U16s see off Wicklo
WICKLOW SLIGO
SLIGO were reunited with the Fr. Manning Cup once again as the Under 16s overcame Wicklow to take home the silverware from Pearse Park, Longford on Saturday afternoon.
Sligo were favourites coming into this game, but they needed to be at their best to see off a plucky Wicklow side.
The Fr. Manning Cup is one of the longest running under 16, intercounty football tournament’s, dating back to 1965.
This was the first Wicklow team to qualify for the final, against a strong Sligo side, who were unbeaten. A great start for the Garden county lads had Wicklow in a good position early on, however nearly 20 minutes without a score in the opening half, would prove costly in the wind up.
Sligo were a bit more measured in their approach, and were more clinical in front of the posts with their chances on the day, and a goal and point deep into additional time, put somewhat of a gloss on the final result.
Jim Davis got the opening score of the game with a point from an acute angle to give Sligo an early lead. Sam Kearney won possession from the kick-out and made a darting run through and he laid off to the on-rushing Conor Fulham, who fired over an equalising point. Wicklow were winning plenty of exchanges around the midfield sector in the opening period.
They engineered a couple of goal chances early on, first as Jason Kenny cut in from the right hand side and fired a shot that crashed out off the upright into the sidenetting, then after a Sligo clearance was intercepted by Cian McDonald, who made a penetrat- ing run through and his shot on goal was brilliantly saved by Jack Doyle and cleared.
Wicklow had a bit of momentum behind them and when Conor Fulham dropped a high ball into the danger-zone where Keith Burke fisted it goalbound, goalie Jack Doyle got a hand to parry it, but Sean Coffey was in like a light, to flick the size 5 to the net in the fifth minute. Sligo won possession from the kick-out and hit a powerful crossfield pass into full forward, Oisin Gorman, whose shot was brilliantly saved by Sean Campbell, Wicklow broke up the field with Bradley Hickey passing of to his clubmate, Matthew Ging, who curled a sublime point between the posts from 40m out on the wing.
At this stage, little did we know