Louth Ladies winning run finally thwarted by Wexford

Lidl Ladies National League Division Three Round Five

Louth 1-5 Wexford 2-6

Louth suffered their first defeat of their LGFA Division Three league campaign at the hands of Wexford in a wind-swept Darver on Sunday afternoon, in a match which once again emphasised how miniscule the gap is between all teams in this division.

It was very much in the melting pot with the clock approaching 62 minutes, with Wexford trying to hang onto the ball and to their slender one-point margin.

After a move which seemingly saw every player donning the gold and yellow colours having a touch of the ball, all while Louth tried desperately to win back possession, Catriona Murphy eventually drove the ball to the Louth net to seal an important and a deserved victory for Lizzie Kent’s side.

Playing into a windy clubhouse end of Darver for the opening half, Wexford tried to move the ball through the hands, with captain Roisin Murphy, Orlagh Kehoe, and Aoife Cullen running hard from deep.

Such running saw Murphy and Cullen combine to set up late starting 15 call up Anne Byrne to fire over the game’s opening score just passed the first minute.

Caoilfhion Ní Nuallain doubled the visitors’ advantage from a free moments later, with Louth struggling to make inroads into the Wexford half early on.

But when you boast a forward with the class of Laura Collins, you always have a chance, and the Newtown Blues sharpshooter opened hers and Louth’s account from a place kick, following a foul on the industrious Aoife Russell.

It was the first of seven free kicks won by the Glen Emmets player over the hour, while vice-captain Shannen McLaughin, who finished with 19 possessions in the match, can be happy with her day’s work.

With Aine Breen, Ceire Nolan (18 possessions) and Niamh Rice all making runs from deep, Collins was upfront alongside Kate Flood, and it was Collins who levelled things up from another free, with Niamh Rice the injured party this time, leaving it at 0-2 each inside 10 minutes.

Ní Nuallain put Wexford back in front from another free, in a period which saw Louth lose Dearbhla O’Connor and Mia Duffy to the sin bin in the space of five minutes. However, despite this numerical disadvantage, Louth battled back to draw level again.

Ceire Nolan set up Kate Flood for a spectacular effort from play, before the St Patricks’ star’s delightful switch of play picked out Caitlin O’Reilly, who set up Laura Collins for another terrific effort from distance, putting Kit Henry’s side ahead at 0-4 to 0-3 inside 18 minutes.

Wexford may have only registered 0-1 from seven shots in open play in the first half, but Caoilfhionn Ní Nuallain was 100 percent from placed kicks, and another free from her drew the sides level once again moments later.

The free taker caused problems in open play too, setting up Aobhe Manley for a goal chance, but her effort was denied thanks to a wonderful fingertip save at full stretch from Rebecca Lambe Fagan.  That left the game level at the break, with both sides struggling in front of goal.

With scores continuing to be hard to come by, you felt that a goal could go a long way to determining the outcome of this game, as the lively Sarah Harding Kenny made clever use of an interchangeable breeze to put Wexford ahead five minutes after the restart, trading efforts with Louth’s Laura Collins.

With Louth seeing several attacks breaking down, Wexford made the most of it, when Aoife Cullen and the impressive Orlagh Kehoe from half back combined to set up first half sub Aisling Murphy who took it on the burst, before deceiving keeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan to rifle the ball into the net.

Louth were in desperate need of a response, and they found it moments later, when Aoife Russell was denied from close range by Wexford keeper Leanne Moore.

From the rebound Laura Collins teed up Kate Flood whose looping effort found its way to the back of the net just minutes after Wexford’s major, and the game was once again back in the melting pot heading into the final quarter.

When referee Ciaran Groome awarded the away side a penalty for a foul on Sarah Harding Kenny, much to the home side’s consternation, Louth were left breathing a huge sigh of relief as Catriona Murray blasted the spot kick over the bar, putting her side back in front, 1-6 to 1-5.

But Louth just lacked that composure at the crucial times, as they only registered 0-3 from 13 shots in open play over the hour, while they also lost Kate Flood to the sin bin late on.

While the Wee County were praised for that composure in maintaining possession and seeing the game out in the dying moments of their Kildare triumph last week, it was Kit Henry’s side who were left trying to push onto Wexford and win back possession as the away side held onto the ball for almost two minutes, with almost every player touching the ball.

The move ended with impressive first half subs Aisling Murphy and Clara Donnelly setting up Catriona Murray, who fired passed Rebecca Lambe Fagan at the near post, to seal a huge win for Wexford, setting the cat very much amongst the pigeons in the race for Division Three promotion.

Louth: Rebecca Lambe Fagan; Eimear Murray, Caoimhe Boyle, Rachel Beirth; Mia Duffy, Shannen McLaughlin, Caitlin O’Reilly; Aoife Halligan, Dearbhla O’Connor; Aoife Russell, Katie Flood (1-1), Ceire Nolan; Niamh Rice, Aine Breen, Laura Collins (0-4, 0-2 frees). Subs: Lauren Boyle for O’Connor (43), Hannah O’Neill for Russell (48), Lucy White for Rice (58).

Wexford: Leanne Moore; Aisling Halligan, Shauna Murphy, Katie English; Orlagh Keohe, Roisin Murphy, Karen Tomkins; Aoife Cullen, Anne Byrne (0-1); Aobhe Manley, Catriona Murray (1-1), Ciara Banville; Sarah Harding Kenny (0-1), Aine Lacey, Caoilfhionn Ní Nuallain (0-3 frees).  Subs: Clara Donnelly for Byrne (26), Aisling Murphy (1-0) for Lacey (26). 

Referee: Ciaran Groome (Offaly)