Martin and O’Reilly lead the charge for AGB
ST PATRICK’S 1-7 AGB 8-4
AGB have started their 2020 season in as close to the perfect way possible, after they handed 2019 county finalists St. Pat’s an 18-point drubbing in Dunbur, on Saturday afternoon.
Five of Arklow’s eight-goal haul came in the first-half, as Pat’s were decimated by a free-flowing AGB full-forward line that was being spear-headed by Steph Martin and Áine O’Reilly.
Pat’s would enjoy a slightly more successful second-half and would grab their own goal through a late Holly McSorley strike, but it was all for naught, as AGB ran out convincing, conclusive winners.
Pat’s went into Saturday’s encounter on the back of reaching the county championship final for the third year-in-a-row; ultimately losing out, once again, to Tinahely, who clinched an historic fifth successive title in the process.
However, due to county commitments that would occupy them elsewhere, the Wicklow Town team were missing some of the key components of last year’s panel, such as Niamh and Sinead McGettigan, Lucy Dunne, and Clodagh Fox. This showed on the day, as a grossly underperforming Pat’s side were put to the sword by AGB.
Pat’s – managed in 2020 by the returning Robert Hollingsworth – would take the lead through
Saoirse O’Reilly, but that would merely be a blip. AGB quickly took command in the seventh minute through Áine O’Reilly’s first goal of the day, after Steph Martin had equalised from a free.
Sarah Delahunt would bridge the gap back to within two points shortly thereafter, but that was the last score for Pat’s, leaving
Arklow to completely take over. A turned over kick-out was eventually worked to Martin, who fired into the back of the net on the turn with nine minutes on the clock.
Pat’s managed to stem the tide momentarily, and would even hit the bar through Delahunt, but Arklow would get their third with 20 minutes on the board, when Aoife Kavanagh blasted into the right-hand corner with a rasping effort at an angle.
Áine O’Reilly scored her second of the day – and her team’s fourth – with seven minutes left to play in the half, before Jesse McElerhan got in on the act with a goal of her own near the end to make it 5-2 to 0-2 at half-time. At the other end of the pitch, Pat’s found themselves restricted to half-chances, with the closest they came to a firsthalf goal coming from a Naoise O’Reilly shot that was routinely saved by Ashling Walsh.
Any indication that AGB would ease up in the second-half were quickly dismissed out of hand through a quick fifth goal. Coming at the end of a sweeping counter-attacking move involving Aoife Kavanagh and Áine O’Reilly, midfielder Jess Hurley was on-hand to grab the goal that her industrious performance had warranted.
Pat’s would manage to grow into the second-half much more than they did the first, but were frustrated by consecutive wides from Laura Manley, Naoise O’Reilly, and Niamh Caffrey. Meanwhile, AGB were having no such problems in front of the Pat’s goal, as was typified by Steph Martin poking the ball into the net off of an O’Reilly free.
O’Reilly would come close to getting her hat-trick shortly thereafter, only for her shot to cannon off the woodwork.
O’Reilly and Delahunt would get Pat’s first scores of the second-half, only for AGB substitute Emma Furlong to score the eighth goal for her side after good buildup play featuring Steph Martin, Jesse McElerhan, and Orla Byrne.
While Furlong would follow that up with a fine point late-on, it would be Pat’s who would finish the game stronger. Laura Manley, Niamh Caffrey, and Sarah Delahunt each got a score as the game entered the closing stages. Saoirse O’Reilly added a hint of gloss to the one-sided scoreline shortly before Delahunt’s score, as the midfielder converted for a goal for her team.
Ultimately, however, no late goal could take away from the AGB’s performance, as Arklow put in the kind of performance that they will be hoping to replicate later on in the year so they can go one better than their semi-final of last season’s championship.
Scorers: St. Pat’s: Saoirse O’Reilly (1-0), Sarah Delahunt (0-3; 0-2f), Holly McSorley (0-1), Laura Manley (0-1), Naoise O’Reilly (0-1), Niamh Caffrey (0-1).
AGB: Steph Martin (2-1; 0-1f), Aine O’Reilly (2-0), Emma Furlong (1-2; 0-1f), Aoife Kavanagh (1-0), Jess Hurley (1-0), Jesse McElerhan (1-0), Ann-Marie Keegan (0-1)/
ST. PAT’S: Ashling Walsh; Leanne O’Neill, Amy Walsh, Sarah Evans; Ashling Hayden, Kate Hennessy, Jess Lyons; Saoirse O’Reilly, Sarah Delahunt; Holly McSorley, Niamh Caffrey, Luci Hobbs; Ellen Griffen, Laura Manley, Erynn O’Brien. Subs: Naoise O’Reilly for H. McSorley.
AGB: Abbie Kealy; Ciara Forde, Rachael Byrne, Meadbh O’Connor; Sue Tyrrell, Emer Kelly, Keelin Stafford; Jess Hurley, Ann-Marie Keegan; Aoife Kavanagh, Orla Byrne, Muireann O’Connor; Jesse McElerhan, Steph Martin, Aine O’Reilly. Subs: Emma Furlong for A. O’Reilly, Rebecca O’Sullivan for Emer Kelly, Carlene Doyle for Jesse McElerhon.