Gulf in class shows as Leitrim whoop Wicklow to stay top of the league

Leitrim’s ladies kept their winning streak in this year's Lidl football division 4 league going with a demolition of Wicklow in Páirc Seán O’Heslin on Sunday afternoon.

The home side won’t soon forget the annoyance of this fixture last year's trip when the match in Wilcklow was abandoned at the last minute due to an unplayable pitch after Leitrim made the trip down.

The horrific weather was a character in the story again this time, but despite the swirling wind and torrential rain that arrived as the game began, Ballinamore’s field held up well against the elements.

This was a clash of teams at very different stages, with Wicklow cutting the figure of a team in transition after losing an unnatural number of players from last season, while Leitrim appear to have found a happy place under the new rules following a disappointing campaign last year.

The result? Wicklow were massively outclassed by a Leitrim side that was solid and difficult to break down at the back, fast in transition and hungry for scores.

The stylish interplay between Leitrim’s forwards - Aoife Gilmartin, Leah Fox, Michelle Guckian, Muireann Devaney, Laura O’Dowd and Kate Gormley - ended the game as a contest inside the opening quarter, leaving little doubt why, after five games, their average winning margin in the league stands at 21 points.

The tone was set immediately when Leah Fox netted after just 13 seconds. The Glencar Manor woman took a beautifully weighted ball over the top from Kate Gormley, who continues to impress in her debut season for Leitrim.

It didn’t get much better for Wicklow as the half progressed. Leitrim heaped on the pressure, knocking over points through Rachel McIntyre, Aoife Gilmartin and Muireann Devaney, the latter finishing a right-footed goal after linking up neatly in attack.

Gormley registered the first blemish on the Leitrim copybook with a wide after a lovely ball from Devaney.

Gilmartin then broke through with a thundering run to hit her second point before Devaney latched onto a ball inside, rounded defenders and Wicklow goalkeeper Ellen Griffin before finishing into the net to kill the game as a contest inside ten minutes.

Wicklow struggled to win their own kickouts and, when they did manage to work the ball forward, they looked short of ideas, with talismanic forward Lucy Dunne wrapped up and kept quiet by a tight Leitrim defence.

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Fox added a point to her tally before Devaney sent over a superb right-footed score from a tight angle. Minutes later, she took the ball down the endline and blasted it to the net for another goal.

A two-pointer just eluded Michelle Guckian, who had to settle for a fine score from the edge of the arc on 18 minutes.

Despite being firmly in control, Leitrim might still look back at this period and feel they should have added more goals with Niamh Tighe, Gormley and Guckian all wasting close-range chances.

Leitrim continued to hammer home their advantage, with O’Dowd, Fox, and Gormley each adding two more points each before the break.

Both teams emerged for the second half to torrential rain, along with a raft of changes and Wicklow donning a fresh set of jerseys.

With the swirling wind now against them, the home side lost a little shape after the restart, and Wicklow enjoyed a spell of possession but failed to convert, as efforts from Dunne, substitute Niamh Caffrey, and Laura Butler drifted wide.

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Leitrim goalkeeper Martina Gallagher was called into action when Dunne unleashed a shot that bounced effort that bounced awkwardly, demanding a fine diving save. Gallagher reacted sharply again to smother the rebound from Erin Doyle.

Gormley had a goal disallowed at the other end, with play brought back for a free on the 13-metre line, which Devaney converted. It wasn’t long before Gormley found herself through again, taking a Devaney handpass and rounding the keeper to finish.

Wicklow finally had a slice of fortune when a free from Niamh Caffrey dropped into the net over the head of the Leitrim defence.

Leitrim continued to empty the bench as the half progressed, with the entire starting team replaced by the final whistle. One of those introduced, Lucy Murphy, grabbed the next goal when she pounced on a loose ball in the square and slid her shot under the Wicklow keeper.

Though Leitrim’s point-scoring accuracy dipped in the second half, the goals kept coming. Devaney completed her hat-trick when she burst through the Wicklow defence and rifled a shot into the bottom corner.

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Shaylyan Ward added a point, while Síomha Quinn was narrowly off target before Wicklow claimed their second goal, Eva Doyle turning a long ball into the net.

Chloe Dolan and Vivianne Egan added late points, but Leitrim remained ruthless. Egan capped the afternoon by breaking the line and smashing a shot into the bottom corner to seal an emphatic 31-point victory.

Leitrim face Derry next, while Wicklow take on Kilkenny. Venues for both fixtures are yet to be confirmed.

Leitrim 

Martina Gallagher; Jasmine Maye; Charlene Tyrell; Niamh Morahan; Dearbhaile Beirne; Lauren Devaney; Rachel McIntyre; Niamh Tighe; Anna Devaney; Aoife Gilmartin; Leah Fox; Michelle Guckian; Shaylyn Ward; Kate Gormley; Laura O'Dowd. Subs: Dearbhile Rooney for O’Dowd (30); Emma Guckian for Aoife Gilmartin (30); Vivenne Egan for Michelle Guckian (30); Niamh Caffery for Saoirse O’Reilly (30); Chloe Dolan for Niamh Tighe (42); Aoibhin McGoldrick for Dearbhaile Beirne (42); Lucy Murphy for Leah Fox (42); Michelle Hackett for Martina Gallagher (50); Síomha Quinn for Kate Gormley (50); Shaylyn Ward for Muireann Devaney (50); Shannen O’Rourke for Lauren Devaney (54); Róisin McGloin for Charlene Tyrell (54); Caoimhe Canning for Niamh Morahan (54).

Scorers: Rachel McIntyre 0-1; Aoife Gilmartin 0-2; Leah Fox 1-4; Michelle Guckian 0-1; Muireann Devaney 3-2,1f; Kate Gormley 1-2; Laura O’Dowd 0-2; Vivenne Egan 1-1; Lucy Murphy 1-0; Chloe Dolan 0-1.

Wicklow

Ellen Griffin; Sarah O’Toole; Orla O’Keefe; Emma Doyle; Megan Healy; Sarah Evans; Erin Doyle; Michelle Renaghan; Catriona Renaghan; Laura Butler; Lucy Dunne; Amy Lalor; Holly Sheehy; Saoirse O’Reilly; Eva Doyle. 

Subs: Catherine Bourke for Megan Healy (30); Millie Phelan for Eva Doyle (30). 

Scorers: Niamh Caffery 1-0; Eva Doyle 1-0.