Women hit neighbours for six
THERE WAS a moment in the second-half of Saturday’s Continental Tyres Women’s National League game against Kilkenny when Wexford Youths won a free-kick on the left of goal, about 30 yards out.
The hosts had already scored six times, they were pretty much going through the motions, meandering to the finish line, and there was a relaxed atmosphere in a quiet Ferrycarrig Park.
It was easy to drift the eyes back to Sophie Lenehan, standing well outside her own penalty area. She had been amusing herself with some sort of lunges, eager to keep herself and her mind prepared, no doubt.
The eyes drifted back to the free-kick. Then back to Lenehan, then the free-kick. The Wexford ‘keeper has a fine strike on the ball, so why not send her up, Jose Luis Chilavert style. At least she would get a touch of the ball?
Claire O’Riordan took it, badly, and the opportunity for Lenehan’s Youtube stardom was wasted.
Wandering minds were a by-product of a farcical game of football. It was, essentially, attack against defence. After arriving with just ten players, an already weak Kilkenny had no option but to sit deep and limit the damage.
Wexford did what they needed to do. They went about their business in a professional manner, picked and probed, got most of their joy from wide positions, and scored goals at regular intervals to move to the top of the table with a game in hand.
Will manager Tom Elmes be thrilled with the performance? Probably more content. His charges can definitely play better, the final ball often lacked a focus and direction, but he was able to give squad players a run, rest some regulars, make a few positional switches and rarely be forced out of his seat on the bench.
The biggest plus had to be a Rianna Jarrett hat-trick, the best of which was the second, a rocket of a header from Nicola Sinnott’s cross that no goalkeeper in the country would stop.
It was also encouraging to see youngsters Ciara Delaney and Cliodhna Ní Shé get 45 minutes and grow as the half wore on.
Orla Casey and Katrina Parrock both missed the target with strikes outside the area before Wexford took the lead in the ninth minute.
Claire O’Riordan, a solid outlet on the left, fed the ball into Jarrett in the centre. The ball popped away from the Youths striker and pinged off Shauna Martin’s toe into the corner of her own net.
After Lauren Dwyer floated an effort just wide from a Frawley corner, O’Riordan broke through, only to be denied by Niamh Coombes. Dwyer then stepped out of defence and thumped a 35-yard drive that clattered the crossbar.
A looping Jarrett header was just kept out by Coombes in the 28th minute, but the ‘keeper had no chance three minutes later when the Youths attacker swivelled on a bouncing ball and drove it high to the net after O’Riordan’s initial effort was blocked.
Just when it looked like Kilkenny might get in at the break just two down, Jarrett met Sinnott’s right-wing cross and crashed her header to the top left corner of the net.
It was 4-2 minutes after the re-start when Kylie Murphy slipped Parrock away and she poked past the onrushing Coombes.
Rachel Hutchinson flashed wide moments after her introduction. Orla Casey saw a headed effort saved but then powered home when another chance came from Parrock’s cross in the 63rd minute to make it five.
Frawley put O’Riordan into the clear with a perfectly-weighted pass but Coombes made the save again. Jarrett completed her hat-trick in the 75th minute, flashing home another Parrock cross to end the scoring.
Despite not getting to celebrate what would surely have been a memorable goal from O’Riordan’s wasted 78th-minute free-kick, Sophie Lenehan did finally get involved in the 88th minute when she saved a crisp Carla McManus strike to ensure a deserved clean sheet for her defence.
Wexford now have the mid-season break and realistically it has not come at the best time. Youths are flying at the moment and would fancy their chances in every game they play. A break just takes the momentum down a notch or two.
The thing about Wexford is that they have players that will insist that they hit the ground running when the games resume.
Next up is a league match against Limerick in U.L. on June 23, and by that stage Youths will know their destination and opponents for August’s Champions League qualifying group.
Wexford Youths: Sophie Lenehan; Nicola Sinnott, Lauren Dwyer, Orlaith Conlon, Amy Walsh; Kylie Murphy (capt.); Katrina Parrock, Aisling Frawley, Orla Casey, Claire O’Riordan; Rianna Jarrett. Subs. - Ciara Delaney for Sinnott (46), Cliodhna Ní Shé for Dwyer (46), Rachel Hutchinson for Murphy (52), also Edel Kennedy, Becky Cassin, Emma Hansberry, Aoibhín Webb.
Kilkenny United: Niamh Coombes; Bronagh Kane, Sarah O’Donoghue (capt.), Shauna Martin, Jennifer O’Neill; Michaela Walsh, Carla McManus, Gillian Keenan, Nicole Plunkett; Megan Butler.
Referee: Jimmy O’Neill (Wexford).