Shels punish the Youths
Dubliners come out on top to close gap on the leaders
WITH the chance to either put one hand on Continental Tyres Women’s National League trophy or swing the door wide open for Shelbourne again, Wexford Youths managed the latter in Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday evening.
Despite dominating for large spell, the hosts shipped soft goals against a side that was always likely to pray on weakness.
Wexford have exhibited vulnerability against poorer teams in recent weeks and got away with it so there was an inevitability about what transpired here.
While others have made huge mistakes multiple times in the last few games and had a teammate there to tidy up for them, there’s no such hiding place for a goalkeeper. But this was a really inopportune time for Sophie Lenehan to struggle with her confidence.
There is nobody harder on the Wexford ‘keeper than herself. You could flip it and say there is nobody harder on themselves than Lenehan and when she came and didn’t connect well with the first cross in the opening minute the steam was already brewing between the ears.
There will come a time, hopefully soon, when she lets those errors go. One mistake doesn’t have to equal a second and a third but it needs to come from within, forget about it and move on quickly because there’s nothing you can do to change it and the next test is coming soon. Dwelling is deathly.
Positive reinforcement from those around her would help too. Okay, her footwook needs a little attention and she’s probably working hard on that in training but the majority of Lenehan’s slip-up are mental and that’s something others on the field can help influence in a positive way.
Whether she will get another chance is yet to be seen, although the Wexford management didn’t exactly shine in this one themselves. Tom Elmes hasn’t been tested as a manager in a game his side have the talent to win but aren’t until this fixture.
The Youths boss could point to how his side created plenty of half-chances, probably played the better football and were a little unlucky and he’d have a point.
However, his side started flatter than their opponents, he refused to use his bench and the change of tactics while chasing the game was bizarre.
Starting big games slow is becoming a bit of a habit and it’s not a good one to get into, it usually takes at least two ‘we haven’t even started yet’ from captain Kylie Murphy before her side begin to get into gear and it’s problematic.
The substitution thing is of even more concern. Losing for more than eighty minutes to your title rivals, at home and no changes are made, Elmes might as well turned to Orla Casey, McKenna Davidson and even Becky Cassin and admitted that he didn’t trust them to do anything.
That’s exactly what the lack of substitutions says. Aisling Frawley hasn’t looked a fully fit since she was clattered in the Champions League and was the obvious one to withdraw, although that might have involved asking Niamh Prior’s permission as she let the Youths winger do almost nothing else all evening.
If Frawley was going to stay on for the ninety regardless, it’s somewhat peculiar that she wasn’t switched to the altogether easier task of taking on Seana Cooke on the opposite flank.
In fact, with how well Katrina Parrock was playing, her power might have actually extended Prior at left-back too, giving Youths a double-edged sword.
In the second half Parrock was the one constantly winning her battle which made the positional switch that did eventually happen in the last ten minutes hard to fathom.
Wexford went to three at the back, moved Doireann Fahey on and pushed Parrock narrower inside. Things immediately got easier for Shelbourne without that constant deep threat on the left.
Ironically, it was Shelbourne who had goalkeeping issues before kick-off. First choice Amanda McQuillan was initially on the team sheet only to be scribbled out and replaced by back-up Rachel Kelly.
Wexford had the luxury of naming what management considered their best eleven but they were on the back foot right away. When Lenehan didn’t connect properly with a right-wing cross, Nicola Sinnott was forced to clear Jamie Finn’s shot off the line.
Rianna Jarrett skewed her first attempt at goal well wide from 25 yards out but in the eighth minute her side fell behind.
On one of the rare occasions Prior got beyond Isibeal Atkinson on the left her cross was sliced just under the crossbar and it slipped out of Lenehan’s fingers and into the net.
Wexford settled into the game as the first quarter wore on but apart from some dangerous set-pieces they made no real headway.
Edel Kennedy missed the target from distance and a Jarrett header was well saved by the impressive Kelly.
Noelle Murray had not long avoided a yellow card when doing her usual mouthing-off routine to referee Seamus Kelly when she threw herself on the floor on the edge of the area. Her free-kick was weak and Lenehan clutched it gratefully.
However, the Wexford ‘keeper didn’t even have a chance to move when Malinda Allen rose highest to head home Jessica Ziu’s corner two minutes into first-half added-time.
It was a real kick in the teeth right before the break and left Youths with a mountain to climb.
They started their recovery when Murphy tested Kelly with a 30-yard strike in the 49th minute. Seconds later Nicola Sinnott’s shot was cleverly diverted, via a Parrock header, to the corner of the Shelbourne net.
Just moments after Emma Hansberry sliced a shot wide from distance, Noelle Murray received just a yellow card for a retaliatory kick after the whistle had gone, an obvious red card offence if you are applying the rules of the game, rather than your own rules.
It was the biggest indictment of a poor all around performance from referee Seamus Kelly.
With Michelle O’Neill away, one wonders if Brian Fenlon, Brendan Holohan, Jimmy O’Neill, Mick Farrell and Derek Campion were all unavailable too, for what was, the biggest game of the season.
Pretty much all the damage was being done on the left at this stage with Parrock denied three times in five minutes by blocks and saves.
Kelly was out well to smother at her feet in the 67th minute and Shelbourne scored completely against the run of play seconds later.
After Youths two players went for the one ball and neither claimed it, a nothing long-range shot from Finn hit Lenehan’s legs, spun straight into the path of Atkinson and she netted to make it 3-1.
Wexford looked to work their way back into the game, they revived that genius free-kick routine from the Kilkenny game that allows your opponent to counter-attack on you, while lacking defensive numbers, rather than getting it in to a good area in the opposition box. Neither side scored from it.
Murphy tried her luck from distance but missed the target before Parrock crossed from the left and Jarrett nailed the header into the bottom corner.
After moving the winger inside, a cross from deep by Fahey deflected to Jarrett but her shot was saved.
Sinnott was forced to hook off her own line again with six minutes left. With Shelbourne flooding their own box, Lauren Dwyer sauntered upfield and cracked a superb 35-yard shot but Kelly, true to form, made another excellent save to ensure Shelbourne took the points.
Wexford’s lead is now down to three points with a four-week break before they play their next league game against Peamount.
On Saturday evening Shelbourne head to Ferrycarrig Park again as the sides do battle without their international stars in the shield semi-final.
WEXFORD YOUTHS: Sophie Lenehan; Nicola Sinnott, Lauren Dwyer, Orlaith Conlon, Doireann Fahey; Kylie Murphy (capt.), Edel Kennedy; Aisling Frawley, Emma Hansberry, Katrina Parrock; Rianna Jarrett. Subs. (unused) - Ciamh Dollard, Becky Cassin, Aoife Slattery, McKenna Davidson, Rachel Hutchinson, Ciara Delaney.
SHELBOURNE: Rachel Kelly; Seana Cooke, Jess Gleeson, Pearl Slattery, Niamh Prior; Malinda Allen, Rachel Graham; Jessica Ziu, Noelle Murray (capt.), Isibeal Atkinson; Jamie Finn. Subs. - Emily Whelan for Murray (62), Alannah McEvoy for Atkinson (84), also, Alex Kavanagh, Fiona Donnelly, Amanda McQuillan, Kate Mooney, Lynn Craven.
REFEREE: Seamus Kelly (Wexford).