WYW v Shelbourne LFC

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For anyone interested, it's planned to have audio commentary on tonight's match against Shelbourne at the usual link (k.o. 7.30pm).

www.mixlr.com/wexfordfc

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Proverbial game of two halves in Ferrycarrig tonight as Wexford recovered from a stinker of a first half to get two goals back in a storming second period and will probably be the happier team with a share of the points. Wexford started with Sophie, Linda, Lolly, Nicola, Jenny, Emma, Jess, Kylie, Becky, Amy and Claire up front. With a lot of Wexford players looking like they were out of position and Wexford unable to close Shelbourne down, it was the away side which dominated most of the first half. Shelbourne scored early on when Siobhan Killeen drifted inside Jenny O'Keeffe at left full for Wexford and dinked a left footed chip which nestled just inside the far post for 1-0 to Shels. On nine minutes, Niamh Prior for Shels was through on goal but Linda Douglas for Wexford just got back to nick the ball away. Sophie Lenehan than had a decent catch from an Alex Kavanagh shot before, on 16 minutes, the Wexford defence allowed the ball to be pulled back from the end-line where Alex Kavanagh was able to drive it home for 2-0 to Shels. Kavanagh and McLoughlin were being allowed to dominate midfield for Shels and Wexford were basically unable to get anything going in a forward manner. Wexford's first decent effort on goal came on 35 minutes when Becky Cassin lobbed over Amanda McQuillan's bar. Emma Hansberry then had a cross/shot from the left which drifted wide of the far post of Shels and it finished 2-0 to Shels at half-time with Wexford not really having been in the game.

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Wexford started the second half with a noticeably higher tempo and started to prevent Shelbourne players from turning with the ball. It soon began to pay dividends as Wexford began to pin Shelbourne back in their own half. On 50 minutes, Aisling Frawley came on wide left and immediately made a difference by having a run straight at McQuillan but the latter was able to save with her feet. On 61 minutes, Wexford won a corner and Emma Hansberry's excellent delivery was headed home by Nicola Sinnott and Wexford were back in the game at 2-1. Shels then brought on Leanne Kiernan who didn't look 100% fit. With 12 to go, Orla Casey came on for Wexford in midfield and brought additional energy in that area. With six minutes to go, an excellent Linda Douglas played a long ball forward to Claire O'Riordan who held off two defenders to rattle it past McQuillan in the Shels goal for 2-2. Leanne Kiernan then got a yellow for a tackle on Linda Douglas and was lucky not to see a second one when she jumped miles too early into Kylie Murphy. Wexford had two corners late on before Shels had a corner in the last minute of injury time and forced the ball into the net but it was ruled out for a foul on Wexford goalkeeper, Lenehan, by an unimpressive referee. So 2-2 at full-time with Wexford having played for only half a match.

Best for Wexford were Linda Douglas, Claire O'Riordan and Lolly Conlon while the midfield of Shelbourne impressed in the first half until Wexford sorted them out in the second.