WYW v Athlone

[ForzaForth]

Tight game in Ferrycarrig this evening but Athlone, being the more cohesive unit and quicker around the pitch, deservedly took home the three points. Wexford started with Maeve, Louise, Lolly, Kylie, Abbie, Emily, Rossi, Meabh, Nicola, Aoibheann and Rianna. The pace of Athlone, particularly up front, got them the lead goal with their first attack when an Athlone forward got to the Wexford end-line and the low cross found Muireann Devaney arriving into the area, and her cool finish past Maeve Williams made it 1-0 to Athlone. It took Wexford about thirteen minutes to test Peterkin in the Athlone goal and she made a good catch from an Abbie Brophy cross and then grabbed hold of a header by Wexford’s Kylie Murphy. On seventeen minutes, Rianna Jarrett equalised for Wexford with her trademark turn and shot inside the Athlone area to put Wexford level. Game was even enough from then until half-time although Athlone did have a glancing header which wasn’t kept on target just before the break. 1-1 at half-time.

[ForzaForth]

The usual main attacking outlet for Wexford, Ciara Rossiter, got more into the game at the start of the second-half, and two dangerous crosses by Rossi weren’t converted by the Wexford forwards early in the second half. However, the dangerous Athlone forwards were also putting pressure on the Wexford goal, and two good defensive blocks by Lolly Conlon prevented Athlone from testing Williams in the Wexford goal still further. Midway through the half, Athlone went ahead when a corner beyond the far post by Athlone was hammered home via the head of Athlone sub, Dana Scheriff, and it was 2-1 to the away side. With seventeen minutes to go, Orlaith Deasy and Edel Kennedy came on for Wexford and later Lauren Dwyer and Aine Walsh. Nearest Wexford came to equalising was through Abbie Brophy who couldn’t keep a volley from her right wing on target when well placed. Athlone sub, Dana Scheriff, then closed the game with a cool finish after a couple of feints had bamboozled a stretched Wexford defence. 3-1 at the end for Athlone with Wexford now probably needing a couple of big results in their next two games against Peamount and Shelbourne to keep in the title race.