Goals crucial as Leitrim ride their luck against impressive Wicklow

Goals win games is a cliche as old as sport itself but it was never truer than last Sunday when Leitrim’s ability to hit the net proved the difference against a Wicklow team mystified how they didn’t take something from this hard fought Lidl LGFA Division 4 clash in Pairc Sheain Ui Eslin.

Three first half goals from Elise Bruen, Leah Fox and Vivienne Egan gave Leitrim a huge cushion after just 17 minutes of the first half and when Wicklow’s Aoife Gorman was somewhat harshly handed a straight red card five minutes later, it looked as if Jonny Garrity’s side would cruise to a comfortable victory.

Yet it was Wicklow took the game to misfiring Leitrim in the second half, the Green & Gold committing a host of handling errors as the Garden county dug deep and should have taken something, wasting two great goal chances in added time that would have given them, it must be said, a deserved share of the spoils.

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Leah Fox’s second goal midway through the second half, a wondrous solo effort, proved the match winner as it gave Leitrim a seven point gap but no Leitrim fan who left Ballinamore last Sunday will believe anything other than the Green & Gold were mightily fortune to come away with all three points.

For all that, Leitrim’s killer instinct will always give you a chance and had the visitors had finishers of Fox’s calibre, they might have taken the victory. But when you have players like Fox, Guckian, Bruen and Egan, capable of bursting through at any time for a goal, it gives you a huge advantage.

Credit Leitrim’s resilience against the wind in the second half where they battled ferociously, albeit helped by an extra player in defence. It would have been easy to collapse under the pressure but Leitrim stood firm to take the victory.

Conceding 15 points, ten from placed balls with another few missed, will be a worry for manager Garrity, particularly as Leitrim had a player advantage for 44 minutes of this 76 minute long contest but in Sinead McGettigan, Wicklow had a fantastic long range freetaker.

With Wicklow chasing hard late on, sub Roisin Byrne put a great chance wide when put clear through while Leitrim fans let out a big sigh of relief when Sarah Jane Winders intercepted a kickout and lobbed a wonderful effort over the head of the retreating Michelle Monaghan only to see it come crashing back off the crossbar.

The Leitrim team who defeated Wicklow in the Lidl LGFA Division 4 clash in Ballinamore Picture: Willie Donnellan

The sending off of Wicklow’s powerful midfielder Aoife Gorman on a straight red card after just 22 minutes caught everyone by surprise. The Tinahely midfielder appeared to be fouled as she tried to break free of a challenge but a swinging arm was judged by Roscommon referee Aaron Clogher to merit the ultimate sanction, something that left even the Leitrim fans bemused.

Yet a win is still a win and Leitrim top the group after two games and head to Derry next Sunday in good spirits where another win will leave them in a brilliant position to make the semi-finals before the first break in action.

Wicklow opened the scoring thanks to a Niamh Caffrey free after just 50 seconds but despite a strong start for the visitors, Leitrim rocked them back on their heels six minutes in when Elise Bruen broke through from 40 yards out, soloed through and picked her spot in the net for a big goal.

The visitors responded well, Aoife Gorman firing over a nice point after good work from Aoife Kavanagh and Caffrey but Leitrim again hit back with a goal but not without a bit of drama as Leah Fox drove her spotkick against the post, the ball coming back into the arms of Wicklow keeper Ellen Griffin on 12 minutes, the penalty after a foul on Ailbhe Clancy.

But Fox made spectacular amends as she twisted and turned after good work from Bruen and Niamh Tighe, producing a wonderful finish for Leitrim’s second goal. It was almost three when Vivienne Egan tried to divert the ball past Griffin but the Wicklow keeper made a good save, Fox shooting wide from the loose ball.

But the third came seconds later, Egan breaking through on the wing, seemingly losing control of the ball only to pull and find the far corner, leaving Leitrim an incredible 3-0 to 0-2 ahead.

Niamh Cullen and Ailbhe Clancy swapped points but the game took an even bigger turn when Wicklow’s powerful midfielder Aoife Gorman was given a straight red card from referee Aaron Clogher of Roscommon, most fans judging it very harsh as the Tinahely woman was penalised for a swinging arm.

Leitrim hit two points from Clancy and Michelle Guckian but Wicklow responded with good scores from Cullen and Sinead McGettigan (free) to leave the halftime score at 3-3 to 0-5 in Leitrim’s favour.

Whatever advantage there may have been in the crossfield wind was Wicklow’s in the second half and after McGettigan swapped frees with Michelle Guckian, the Garden County started to make inroads into Leitrim’s lead with Sarah Jane Winders and McGettigan, from a 50 yard free, finding the target.

Despite being a player short, Wicklow were starting to dominate and two more McGettigan points, one a long range free and the second a brilliant effort from the corner, cut Leitrim’s seven point lead back to a goal after 11 minutes of the second half.

Leitrim’s response was the winning of the game - Guckian converted a free before Leah Fox pounced for a superb solo solo right on the three quarter mark, a score that left Leitrim 4-5 to 0-10 in front and seemingly home and hosed.

But Wicklow refused to lie down, McGettigan would hit three more frees in the next eight minutes while also missing a chance. Crucially, Wicklow got a boost when Leitrim sub Eimear Quigley was sent to the sin-bin, although McGettigan would skim the outside of the post with the resulting free.

The Wicklow centre-forward would make amends with a superb point from play to leave a goal between the teams with Elizabeth Bourke seeing a low shot saved by Leitrim keeper Michelle Monaghan.

Leitrim gave themselves some breathing room when Michelle Guckian converted a free in the last minute of normal time but a battling Wicklow refused to give up and they should have goaled when they put together a great move in to get in behind the Leitrim defence only for sub Niamh O’Brien to put her shot inches wide with only the keeper to beat.

McGettigan missed a good chance to cut the gap to three but from the kickout, Sarah Jane Winders intercepted a poor kickout but her spectacular effort for a goal came back off the post as Leitrim cleared the danger. Wicklow would add yet another McGettigan free but Leitrim were able to hold on as the final whistle sounded seconds later.

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LEITRIM

Scorers: Leah Fox 2-0; Michelle Guckian 0-4, 2f; Elise Bruen & Vivienne Egan 1-0 each; Ailbhe Clancy 0-2

Team: Michlle Monaghan, Eimear McHugh, Charlene Tyrell, Clare Owens, Sarah Reynolds, Kasey Bruen, Orla Flynn, Niamh Tighe, Elise Bruen, Vivienne Egan, Michelle Guckian, Siomha Quinn, Ailbhe Clancy, Leah Fox, Aine Redican. Subs: Eabha Moyle & Bronagh O’Rourke for Flynn & Quinn (HT); Laura O’Dowd & Megan McGovern for Redican & Egan (38); Eimear Quigley for Tyrell (39); Aisling Quinn for Tighe (48); Edel Shanley for McHugh (60); Lauryn McKeon for Reynolds (62)

WICKLOW

Scorers: Sinead McGettigan 0-10, 8f; Niamh Cullen 0-2; Aoife Gorman, Niamh Caffrey (f) & Sarah Jane Winders 0-1

Team: Ellen Griffin, Meabh Corr, Lucy Dunne, Megan Healy, Niamh Cullen, Shannagh Goetelen, Sarah Evans, Sarah Jane Winders, Aoife Gorman, Niamh Caffrey, Sinead McGettigan, Ciara Lancaster, Aoife Kavanagh, Ella Parke, Eimear O’Brien. Subs: Grace Murphy for Caffrey (22); Caffrey for E O’Brien (HT); Aobha Harmon for Lancaster (48); Roisin Byrne for Healy (52); Elizabeth Bourke for Evans (53); Niamh O’Brien for Caffrey (55)

Referee: Aaron Clogher (Roscommon)