A thing of beauty as Wicklow ladies click to record first league win
LIDL LADIES NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3
WICKLOW SLIGO 5-18 0-8
MARK MURNAGHAN’S Wicklow ladies notched their first win of the Lidl Ladies Division 3 campaign in Dunlavin last Sunday against Sligo and they did it in emphatic fashion with the previous weekend’s disappointing defeat to Kildare all but a distant memory by the time Down official Kieran McKeever had sounded the final whistle on the Kildare border.
The Wicklow women lashed five goals past a Sligo outfit who never looked like troubling a home side abundantly improved from their Hawkfield outing as they welcomed back the players who had been missing for that defeat and brought a real fire to proceedings to register their first win that sees them sitting in fourth place in the league table, one behind Roscommon but seven adrift of runaway leaders Kildare and Down.
Key to the win was their use of the wind advantage in the first half when they launched bombs down on top of Jackie Kinch on the edge of the square around whom the lovely Meadhbh Deeney and Clodagh Fox were prowling.
Strong running from Sarah Miley, Sinead McGettigan and Laura Hogan offered Mark Murnaghan’s side plenty of momentum on the break while a miserly defence marshalled by Sarah Jane Winder and Alanna Conroy gave the visitors very little room for maneuver in that opening 30 minutes when they could only register three points.
By contrast, Wicklow took a tally of 4-9 into the dressing room at the very impressive Dunlavin GAA grounds on a pleasantly crisp February afternoon courtesy of goals from Meadhbh Deeney (2), Sarah Miley and Sinead McGettigan.
Wicklow’s attack was fleet-footed and ambitious in the early stages of this game. Team captain Laura Hogan had a hand in the vast majority of attacks throughout the afternoon, but it was Meadhbh Deeney and the excellent Sarah Miley who registered the home side’s opening two scores.
Sligo started to enjoy some possession once the stiffness of their long bus journey had worn off, but they found a Wicklow defence eager to make amends for last weekend’s disappointment and were forced to overcarry on their first foray forward.
Back they came and they won a free which was brought forward and subsequently pointed by Lisa Casey of Eastern Harps.
Wicklow’s kick-outs were vastly superior this week than in Hawkfield with the hugely different weather playing a factor in that and it gave the home side a serious platform in both halves.
The game’s first goal arrived after nine minutes. A super burst down the wing by corner-back Lucy Dunne saw the Pat’s woman pick out nippy Clodagh Fox who recycled to Laura Hogan. The team captain lobbed a high ball into the square when it was won by Sinead McGettigan who fed Meadhbh Deeney who lashed home from close range and you got the impression that there was only going to be one result in Dunlavin on Sunday.
Sligo registered a fine score through Eilise Codd after an exchange with the dangerous looking Lisa Casey but the next few moments more or less decided this game.
More high balls rained down on the Sligo goal. The first was repelled but Sarah Miley returned it with interest and Jackie Kinch won it, fed the onrushing Sinead McGettigan who cut back inside and fired home mercilessly to the back of the net.
Sarah Miley followed this with a goal of her own before Laura Hogan fired over a stunning point immediately after to open up a 3-3 to 0-2 lead that looked virtually unassailable at this stage even though Sligo would have the breeze in the second half.
Meadhbh Deeney got in for her second major of the day with 20 gone after strong running from Sarah Miley and by the time Lisa Casey bagged Sligo’s third score a formidable gulf of 4-9 to 0-3 had been opened up thanks to points from Laura Hogan (3), Meadhbh Deeney (free), Sarah Miley and Jackie Kinch.
If the Wicklow management team were to have any harsh words with their charges at the break it would be the squandering of possibly another 4-5 during that opening half; a shortcoming they will need to address going forward.
Mark Murnaghan made two changes at the break; Sarah Byrne coming in for Sinead McGettigan and Aine Byrne entering the fray in place of Jessie Nolan Byrne who was on two ticks from referee Kieran McKeever.
Sligo struck first through a Casey free but Jackie Kinch won and converted her own free having been held as a long Aoife Gorman ball dropped into the danger area.
The sides exchanged points then, Wicklow’s from the boot of
Sarah Miley before three on the trot from the home side broke any resolve Sligo might have had ahead of them grabbing their fifth point after 18 minutes of the second half.
Wicklow lost full-back Sarah Jane Winder to a yellow card around this time but her absence was negated by the redeployment of Jackie Kinch to the edge of the square.
The Wicklow management found themselves in the healthy position where they could make a raft of changes with the most pleasing being the introduction of Sarah Hogan who returns from a long injury spell.
Also impressing were Georgina Canavan and Rioghna McGettigan (the third McGettigan to feature for Wicklow on the day) who both got themselves on the scoreboard while a fortuitous enough major from the boot of Sarah Byrne capped a fine day for the Wicklow women.
Down are next on March 8. Things won’t be anywhere nearly as comfortable but going in on the back of such a fine win will be no harm whatsoever.
Scorers – Meadhbh Deeney 2-2 (1f), Laura Hogan 0-6, Sarah Miley 1-3, Jackie Kinch 0-3 (2f), Sinead McGettigan 1-0, Sarah Byrne 1-0, Georgina Canavan 0-1, Aoife Gorman 0-1, Clodagh Fox 0-1, Rioghna McGettigan 0-1.
Sligo: Lisa Casey 0-5 (5f), Eilise Codd 0-1, Sarah Gunney 0-1, Megan McCormack 0-1.
Kim Connors; Emily Mulhall, Sarah Jane Winder, Lucy Dunne; Lorna Fusciardi, Alanna Conroy, Jessie Nolan Byrne; Niamh McGettigan, Aoife Gorman; Sinead McGettigan, Laura Hogan, Sarah Miley; Clodagh Fox, Jackie Kinch, Meadhbh Deeney. Subs: Sarah Byrne for S McGettigan (h/t), Aine Byrne for J Nolan Byrne (h/t), Aimee Maher for L Fusciardi (37), Georgina Canavan for M Deeney (40), Laura Griffin for S Miley (46), Shannagh Goetelen for E Mulhall (48), Sarah Hogan for SJ Winder (51), Rioghna McGettigan for C Fox (52), Laurie Ahern for L Hogan (52), Megan Dunne for K Connors (56).
WICKLOW: SLIGO:
Rachel Quigley, Aoife Morrisroe, Ruth Goodwin, Kelly Anne Henry; Jane O’Dowd, Nicilla Brennan, Jade Lyons; Sinead Regan, Ciara Gorman; Sinead Naughlon, Lisa Casey, Louise Merrick; Leah Kelly, Eilise Codd, Rachel O’Brien. Subs: Sarah Cunney for R O’Brien (27), Leonie Gaughan for L Kelly (27), Roisin Scanlon for R Goodwin (51), Tara Carty for S Regan (53), Ann Maire Coleman for J O’Dowd (56), Megan McCormack for C Gorman (56).
Wicklow ladies senior football manager, Mark Murnaghan, has said that he was not surprised by the level of performance that his players put in to beat Sligo 5-18 to 0-8 at the weekend, with the Kildare-native insisting that they do not fear any other team as they prepare to travel to league leaders Down at the beginning of March.
Having picked up two draws (vs Laois; vs Longford) and one defeat (vs Kildare) from their previous three games in division three of the Lidl national football league, Wicklow finally collected their first win of the campaign at the expense of Sligo.
Goals from Meadbh Denney (2), Sineád McGettigan, and Sarah
Miley put the hosts in a commanding 4-9 to 0-3 lead at half-time in Dunlavin, before Sarah Byrne came off the bench to add their fifth in the second to put the icing on the cake.
For Murnaghan, who succeeded James Kelly as manager of the Wicklow seniors in November, the emphatic nature of the scoreline, which leaves them fourth on the table, was not a shock.
‘I wouldn’t say that we needed to win. It is easy to say it now, but I knew that a performance like that was coming. It was there against Laois in the last ten minutes, it was there for Longford in patches, and it was there against Kildare for 25/30 minutes,’ he said.