budden. Murphy headed wide in the 33rd minute and Lauren Dwyer missed the target from the edge of the area just before the break.
The second-half was mundane, and it suited Wexford but they did have one major scare on the hour mark.
In what was really the only move of quality the hosts put together, Shine and Noonan released Danielle Sheehy on the right. She pulled back to an unmarked Shine, ten yards out, but her shot cannoned off Jess Gleeson to safety.
Wexford had the two only chances of the last half an hour. The first came in the 76th minute when Aisling Frawley slipped Casey into the clear but the youngster fired just wide of the left post with Budden advancing.
Then, with four minutes left, Emma Hansberry cut across a left-footed shot from the edge of the area that Budden just managed to turn behind.
It mattered little in the end as Wexford played out the last few minutes without stress to set up the showdown with Peamount.
Wexford Youths: Sophie Lenehan; Linda Douglas, Jess Gleeson, Orlaith Conlon, Lauren Dwyer; Edel Kennedy, Kylie Murphy (capt.); Katrina Parrock, Aoibhín Webb, Orla Casey; Rianna Jarrett. Subs. - Aisling Frawley for Parrock (56), Claire O’Riordan for Jarrett (72), Emma Hansberry for Casey (81), also Nicola Sinnott, Jenny O’Keeffe, Siobhán Doolan, Sadbh McCarthy.
Cork City: Amanda Budden; Danielle Burke, Courtney O’Keeffe, Maggie Duncliffe, Mary Barrett; Ciara McNamara (capt.), Kate O’Donovan; Danielle Sheehy, Saoirse Noonan, Katie McCarthy; Christina Dring. Subs. - Clare Shine for McCarthy (46), Meghan Bourque for O’Donovan (62), Tara O’Gorman for Noonan (81), also Eve Badana, Angie Carry, Natalie O’Brien, Ciara Desmond.
Referee: Jason Mannix (Cork).