Cracking game in Bishopstown this afternoon after a late late Jess Gleeson goal broke Cork hearts in what was a really well-contested tie. Gary Hunt made three changes from the XI which started against Shelbourne with Amy Walsh, Leanne Tumelty and Orla Casey coming in and went with a 3-5-2 with Sophie, Nicola, Jess, Leanne, Linda, Orla, Emma, Kylie, Amy and with Claire and Maria up front. Playing 3-5-2 puts a lot of onus on the midfield five to operate together as a group, and it didn't work for WYW in the first half as they struggled to create anything against a Cork side who were very up for the tie. Wexford had a header in the net after seven minutes, but it was ruled out for offside. A minute later, Cork had an effort on Sophie Lenehan's goal which went a yard wide. This was the start of a good and lengthy Cork spell with Cork wingers Noonan and Desmond being particularly prominent. It led to the opening Cork goal on 15 minutes when a good Cork cross from the right may or may not have crossed the line before Wexford's Nicola Sinnott, in attempting to clear, buried it anyway for 1-0 to Cork. Two minutes later, a Cork forward, with her side bolstered by the lead, just couldn't make contact with a good cross from the left with the Wexford goal gaping. Then, on 24 minutes, a Cork forward hit the outside of the post with a shot which Sophie Lenehan seemed confident was off-target. Wexford's first chance for a while came on 26 minutes when Linda Douglas volleyed wide when well-placed. Just after the half-hour, Cork headed over from a corner, before on 41 minutes and against the run of play, WYW's Maria Delahunty finished well to beat both the last Cork defender and the keeper for 1-1 at half-time and with Wexford pleased to be going in on equal terms.
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