Wexford Youths 0 - 6 Peamount United
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With the stadium waterlogged, Wexford Youths’s reward for an outstanding victory in Castlebar last week was a rainsoaked, chilly afternoon on the Ferrycarrig back pitch. And Peamount United.
Whereas Castlebar are not quite as good as they look, Peamount Unite are the real deal. Ireland’s club representatives at European level, they have a team studded with full internationals and play soccer that’s easy on the eye. The Peas won 7-0 the last time the sides met. Post Castlebar the Wexford Women were hoping for a closer call this time.
Instead they were two goals in arrears within eight minutes. Wide open down the left they were punished by Steph Roche after five minutes and her strike partner Sara Lawlor after eight although the second goal looked suspiciously offside. A miserable half hour for the normally redoubtable Nikki Dunphy was compounded when, with acres of space and loads of time she managed to underhit a back pass to keeper McCormack and Lawlor accepted the gift. 22 minutes, game over.
The fourth goal was something of an enigma, visiting winger Wendy McClone taking a heavy tumble at speed in the box with no defender seemingly within yards of her. Referee Michelle O’Neill pointed to the spot but did not pause to book the Invisible Woman. A stone wall penalty said the referee; it was a trip. And true enough there were no protests except in the area in which I was located, which was far enough away to start unsubstantiated rumours. Roche did the necessary. Two brave flying saves at opponents feet by McCormack restricted the deficit at half time but by then Grace Murray, the most impressive of Peamount’s elite, had departed with what looked like hamstring trouble.
Half time was a little late to reconstruct the Wexford defence but on the restart it was clear that Dunphy had switched to central defence to womanmark the irrepressible Lawlor and there was a welcome return for the promising young Wexford striker Fiona Bennett, long sidelined through illness, although she did not make it past the 72nd minute. The new formation fared better and visiting keeper Linda Meehan was more involved than before but, protected by a defence in which Susan Byrne was outstanding, the consolation goal Wexford might have deserved never materialised. One flying header by Byrne to deflect a fierce cross behind would have been exceptional in any company.
At the other end Dunphy was only skinned by Lawlor once and got away with it but was absent without leave just before the hour when the striker stroked home Critchley’s low free kick from the dead ball line on the right at the near post. Peamount captain Louise Quinn was literally head and shoulders above the Wexford defence, particularly when Murray was still on hand to supply the service. Dora Gorman, working her way to match fitness, was a less visible presence but put the seal on the afternoon with a splendidly driven goal from the edge of the box.
There is much to commend womens football as a spectacle. There is an almost complete lack of the histrionics that are custom and practice in the mens’ game. It’s physical enough but when a player is clattered she just gets up - if she can. So it was particularly disturbing to see no response to the referee’s call for a stretcher when Wexford skipper Kylie Murphy sustained a serious knee injury just before the end of the game. Eventually the Wexford medical team chair lifted the player off the pitch. The crew of the ambulance parked beside the top goal were among the hundred or so spectators.
WEXFORD YOUTHS WOMEN: Charlotte McCormack; Celine Slye, Jessica Gleeson, Trish Cleary (Fiona Bennett h/t, Aleisha Cullen 72), Nicola Dunphy; Linda Douglas, Ciara O'Brien, Kylie Murphy (capt), Edel Kennedy (Rachel Hutchinson 78), Maria Delahunty; Rianna Jarrett.
PEAMOUNT UNITED: Linda Meehan; Melissa Haughton, Karen Duggan (Caroline Thorpe 57), Susan Byrne, Grace Murray (Chloe Mustaki 33); Jenny Critchley (Caroline Healy 64), Dora Gorman, Louise Quinn, Wendy McClone; Steph Roche, Sara Lawlor.
Referee: Michelle O’Neill
Attendance (est) 125
