Wexford ladies are in another All-Ireland
Ladies earn another crack at Junior title
WEXFORD ARE heading back to Croke Park for another crack at the All-Ireland ladies’ Junior football championship title after they squirmed past Louth in Ashbourne on Sunday last.
The Yellowbellies will meet New York in the title decider after the exiles overcame a timid Derry challenge (5-12 to 1-5) in the first part of the Meath double-header.
The game proved to be a lot tougher than July's Leinster final between the sides as the Wee county waltzed into a lead early before Wexford woke up and eventually put their spirited rivals to bed.
There were several changes to the team that won the provincial decider, with experienced duo Mary Rose Kelly and Linda Casey coming into the side while Fiona Bennett's enforced absence gave Ellen O'Brien a chance to impress from the start.
However, even before the ball was thrown in there were problems for the Slaneysiders. A freak warm-up accident ended with Rosie Lawlor suffering a broken nose and a damaged eye socket and she was taken to hospital. That upheaval unsettled Wexford and they got off to a slow start.
Susan Byrne opened the scoring for the north Leinster side when she was given too much room in the full-forward line but Wexford quickly responded. Ellen O'Brien, keen to stake a claim for a final spot, was fouled and Katie Redmond slotted over the resulting dead ball.
Louth knew they couldn't match their opponents player-to-player so dropped an attacker back and deployed a two-pronged full-forward line. It paid dividends in the opening quarter as Paula Murray picked off a fine brace of points.
Susan Byrne made it 0-4 to 0-1 for the underdogs but the Wexford management, led by Billy Donnelly, wised up to the Louth tactics quickly, made several positional changes and began to get a stronger foothold in the game.
With Sharon Kehoe and Niamh Moore making their presence felt, Fiona Rochford broke in on goal and rattled the timberwork. Paula Murray got her fourth point to make it 0-5 to 0-1 but wouldn't score again as her influence was curtailed by Marica Cullen.
Good work by Kellie Kearney and Clara Donnelly gave Moore the opportunity to add to her two Leinster final points, which she took. Kate Flood responded for Louth but they were hit with a blow when Emma Singleton was sin-binned.
Wexford responded to their opponents’ woe with a clinical goal. Maria Byrne played a superb through ball for Fiona Rochford and the dual star spliced through the last line of defence and fired past Una Pearson.
Now trailing by just one (0-6 to 1-2), Wexford pressed forward and levelled through Redmond after Rochford was fouled. The Slaneysiders took their first lead when Rochford pointed after a one-two with Sharon Kehoe as their side took the advantage in at the break, partly because a couple of good chances at the other end came and went.
Kate Flood levelled the scores early in the second-half and did it again shortly after Clara Donnelly put Wexford ahead for the second time. Just moments after coming on as a substitute, Marcella Cullen was sent to the sin-bin as her side was reduced to 14.
However, Louth didn't make their opponents pay for the numerical disadvantage as Wexford upped their level and went ahead again through Rochford (1-6 to 0-8). Then the big moment in the match arrived - Redmond's free landed in the Reds goalmouth, Pearson didn't deal with it and Chantelle Martin was on hand to turn the ball into the net from close range.
Rochford and Redmond scored to leave Wexford six ahead (2-8 to 0-8) but Louth responded with points through Flood (two). When the Wee county needed to be in the ascendancy they were running out of gas and Wexford set up camp in their half.
The favourites had several chances to put a seal on their victory but lacked the composure they will need in the title decider. Rochford had the final say of a superb individual performance with the last point as Wexford booked their place opposite New York on September 28 with a fivepoint victory.