Waterford Ladies keep winning start in tact

Waterford Intermediate Ladies Football team have moved a step closer to securing a place in the knockout stages of this years Tesco Homegrown National Football League semi finals on Sunday afternoon last when they comprehensively beat a previously unbeaten Sligo side at Fraher Field.

While it is always very dangerous to try and preempt results it’s looking like at results over the first three rounds of games that Waterford could well collect a maximum nine points in their next three points against Tipperary (away), Roscommon (home) and Longford (home).

Leitrim are also unbeaten after the first three round of games and it looks that they too could collect maximum points in their next three games, against Longford (away) Sligo (home) and Wexford (home).

If this was to happen the clash between Leitrim and Waterford in the seventh and final round of games would be a top of the table clash to see who tops the group and get what would be perceived the easier of the semi finals.

Heading into this game, both sides made changes to the side that won their respective round two games.

The Ballyduff Upper pair of Grainne Kenneally and Hannah Landers missed out for Waterford and was replaced by Aileen Wall and Aoife Murray. Positional changes saw Maria Delahunty move from corner forward to centre forward and Michelle Ryan swapped corners.

For Sligo Aoife Boyle, Eilise Codd and Sarah Reynolds missed out from the win over Wexford with Ann-Marie Coleman, Aisling O’Gara and Grainne Carty coming it, with the management team also opting to make positional changes to the team.

A tight game was expected between the two sides. When they clashed in Sligo eleven months ago, it was the home side that ran out winners on a 1-15 to 1-9 score line and from their respective wins over Wexford in this year’s league it was Sligo that had the more comfortable win, proving that goals do win games, while Waterford had just the minimum to spare.

The opening half of the game did suggest that a close game could be in store. For much of the opening 30 minute both times swapped scores, but once again the importance of goals proved crucial as Sinead Ryan’s twelfth minute goal proved to be the crucial score of the half.

It was the goal scorer’s older sister Michelle that opened the scoring in this game as she pointed after four minutes. Stephanie O’Reilly has been standing out for Sligo in this years league and it was she who equalised three minutes later.

Sinead Ryan was next to score for Waterford, another point but it was cancelled out with an effort from Katie Walsh who has been making an impact in this years league.

Waterford went three up on twelve minutes when two of the most experienced players in the side Michelle Ryan and Linda Wall linked up with Sinead Ryan and the youngest of the three Ryan sisters involved in the panel this year made no mistake.

Waterford could have wrapped up the game in the next two minutes, but Noelle Gormley in the Sligo goal made two excellent saves to deny Waterford goals.

Waterford did manage to stretch their lead to five however before the end of the opening quarter as Maria Delahunty and Aoife Murray both split the posts to give Waterford a 1-4 to 0-2 lead.

The remainder of the half proved to be a very even affair.

Stephanie O’Reilly pulled a point back for Sligo only for Maria Delahunty to cancel it out a minute later.

The impressive Katie Walsh pointed for Sligo seven minutes from the break but Sinead Ryan put over her second point of the game to go with her goal to restore Waterford’s five point cushion.

Both side was happy at that however, and both went for scores before the break.

Grainne Carty was first to register a point for the visitors but Maria Delahunty who has been in terrific form this year closed the first half scoring with her second of the game to give Waterford a 1-7 to 0-5 lead at the break.

If the first half was close, you could not say it about the second half, as Waterford were well and truly in control.

Aileen Wall opened the second half scoring inside 30 seconds of the resumption and from the kick out, Waterford won the ball and worked it back in quickly to Aoife Murray who dispatched it to the Sligo net.

Coming from a well known Rathgormack footballing family, Aoife Murray has the same instincts as those that have come before her, and showed it her by adding the next two scores, the first a point three minutes into the half, the next her second goal of the game four minutes later.

Another player that comes from a famous football background is Sinead Ryan. Supporters of the game will know about her with some time and she showed why she is often rated so high by kicking her second goal of the game on thirty-eight minutes, Waterford’s fourth in total to give Waterford a 4-9 to 0-5 advantage on the score board.

Maria Delahunty, Sinead Ryan and Eimear Fennell all kicked points for Waterford before Sinead Ryan brought her tally for the afternoon to 2-4 with her side’s penultimate score of the game.

Bernice Byrne hit the visitors only score of the second half towards the end of the game, but it was not for the want of trying.

Lauren McGregor hit Waterford’s fifth goal of the game when she rounded the keeper, but the visitors never gave up.

Stephanie O’Reilly drew a good save from sub keeper Clodagh Walsh late in the game and the same player before the end of the game would hit the posts twice.

Next up for Waterford is an away game against Tipperary next Sunday in Ardfinnan, for Sligo, they too are on the road, travelling to play Roscommon in Kiltoom.

Waterford: Katie Hannon; Megan Dunford, Karen McGrath, Emma Murray; Michelle McGrath, Elaine Power, Caoimhe McGrath; Mary Kate Morrissey, Mairead Wall; Linda Wall, Maria Delahunty, Aileen Wall; Michelle Ryan, Sinéad Ryan, Aoife Murray. Subs used; Nicola Fennell, Mary Foley, Eimear Fennell, Clodagh Walsh, Kate McGrath, Ciara Hurley, Shauna Dunphy, Nora Dunphy, Emer Scanlan, Margaret Revins, Lauren McGregor, and Aoife Dunne.

Scorers: Sinead Ryan 2-4, Aoife Murray 2-2, Maria Delahunty 0-4, Lauren McGregor 1-0, Aileen Wall, Michelle Ryan, Eimer Fennell 0-1.

Sligo: Noelle Gormley; Ann Marie Coleman, Orla McGowan, Tara Doddy; Aisling O’Gara, Aisling Egan, Jacquai Mulligan; Sinead McTiernan, Bernice Byrne; Grainne Carty, Sarah Reynolds, Katie Walsh; Laura Ann Laffrey, Elaine O’Reilly, Stephanie O’Reilly. Subs Used: Lisa Casey, Ruth Goodwin, Colley Casey, Karen Maloney, Ciara Gorman.

Scorers: Stephanie O’Reilly, Katie Walsh 0-2 each, Grainne Carty, Bernice Byrne 0-1 each.

Referee. Jonathan Murphy