Déise Ladies Secure First League Win

Waterford recorded a first win in this year’s Lidl sponsored Division Two National Ladies Football League on Sunday afternoon and in doing so move to second place in the league table, behind Tyrone the only side to have won their two opening games in this year’s league.

Just as was the case last week against Clare in the opening round of fixtures, Waterford were quickest out of the traps despite conceding a point within thirty seconds of the throw in.

This win coupled with results going the way of Waterford puts Pat Sullivan’s charges in a good place, but they know that there is still a long way to go, and the next game against away to Sligo in two weeks’ time becomes a must win game.

Rachel Williams opened the scoring for Laois within thirty seconds of the game starting, but after this score it was Waterford that were the side that were most on top, kicking the next five scores without response to go eight points up by the midway point in the first half.

Lauren McGregor pulled the sides level on three minutes when she put over a free, after which Aileen Wall took a well taken goal following a goal mouth scramble. The same player pointed on ten minutes and from a poor kick-out after Aileen’s goal, Waterford attacked the Laois goal once more and Geraldine Power laid the ball off to Lauren McGregor who finished to the net for another Waterford goal. And on fourteen minutes Aileen Wall put Waterford 2-3 to 0-1 in front.

This score proved to be a wake-up for the visitors as they hit the next two scores, first from a Clare Conlon free and then a Meaghan Dunne effort from play.

Lauren McGregor broke the Laois flow of scores with a point from play but it was quickly followed with a Claire Conlon effort from a placed ball.

The visitors were trying hard to breach the Waterford defence with no success for some while, but perseverance paid off on twenty two minutes when Laura Neary made no mistake in beating Katie Hannon when she got did manage to get inside the Waterford full back line to leave just three between the sides.

The remainder of the half proved to be an even contest.

Lauren McGregor put over a free six minutes short of the half hour mark but Meaghan Dunne cancelled it out a minute later.

Caoimhe Simms and Lauren McGregor swapped scores from play before Claire Conlon from a free and Nicola Fennell from play swapped scores to give Waterford a 2-7 to 1-7 lead at the break.

In added time at the end of the first half, Waterford had Dearbhaile Ni hAodha sinbinned meaning that she would miss the majority of the opening ten minutes of the second half and with a player advantage for the second half, Laois made full use of it, kicking two early scores through Noirin Kirwan, a half time sub and Ciara Burke another player brought into the game at the break, landed early scores to leave the minimum between the sides with eight minutes of the second half played.

Waterford looked to be in trouble and that the visitors would go on and get something from the game, but Pat Sullivan made some astute substitutes sending on Katie Murray, Chloe Fennell and Hannah Landers and with Waterford back up to their full complement of players it helped reduce the early dominance that Laois were having after the restart.

There was a long period without both sides adding any further scores, but when the next scores did come, they went in the way of the home side as Lauren McGregor landed two frees in the fifty sixth and fifty seventh minutes to put Waterford three points in front once more.

The last minutes of this game saw both sides do what they had to, to get something from the game and as a result, both sides finished the game with just thirteen players each on the field of play.

Áine Haberlain and Anna Healy were first to be sinbinned by the Co. Wicklow Referee on the day, and they were followed to the line by Emma Murray and Caoimhe McGrath.

Laois pressed hard to try and get something from this game late on in the game and did manage one last score, a pointed free by Mo Nerney on the hour mark but it proved to be but a mere consolation score for the visitors.

Waterford: Katie Hannon; Kate McGrath, Michelle McGrath, Megan Dunford; Mairead Wall, Karen McGrath, Dearbhaile Ní hAodha; Caoimhe McGrath, Hannah Power; Lauren Guiry, Nicola Fennell, Emma Murray; Aileen Wall, Geraldine Power, Lauren McGregor. Subs: Katie Murray for Lauren Guiry (HT), Chloe Fennell for Geraldine Power (43), Hannah Landers for Hannah Power (54).

Scorers: Lauren McGregor 1-6 (0-4f), Aileen Wall 1-2, Nicola Fennell 0-1.

Laois: Ciamh Dollard; Amy Potts, Jenny McEvoy, Martha Kirwan; Áine Haberlain, Mags McEvoy, Anna Healy; Maggie Murphy, Eva Galvin; Erone Fitzpatrick, Clare Conlon, Caoimhe Simms; Ciara Burke, Meaghan Dunne, Rachel Williams. Subs: Laura Neary for Maggie Murphy (15), Noirin Kirwan for Claire Conlon (HT), Ciara Burke for Rachel Williams (HT), Mo Neary for Noirin Kirwan (50).

Scorers: Claire Conlon 0-3 (3f), Laura Neary 1-0, Meaghan Dunne 0-2, Rachel Williams, Caoimhe Simms, Noirin Kirwan, Ciara Burke, Mo Neary (f) 0-1 each.

Referee: Stephen McNulty (Wicklow).

Many in the stands for this game were very frustrated by what they called a whistle happy referee. However, they were given something to smile about on forty seven minutes, when the referee’s whistle stopped working and he had to come to the Waterford mentors in front of the stand and to borrow a whistle from them to allow him to continue with the game.