Another Jekyll and Hyde performance by WYW this afternoon, which has characterised a lot of their season thus far, but this time they were sent back home along the N25 with the proverbial hole in the doughnut largely due to a sublime performance by the excellent Clare Shine of Cork. With Emma Hansberry injured and badly missed, Wexford started with Sophie, Linda, Nicola, Lolly, Jenny, Orla, Kylie, Jess, Becky, Aisling and Claire up front in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Wexford began like a train and you could see only one winner from early on. On three minutes, Claire O'Riordan headed wide after connecting with a Kylie Murphy free-kick. On seven minutes, Aisling Frawley was sent free down the left, but Budden in the Cork goal got down to save. On 12 minutes, Claire O'Riordan had a run at Budden from a slight angle, but pulled her shot wide. Wexford then dropped their intensity as Cork came more into the game, but as the half wore on, Wexford began to dominate again and just before the half-hour, Claire had another shot from an angle from the right but pulled it a yard wide again. With 37 minutes gone, Claire O'Riordan was unlucky not to put Wexford ahead when her lob over Budden in the Cork goal took a bounce and hit the post. At this stage, you were wondering if Wexford would rue their missed chances. What looked like the critical moments of the game occurred with four minutes to go in the half. Cork managed to set Clare Shine free down the right, but with only Sophie Lenehan in the Wexford goal to beat, pulled her shot badly wide. Immediately, Wexford attacked and Claire O'Riordan dropped a perfectly weighted ball behind the Cork defence to allow Kylie Murphy to round Budden in the Cork goal to put Wexford ahead which the balance of play justified. 1-0 to Wexford at half-time although Cork had gone close from a corner just before the blow.
At half-time, you reckoned that Wexford looked like needing only a second goal to bury the game. However, the technical weaknesses of Wexford's game showed up right from the kick-off by Wexford as the ball was passed along the ground to a Cork player standing all alone just inside the Cork half, and she released Clare Shine down the right wing whose good cross was buried home by Noonan with a fine header and Cork were back on level terms at 1-1. Wexford responded well to conceding the equaliser, but just after the hour mark, Cork went 2-1 ahead when Paul was given too much space inside the Wexford penalty area, and she steered her shot past Sophie Lenehan to put Cork 2-1 ahead. Three minutes later, Cork won a corner and the ball arrived just beyond the far post and about eight yards out, but the Wexford defence amazingly left Clare Shine in oceans of space just at that spot, and her relatively easy volley found the net to put Cork 3-1 up. Aisling Frawley then had a good chance which Budden saved before, on 68 minutes, a diagonal pass by Cork found the WYW defence facing the wrong way to leave Shine to knock the ball past Lenehan to put Cork 4-1 ahead. Late subs by Wexford were Aoibhin Webb and Chelsee Snell and although Wexford created a few chances late on, Cork were well home and dry on the basis of a 4-1 scoreline. Some very poor passing by Wexford coupled with inaccurate finishing had led to the 4-1 defeat which hardly looked possible at half-time. Wexford had committed too many basic technical errors and this time they were punished largely as a result of good use of the ball by Cork's Clare Shine who made the game look deceptively easy. Best for Wexford were probably Linda Douglas and Aisling Frawley. Exceptionally good news for Wexford in Bishopstown was seeing long-term ACL injuries Rianna Jarrett and Edel Kennedy warming up with the Wexford players before the game although neither appeared on the day's team list. Can't be too long before we'll see their very welcome return. Wexford will be happy being joint-top after the end of the first series of matches but need to stop committing the very basic errors which give opponents the chance to punish. 4-1 to Cork at full-time.
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