Footballers Earn Share of the Spoils

Tom McGlinchey’s Waterford Senior Football Team got their National Football League underway on Sunday afternoon where they returned home from Aughrim with a deserved draw against Wicklow.

Playing the Garden County Side in Aughrim in never an easy task, just as it can often be said of Waterford in Fraher Field, but the home side will be disappointed with this result as Gearoid Murphy missed what appeared to be a straight forward free to win the game for his side.

The game was deep in stoppage time when referee S Mulhare awarded the home side a free and when Murphy who had successfully converted three efforts before this stepped up to take another it looked as if his effort would be put over the head of Stephen Enright in the Waterford goal but to the joy of the Waterford contingent inside the ground, they saw the size five go wide of the uprights.

This was a game where Waterford got off to a very good start racing three points up with just 13 minutes gone, but at the break the two sides were locked a five points each as the visitors hit just one further score in the time that was to be played in the opening half after getting off to a perfect start.

Rathgormack’s Jason Curry opened the scoring for Waterford in the second minute of the game but his effort was quickly cancelled out with an effort from Seanie Furlong on four minutes.

Paul Whyte put Waterford back in front five minutes later and his score was followed up with a score from fellow Kilrossanty club man Joe Veale and on 13 minutes Jason Curry hit his second of the game, this time from a ’45.

The home side would prove to be the better of the two sides in the remainder of the opening half as they outscored Waterford four points to one, to go to the dressing rooms deservedly going to the dressing rooms locked at five points each on the scoreboard.

Daniel Keane hit the home sides second score of the game on 15 minutes and seven minutes later Seanie Furlong for his second of the afternoon from a free.

Paul Whyte helped extend Waterford’s lead on 28 minutes but his score were followed with efforts from Gearoid Murphy and Seanie Furlong before the break.

Wicklow came out looking the hungrier side at the start of the second half and hit the first four points of the half through Darren Hayden, Seanie Furlong and Gearoid Murphy in the opening seven minutes.

            Waterford kicked the next five points in a row, three from Jason Curry free’s to retake the lead by the 53 minute.

Wicklow responded with a brace of scores to go back in front, but Waterford were not going to throw in the towel and bow to Wicklow playing on home soil and they were rewarded with Jason Curry put over his seventh of the game to level matters twelve points each.

Waterford: Stephen Enright; Brian Looby, Thomas O’Gorman, Mark Cummins; James McGrath, Shane Ryan, Aidan Trihy; Tommy Prendergast, Michael Curry; Conor Murray, Gavin Crotty, Dylan Guiry; Jason Curry, Joey Veale, Paul  Whyte. Subs: Donie Breathnach for Conor Murray, Ferghal Ó Currain for Gavin  Crotty, Ray Ó Ceallaigh for Mark Cummins, JJ Hutchinson for Joey Veale, Michael Scurry for JJ Hutchinson (BC).

Scorers: Jason Curry 0-07 ('45, 5f), Paul Whyte, Joey Veale 0-2 each, James McGrath 0-1

Wicklow: Robert Lambert; Ciaran Hyland, Jamie Snell, Paul Merrigan; Pat Burke, Dean Healy, Conor Healy; Rory Finn, Kevin Murphy; James Stafford, Theo Smyth, Darren Hayden; Gearoid Murphy, Seanie Furlong, Daniel Keane. Subs: Mark Kenny for Daniel Keane, Ross O’Brien for Conor Healy, David Boothman for James Stafford, Padraig O’Toole for Darren Hayden.

Scorers: Seanie Furlong 0-05 (4f), Gearoid Murphy 0-04 (3f), Daniel Keane, Darren Hayden, Dean Healy 0-1 each

Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois)