Easy passage into last eight
Ladies hammer weak Down
WEXFORD DOWN
WEXFORD BOOKED their spot in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate ladies’ football championship quarter-finals with victory over a hopeless Down side in St. Margaret’s, Dublin, on Sunday.
Anthony Masterson’s women knew victory would secure their spot in the knockouts with a game to play after Clare edged past Kildare a day earlier, and the struggling Ulster side provided no real resistance to those aspirations at all.
The Slaneysiders were missing an important player at either side of the field. Shauna Murphy was replaced by Georgina Hearn in defence and the Horeswood clubwoman couldn’t be faulted after a solid display.
Yet, despite the outcome, things were not so smooth at the other end of the field without their chief goalscorer, Caitríona Murray. Chloe Foxe came back into the 15 and played fairly well but Wexford, as a team, wasted a glut of great goalscoring opportunities.
This was a poor Down side, and they coughed up chance after chance but weren’t punished. In fact, it’s getting more and more worrying as the weeks go by because there will be no second chances against a Tyrone side, while there might not be a second chance against a mediocre Meath.
The positive is that Wexford are creating these chances and that shouldn’t be forgotten either, however, they are unlikely to outpoint the very best teams at this grade so finding a jolt of confidence in front of goal is absolutely critical with a potential four games remaining in the season.
On a warm afternoon in the capital, Niamh Moore got up field and kicked a fine point in the second minute.
Fiona Rochford made it 0-2 to nil but Down hit back when a short free-kick was recycled to Jessica Foy and she tapped it over.
Rachel Bennett opened her account with a classy point from a tight angle on the right before clubmate Rochford notched her second.
When Aisling Murphy’s crossfield ball picked out Ellen O’Brien, a goal was in the offing.
The Adamstown attacker fed through to Chloe Foxe whose shot was saved by Christina McCarthy in the Down goal, but the ball spun up in the air and Murphy rose highest to fist into the net from about eight yards out.
A potential third Rochford point from a free was ruled out for a square ball, despite the fact that the ball comfortably cleared the crossbar. Wexford did make it 1-5 to 0-1 when O’Brien hit the target in the 17th minute.
Foxe added two points, the second of which was a great goal chance that she flashed over, while in between those scores Bennett was on target again from the right wing.
Clara Donnelly was next to lean back and fire over the crossbar in the 26th minute. She went on to add a late second and Foxe scored her third to make it 1-11 to 0-1 at the interval.
It was more of the same after the change of ends. O’Brien and Bennett raised white flags, and Wexford also hit the post and upright in that spell.
Foy’s second point gave Down a breather but more minors from Bennett, Foxe and Donnelly ensured the Leinster side held a 1-16 to 0-2 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Ellen O’Brien’s goal, which came in the 46th minute, was a moment of individual brilliance, a cracking shot from just inside the ‘20 that flew into the top corner of McCarthy’s net and gave her no chance.
Wexford managed just three points in the final 14 minutes. Kellie Kearney got in on the act, as did substitute Aoife Sheil, and Foxe kicked a free.
At the other end, Mary Rose Kelly sustained a worrying hand injury and her replacement, Sinéad Whelan, could only watch as Down rounded out the scoring with a Sarah Doherty point in added-time.
Wexford now face Clare in the final group game to decide the placings. The winners will avoid title favourites, Tyrone, and land on the other side of the draw against Division 3 league finalists Meath.
Wexford: Mary Rose Kelly (capt.); Georgina Hearn, Maria Byrne, Sarah Harding-Kenny; Clara Donnelly (0-3), Niamh Mernagh, Niamh Moore (0-1); Róisín Murphy, Bernie Breen; Kellie Kearney (0-1), Rachel Bennett (0-4), Ellen O’Brien (1-2); Aisling Murphy (10), Fiona Rochford (0-2, 1 free), Chloe Foxe (0-5, 1 free). Subs. - Aoife Sheil (0-1) for Rochford (42), Marguerite Doyle for Moore (46), Sinéad Whelan for Kelly, inj. (49), Niamh Butler for Donnelly (52), Lauren Cousins for Breen (55), also Ann Byrne, Cailín Fitzpatrick, Amy Wilson, Chantelle Martin, Clara Rochford, Niamh Dunne, Shauna Murphy, Caitríona Murray.
Down: Christina McCarthy; Aimee Green, Laura Morgan, Chara Laverty (capt.); Ellen Bradley, Niamh Price, Megan O’Boyle; Aoibheann McCarvill, Clara Mulvenna; Gráinne McClean, Jessica Foy (0-2, 1 free), Claire Milburn; Taylor Poland, Sarah Doherty (0-1), Cassie Moane. Subs. - Maria McCann for O’Boyle (35), Sasha Boyle for Morgan, inj. (37).
Referee: Paul Burke (Louth).