Wexford beaten by sharper Wicklow side in Leinster ladies’ football Under-14 Bronze final

However, the game was marred by a nasty lower leg injury to key Wexford midfielder Pippa Kinsella, who went down with the sides level at 2-1 each after ten minutes.

The Naomh Éanna player remained on the ground for an hour and eight minutes before an ambulance arrived to bring her to Portlaoise hospital. In the meantime, the game was moved to the main pitch and continued, with Wicklow proving the stronger outfit.

While Kinsella is arguably Wexford’s best player and impossible to replace, one would have to be naive to think that the injury was the only reason Wicklow came out on top. They were sharper overall, used the ball better, and consistently picked off scores.

The Garden girls have a gem in forward Brooke Byrne and need to nurture her in the coming years. However, it was a true team effort, with all facets of their game working well to produce the goods.

Wexford should be disappointed by the campaign so far, where wins have been missing from their resumé. It’s probably not a surprise watching this game as there’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to their game play.

Looking at the squad, one wonders about the make-up. Players were given ample chance to impress in trials but unlike the other under-age teams, where powerhouse clubs make up the bulk of the squads, this group was assembled with 30 players from 16 clubs, including twelve in the starting line-up.

Given that last year’s Under-14 side also struggled, there’s a lot of work to be done to make these teams competitive at Under-16 level, and the pressure is on after the current side won the Leinster ‘B’ title against Meath on the same afternoon.

Wexford were first on the scoreboard, netting through Aoibheann Kinsella after she was set up by Cara O’Shaughnessy. Wicklow responded with a Lucy Keely point and were soon ahead thanks to Byrne’s first green flag score.

O’Shaughnessy majored off the post to flip the lead in her side’s favour, only for Moya Marrinan to respond in kind. Becky Ryan-Hendrick levelled before there was a 25-minute delay following Kinsella’s injury.

Hannah Cullen set O’Shaughnessy up for her second goal as Wexford looked to respond to adversity. That came moments after the restart but the Slaneysiders didn’t score again until eight minutes into the second-half, by which time they trailed by six.

In the meantime Wicklow pointed through Byrne and took the lead back when she sent Keely away to net. A string of points, with Keely, Byrne, Alanna McCoy and Emily Wafer all on the scoresheet, gave the champions a 3-6 to 3-1 interval lead.

An early Keely point was countered by Erin Walsh for Wexford, but the Slaneysiders went 16 more minutes without a score.

Meanwhile, Wicklow prospered, with both Brooke Byrne and Kitty O’Beirne netting twice and Niamh Wafer also finding the net on their way to an 8-10 to 3-2 lead.

To their credit, Wexford continued to battle and got late goals from the impressive Walsh and Ruby Roche.

The last Wicklow score came from the boot of Sophie O’Loughlin, and her side will go into the All-Ireland series in more confident mood than Saturday’s opposition.

Wicklow: Aoibhinn Doyle (Ashford); Mary Corrigan (St. Nicholas), Ciara Curran (Bray Emmets), Alannah Marie Quigley (Clan na Gael); Lucy Doyle-Horgan (Ashford), Emily Behan (Ashford, capt.), Grace Finnegan (Kilcoole); Emily Wafer (Carnew Emmets, 0-1), Nessa Clancy (Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney); Alannah McCoy (Clara, 0-1), Niamh Wafer (Carnew Emmets, 1-1), Lucy Keely (Kilbride, 1-3, 0-1 free); Katie Nuzum (Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney), Moya Marrinan (Éire Óg, 1-0), Brooke Byrne (Rathnew, 3-4, 0-2 frees). Subs. - Sophie Hurley (Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney) for Marrinan (20), Sophie O’Loughlin (Tinahely, 0-1) for Nuzum (20), Lily Stapleton (Tinahely) for Quigley (20), Kitty O’Beirne (Éire Óg, 2-0, 1 free) for Clancy (35), Laoise Mellon (Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney) for Doyle-Horgan (38), Sophie Kavanagh (Kilcoole) for McCoy (50), Carissa Dunne (Clara) for Corrigan (55), Arianna Riordan (Kilcoole) for Finnegan (55), Millie Free (Clan na Gael) for Cullen (55), Róisín McGuirk (An Tóchar) for Doyle (55), Edie Renwick (St. Patrick’s) for Behan (57), Seren Waters (St. Nicholas) for Keely (58), also Millie Kennedy (St. Patrick’s), Ellie Barcoe (St. Patrick’s), Chloe Ward (Clara).

Wexford: Martha Gallagher (Sarsfields); Bethany Nolan (St. Fintan’s), Aoife McDonald (Adamstown), Tegan O’Connell-Byrne (Clonee); Leah Slye (Baile Dubh Tíre), Hannah Cullen (St. Joseph’s), Saoirse Wall (Gusserane); Pippa Kinsella (Naomh Éanna), Millie Kennedy-Murphy (HWH-Bunclody); Ella Furlong (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy), Aoibheann Kinsella (Kilanerin, 1-0), Laura Furlong (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy); Becky Ryan-Hendrick (HWH-Bunclody, 0-1), Cara O’Shaughnessy (Shelmalier, 2-0), Rosanne King (St. Fintan’s). Subs. - Emma Murphy (HWH-Bunclody) for P. Kinsella, inj. (11), Ruby Roche (Clonee, 1-0) for E. Furlong (28), Pippa Howitt (Shelmalier) for O’Connell-Byrne (31), Erin Walsh (Ballyhogue, 1-2) for King (31), Keily Kavanagh (Clonee) for L. Furlong (35), Ciara Broderick (Blackwater) for Nolan (46), Grace O’Leary (HWH-Bunclody) for Ryan-Hendrick (46), Ava Wilson (Adamstown) for A. Kinsella (52), Ciara Murphy (Gusserane) for Wall (56), also Ruby Dixon (Craanford-Monaseed), Lia Brennan (Baile Dubh Tíre), Holly Quill (Shelmalier), Isabella Kavanagh (Shelmalier), Ava Murphy-Bowes (Clonee), Cara Hyland (Glynn-Barntown).

Referee: Enda Kelly (Westmeath).