Wicklow face a tough task
A win would be a big shock
WICKLOW supporters head for Parnell Park on Sunday next for a Leinster football clash with Louth and only the most optimistic of them will be expecting to be leaving the Donnycarney venue with a smile on their face sometime after 5pm.
History tells us the men from the Wee county know how to beat us in championship but that all counts for little when Niall Cullen from Fermanagh gets battle underway at 3.30pm.
After another set of results in Division 4 that fell way short of expectations even the most diehard of supporters are finding it hard to continually show their support for the footballers of Wicklow at this moment in time. Louth on the other hand earned another promotion and will play in Division 2 for 2018. They did suffer a loss to Tipperary in the league final proper which will have dented their confidence.
Everything points to a comfortable Louth win. Whatever about league results the Wicklow men have shown in the past couple of years that they can operate far more effectively in championship. Louth are definitely in a better place at this present moment in time but things have been popping up in their world the past few weeks that could unsettle them.
Rumours of discontent between management and the county board over training facilities, the loss of a couple of key players and some poor results in challenge games will offer hope to Wicklow that a price of Louth available at 1/6 in the bookies offers poor value.
The dominant figure in the half-back line Derek Maguire departed for the USA and influential midfielder Andy McDonnell had minor surgery on a knee problem that will keep him out of action. These two will be big losses to Colin Kelly. Just where can Wicklow hurt them most?
They looked far from solid in the full-back line in that league final against Tipp and conceded 3-19, a dip in performance midway through the first half was of more concern to Kelly as his team shipped 1-5 in an eight-minute spell.
Padraig Rath, Patrick Reilly and Anthony Williams are the regulars in the last line of defence. Tommy Durnin is a fine footballer in the middle of the park and the break-up of his partnership with McDonnell will hurt them here. It is in the forward division that they are strongest. Ryan Burns is a super talent as we know from the under-21 clash in March. The Hunterstown Rovers players is one of the top forwards in Leinster at the minute. Captain Adrian Reid in another who will need looking after while Bevan Duffy and the fit again Jim McEneaney are others who performed well in the league run.
Louth are hot favourites and deserve to be but Wicklow have nothing to lose and could spring a surprise.
RECENT MEETINGS
Championship meetings between Louth and Wicklow are rare enough occurrences, Sunday’s game in Parnell Park is just the 19th time the counties will have met since the first meeting in Jones Road way back in 1898. Wicklow enjoyed a two-point win that day but had to wait 89 years to taste victory again over the Wee county in championship. Croke Park was the venue on many occasions for games between the two as Louth enjoyed a run of wins.
We played them there again in 1975 and suffered another loss and had to wait twelve years for our next meeting and a chance for revenge.
On the team in 1975 were: Brian Finnegan (Saint Patricks), John Sullivan (Carnew), Liam O’Loughlin (Annacurra), Brian Carthy (Ashford). Tommy Kennedy (Carnew 1-0). Bobby Dignam (Rathnew), Mick Behan (Ashford), Moses Coffey (Rathnew 1-0). Paul McNaughton (Bray), Eamonn Dunne (Dunlavin), Mick O’Toole (Saint Patricks, 0-4), Peter Burke (Baltinglass 0-1), Mick Sugrue (Bray) Peter Clarke (Kilbride) and Brian Laide (Avondale 0-1).
That 1-7 to 0-8 victory in Aughrim back on June 14, 1987, was secured with a fisted goal from Richie Griffin of Saint Patricks who lined out at full-forward. Mick Murtagh from Dunlavin lined up in the half-back line and his son Eoin is a link to this year’s squad. The Dubs were waiting in the semi-final and showed little mercy.
Wicklow: Matt Gartland (Kiltegan; Sean O’Brien (Baltinglass), Seamus Morris (Tinahely), Mick O’Toole (Kiltegan); Denis Kilbride (Carnew), Nick O’Neill (Stratford), Mick Murtagh (Dunlavin); Pat O’Byrne (Aughrim 0-1), Billy Kenny (Baltinglass); Ashley O’Sullivan
(Garda 0-1), John John Doyle (Tinahely), Pat Baker (Avondale, 0-2); Robert McHugh (Baltinglass, 0- 2), Richie Griffin (Saint Patricks 1-1), Gerry Doyle (Barndarrig). Subs: Pat Spollen (Saint Patricks) for Billy Kenny, John Lynch (Newtown) for Gerry Doyle.
In 2003 Wicklow went to play Louth once more in Croke Park and looking back at this game brings a strong sense of déjà vu.
Manager at the time John O’Leary went in to the game on the back of a really poor league and had a squad struggling for confidence, they battled hard until the inevitable end result arrived. This was a game most noteworthy among Wicklow fans for the two outstanding goals scored in the game by Brendan O Hannaidh and Anthony Nolan.
O’Leary said after the game he had encountered nothing but barriers during a challenging couple of seasons in the county.
He spoke of the “negativity” towards the team and the fact that many of the better players in the county either refused to play or had walked away, some thirteen years later and things sadly haven’t changed much.
WICKLOW – Robert Hollingsworth (Saint Patricks); Ciaran Hyland (AGB), Eoin O’Neill (Stratford), Tom Burke (Hollywood); Clive Davis (An Tochar 0-1),Brendán Ó Hannaidh (Bray 1-0), Brian Flynn (Valleymount); Dara Ó Hannaidh (Bray), Garry Jameson (Saint Pats); Barry Mernagh (Rathnew), Tommy Gill (0-3), Paddy Dalton (Coolkenno 0-2); Anthony Nolan (Baltinglass, 1-0), Donal McGillycuddy (An Tochar), Paul Cronin (Stratford 0-1). Subs: Alan Byrne (Annacurra) for Burke (50min), Colm Byrne (St Pats) for Hollingsworth (53), David Dillon (Tinahely) for Flynn (63), Danny Dempsey (AGB) for Cronin (72), Brian Canavan (Avoca) for Nolan (72).
The three-game saga in 2007 was value for money before Louth eventually progressed with a 2-18 to 0-11 win in Croke Park.
In the first game the teams finished all square in Croke Park Louth 1-11 to Wicklow’s 0-14. With 10 minutes to go a Mick O’Dwyer managed Wicklow team led 0-13 to 0-9 and the self-belief the Kerry Maestro had instilled in his men looked as if it was paying off.
Then disaster struck as Louth hit us for 1-2 in the closing minutes and it took a late free from Tommy Gill to save the day and earn the replay in Parnell Park.
Wicklow lined out as follows: Billy Norman (Eire Óg), Ciaran Hyland (AGB), Damien Power (Rathnew), Alan Byrne (Annacurra), Brendan O’Hannaidh (Bray) Dara O’Hannaidh (Bray), Jacko Dalton (Kiltegan), James Stafford (Rathnew) and Thomas Walsh (Bray), Paul Earls (St Pats 0-2), Leighton Glynn (Rathnew 0-3), Paddy Dalton (Coolkenno), Tommy Gill (Rathnew 0-6), Don Jackman (Coolkenno), Tony Hannon (Hollywood, 0-3). Subs: Paul Cronin (Stratford) for O’Hannaidh, John Slattery (St Pats for Earls.
The second game seen Wicklow shorn of the injured Brendan O’Hannaidh and Tommy Gill received two yellows from a fussy referee to leave Wicklow with 14 men.
It took an injury time point from Newtown’s Dean Odlum to send it to extra time. Wicklow were the better team in the extra period but again needed a last minute point to save the game, this time Thomas Walsh pointed after Tony Hannon had struck the post with a late free.
Paddy Dalton went to wing back for this game and John Slattery started at half forward. Dean Odlum replaced Jackman late in normal time and John McGrath came in to give Wicklow fifteen men again starting the extra-time. Scorers were Tony Hannon (0-5, James Stafford 0-2, Leighton Glynn, Thomas Walsh, Dean Odlum, John Slattery and Jacko Dalton all 0-1 each).
In the third game in a wet Croke Park a tight opening half seen the Louth men ahead 0-7 to 0-6. Second half goals from JP Rooney and Mark Stanfield opened up a gap that Wicklow found just too much this time.
Wicklow visibly tired and there was no way back with the use of the same small number of players possibly the main reason.
The Tommy Murphy Cup run was to come next. John McGrath started at full-forward that day instead of Don Jackman with Dean Odlum and Brendan O’Hannaidh coming on during the second half. Scorers were Tony Hannon (0-3), Paul Earls (0-2), Paddy Dalton, John McGrath, Leighton Glynn, John Slattery, Thomas Walsh and Tommy Gill all 0-1 each.
Sunday offers the chance for the current panel of players to start redressing the balance of the past with the Louth men but it won’t be easy.