Four different scorers of four goals means it four wins from four for Waterford in Ladies National League.

Waterford made it four wins from four games in this year Ladies National Football League on Sunday afternoon when they beat a depleted Leitrim side with thirteen points to spare a the picturesque Ardmore club grounds.

Waterford manager Pat Sullivan in line with other league games since he took over as team manager for last years league and championship again gave fringe and new players in the panel this year a chance to shine and shine some of them did.

One such player to get a chance to shine in the win over Leitrim was newcomer Rebecca Casey who came on for the last quarter of an hour in this game replacing Katie Murray and in the time she had on the field she showed signs that she has the making of a player that has a very bright future in the game with showing some intelligent use of the ball when she had it and when not in control of the ball showed some clear signs that she could well be a player for the future with some very clever off the ball movements giving her team mates options if needed.

Leitrim travelled to Dungarvan to stay over night on Saturday evening with a depleted side, and were able to call upon just eighteen players on the day, resulting in some wide-scale changes to the team that appeared on the team sheet which included Michelle Guckian listed at centre forward starting between the posts.

While Waterford will be happy to extend their unbeaten run to the start of this years competition to four games, nobody within the set up will need telling that on another day, Waterford’s margin of victory could well have been much greater as on the day Waterford at were poor in their finishing.

Playing with the wind at their backs blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean it was Leitrim that were first to score in  this game as ace full forward Áine Tighe put over a free three minutes into the game.

However, Waterford were soon into their stride and following a good build up from deep inside their own half, the ball was worked into Maria Delahunty who blasted past Michelle Guckian.

The same player had the umpire reaching for the white flag for the first of her six points on nine minutes, a score that was cancelled out four minutes later when Aibhe Clancy split the Waterford posts.

Maria Delahunty and Sinead Ryan from a free extended Waterford’s lead to four on twenty minutes.

Seven minutes from the end of normal time in the first half, the visitors had their numbers cut when Áine Heslin was sin binned for a high challenge, but with a numerical advantage, Waterford failed to take full advantage.

Maria Delahunty put over the resulting free following the challenge of Áine Heslin but the home side would fail to score again in the first half.

In the first of three added minutes at the end of the first half referee Cathy Forde awarded the visitors a close in free but she was called in by her umpires and following consultation with both her umpires at the road end of the ground, she moved away from the goal and outstretched her arms indicating that her original call should in fact be a penalty.

From twelve metres Áine Tighe made no mistake in dispatching the ball past Katie Hannon to level the scoring and just before the break the visitors ensured that they went to the dressing rooms the happier of the two sides as Roisin Fowley split the Waterford posts to give her side a 2-3 to 1-5 lead at the interval.

Waterford at the break stayed in the dressing rooms the longer of the two sides and what ever was said by team manager Pat Sullivan and his charges at the break obviously worked as they came out the sharper side.

The home side now with the wind at their backs began the second half with a hat-trick of points in as many minutes.

Aileen Wall hit the first on thirty one minutes. Two minutes later Maria Delahunty, not for the first time in the last twelve months since she re-joined the Waterford panel after a number of years away hit a score that any player would be proud off.

From a free forty minutes from the end-line and much closer to the sideline than the middle of the field, the Abbeyside split the posts kicking of the ground ensuring that the ball had enough leverage going over the crossbar to ensure that no one was going to get a chance to take it down.

Sinead Ryan seconds later put Waterford two up with a score from play and two minutes later Waterford were unlucky not to have hit a second goal as Aileen Wall found her sister Linda with a delightful past and last years All-Ireland Intermediate winning captain attempted to put the ball high into the Leitrim net but Michelle Guckian got a strong hand to the Ballymacarbry Club players effort tipping it just over her crossbar.

Waterford did manage a second goal on thirty nine minutes when Katie Murray finished to the net from close range and a minute later were unlucky not to have added a third.

Waterford in a delightful move that involved the three Wall sisters saw Mairead begin the move finding Aileen who in turn found Linda and again last years All-Ireland winning captain attempted to put the ball high into the Leitrim net but Michelle Guckian again got a strong hand to the ball tipping the ball over the crossbar for the second time in five minutes.

Aoife Landers put Waterford 2-11 to 2-3 up at the end of the third quarter and on fifty one minutes Waterford had the ball in the net for the third time this time through Liz Devine.

Six minutes short of the hour mark Leitrim struck for a third goal again through Áine Tighe but it proved to be a mere consolation score as there was never going to be any doubting the final outcome of this game.

Aileen Wall hit Waterford’s fourth goal of the game three minutes from time sending her side eleven points in front and in the time that remained Maria Delahunty from a free and Lauren McGregor a late sub in this game got their names on the score sheet.

This is a win that Waterford will be happy with.

Last week Waterford hit five goals against Fermanagh from five different players. This week it was four goals from four different players and in total eight players got their names on the scoresheet.

Young players like Caoimhe McGrath, Emma Murray, and Megan Dunford who played in last years All-Ireland Final got more game time here. Other young prospects the likes of Katie Murray, Liz Devine, Hannah Power, Ciara Hurley, Rebecca Casey, Chloe Fennell, Lauren McGregor, Carragh McCarthy and Aisling Mullally all got game time here and will have gained further experience playing at such a standard which will help them develop as players.

However, Waterford won get carried away with this win. All involved will know that the visitors were depleted and that bigger and tougher games lay ahead and they will know that should the two meet again later this year in the league, the Connacht side on that occasion are likely to be a stronger outfit.

In saying that, there was enough here to suggest that Waterford could well be involved in the last division three game of this years league and that the disappointments of 2014 and 2015 when the side lost to Armagh and Sligo respectfully at Parnell Park could well be made up for.

Waterford: Katie Hannon; Mairead Wall, Caoimhe McGrath, Linda Wall; Emma Murray, Megan Dunford, Katie Murray; Louise Ryan, Gráinne Kenneally; Nicola Fennell, Liz Devine, Aoife Landers; Aileen Wall, Sinead Ryan, Maria Delahunty. Subs: Hannah Power (Saint Patrick’s) for Nicola Fennell, Ciara Hurley for Sinead Ryan, Rebecca Casey for Katie Murray, Chloe Fennell for Aoife Landers, Lauren McGregor for Liz Devine, Carragh McCarthy for Linda Wall, Aisling Mullally for Louise Ryan.

Scorers: Maria Delahunty 1-6 (0-4f), Aileen Wall 1-1, Katie Murray, Liz Devine 1-0 each, Sinead Ryan (1f) Linda Wall 0-2 each, Aoife Landers, Lauren McGregor 0-1 each.

Leitrim: Michelle Guckian; Annette Ferguson, Mairead McCauley, Claire Kelly; Áine Heslin, Sinead Tighe, Melissa Hewitt; Deirdre Ward, Ailish O’Dowd; Michelle Heslin, Ailbhe Clancy, Emma Guckian; Claire Owens, Áine Tighe, Roisin Fowley. Subs: Stephanie Reynolds for Annette Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan for Melissa Hewitt, Aoife McWeeney for Emma Guckian, Emma Guckian for Ailbhe Clancy.

Scorers: Áine Tighe 2-1 (1-0 pen, 0-1 free), Emma Guckian 1-0, Ailbhe Clancy, Roisin Fowley 0-1 each.

Referee: Cathy Forde (Wicklow).

Waterford Ladies Footballers seek fourth win in a row

A win for All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Champions Waterford over Leitrim at Ardmore on Sunday afternoon coupled with other results going the way of Waterford could all but secure Waterford’s place in the semi finals of this years National Division three league which are pencilled in for mid April.

Waterford for the second year in a row are under the guidance of Pat Sullivan and so far his charges have the perfect record, recording wins over Tipperary, Offaly and last time out against Fermanagh.

Leitrim so far have just two games played after their first round game against Fermanagh was called off due to the weather, and since then they have beaten down 4-12 to 1-4 but two weeks ago in their last game they lost to Roscommon 2-12 to 1-5.

When the sides met in the league last year, Waterford had a 5-11 to 3-9 win and when the sides met in the Championship at the semi final stages of the competition at Limerick, Waterford had a 2-17 to 2-6 win.

After their last game Leitrim manager Pat Costello was very disappointed and did not hide his disappointment to a ten point defeat to Roscommon after the game claiming that his side were “beaten to every ball. Roscommon were far the hungrier team, more aggressive and we were beaten to every ball in nearly every position.”

The Leitrim man after that game acknowledged Roscommon had performed well and thoroughly deserved their victory. He will be demanding a much better performance from his charges this time around, knowing that another defeat could well make it difficult for his side to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition as they have yet to play the likes of Wexford and Tipperary, both of whom have serious aspirations of reaching the knockout stages of the competition.

In the last few years Áine Tighe has proven to be Leitrim’s standout player and she often accounts for much of her sides scores.

However, the stronger sides have come up with tactics to curb her influence and when it works, her side sometimes fail to reach the levels they can when she is at her best.

While Áine Tighe is important to Leitrim, its important to note that they are by no means a one woman team as the likes of Michelle Guckian, Claire Beirne, Mairead Stenson, Sharon Kerrigan, Áine Heslin, Deirdre Ward, Dearbhaile Beirne, Niamh Tighe, Carla LeGuen and Michelle Heslin are all quality players.

Waterford last year were magnificent with only one blip all year, that being the league final defeat to Sligo at Parnell Park.

This year in addition to retaining their senior status, winning the league will be the sides number one priority. Nobody will need telling that if Waterford are to be fully equipped to play senior they will have to be playing at a higher level in the league, even if division three is a very competitive league with a number of sides that have played in Junior and Intermediate All-Ireland Finals in recent years involved.

Last year in the league, Pat Sullivan brought in a number of players that had impressed a lot playing in the under 14, 16 and minor grades in recent years and mixed it with some experienced players, something that worked a treat and come the end of the year when the side ran out onto Croke Park from under the steps of the Cusack Stand, a number of these players had done enough to start the game against Kildare in the All-Ireland Final.

The Dungarvan club man and his management team is doing much the same again this time around and in the games played to date, some of the best underage players in recent years have got a chance and have so far impressed.

We can expect Pat Sullivan to give youth its chance again this weekend against Leitrim.

Expect some of the new players brought in this year, the likes of the two Hannah Power’s one from Old Parish the other from Saint Patrick’s, Chloe Fennell, Aisling Mullaney, Laura Mulcahy, Carragh McCarthy and Bronagh Condon to be given a chance again this weekend.

We can also expect to see some of the more experienced players, the likes of Katie Hannon, Mairead, Linda and Aileen Wall, Róisín Tobin who is back in the squad this year, Caoimhe McGrath, Louise, Michelle and Sinead Ryan, Maria Delahunty and Gráinne Kenneally all to play a part as their inclusion in the team is vital if the younger players are to develop.

On paper, little separates these two sides. Over the past few years, Waterford have had the upper hand on the Connacht side. The experience picked up by Waterford last year should stand to them in this game and they should be good enough to make it four wins from four games in this game.

	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Points For	Points Against	Points Diff	Points
Waterford	3	3	0	0	66	28	38	9
Roscommon	3	2	1	0	46	42	4	6
Wexford	3	2	1	0	33	28	5	6
Tipperary	3	2	1	0	59	25	34	6
Leitrim	2	1	1	0	32	25	7	3
Offaly	3	1	2	0	50	57	-7	3
Fermanagh	2	0	2	0	5	59	-54	0
Down	3	0	3	0	33	60	-27	0