A DIVISION Three League campaign that ended with Westmeath securing silverware and promotion and Wicklow making an immediate return to Division Four felt like a distant memory yesterday afternoon in Portlaoise as the Garden County pulled off an upset victory to set up a tilt against Kildare next weekend.
Like most of the games played across Ireland yesterday, a strong breeze was a huge factor in the game, and Wicklow took full advantage of it in the opening half to lay the foundations for their first championship win over the midlanders since their 0-9 to 0-3 win in Athlone in 1995.
Christopher O’Brien kicked some gorgeous points for Oisín McConville’s side in the opening half while Jack Kirwan fisted a Dean Healy delivery to the net for a crucial goal 10 minutes before the break – but the real trump card was their defence, which held Westmeath to a solitary point in the opening 35 minutes.
Even so, two outstanding saves from Westmeath goalkeeper Jason Daly kept the interval lead to a manageable seven points, and when the first three points of the second half went their way too from Ronan O’Toole and Robbie Forde (two), it looked like the 2022 Tailteann Cup champions might do enough to keep alive their hopes of staying out of the same competition in 2024.
John Paul Nolan gave Wicklow a shot in the arm with a goal in the 53rd minute, only for it to be cancelled out by a green flag from Jonathan Lynam, the two-goal hero for Dessie Dolan’s side against Down nine days ago.
Luke Loughlin and John Heslin each found the target from frees and from play as point by point, Westmeath chipped away at the lead, but Wicklow were able to do just about enough to keep their noses in front and confirm a season-defining win.
The big game in the province next week will be Meath against Dublin and the Royal County will certainly go into that with plenty of faith in their attacking play after they racked up 3-19 against Longford at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.
How Colm O’Rourke and his selectors will feel about their defensive solidity is another matter, considering that they conceded 3-12 to their Division Four hosts.
It was all plain sailing for the wind-assisted Meath men in the opening 25 minutes when James Conlon and Jordan Morris ran riot, contributing 1-6 between them as their side moved 1-10 to 0-3 in front.
However Longford fired 1-2 before the break, their goal coming from a mis-hit Jayson Matthews shot that dipped under the crossbar, and they weren’t without hope at half-time, trailing by seven.
Points from Eoghan Frayne, Conlon and wing back Ciarán Caulfield after half-time gave Meath a commanding lead once again and Longford never got back within two scores.
The contest got chaotic in the closing 10 minutes when first Eoghan Frayne and Mark Hughes traded goals, quickly followed by Cian McBride and Darren Gallagher doing likewise, albeit with no doubt about which side was going to advance to take on the All-Ireland champions.
There were no such caveats about Wexford’s crushing 4-19 to 0-8 win over Carlow at Chadwicks Wexford Park, the biggest victory for the county in their Leinster SFC history.
When these two sides met in the league, the tie was finely poised at the three quarter-mark before Carlow collapsed and lost by 10.
Here, it felt like Niall Carew’s troops folded up the tent much earlier, as they were utterly overrun from early in the second half.
Carlow kicked the opening point into the breeze and even though they trailed by 0-7 to 0-3 with 10 minutes to go until half-time, they were still well in contention at that point.
Goalkeeper Johnny Furey kept them in it with some excellent saves, but he could do nothing except watch as Seán Nolan sent a string of frees over his crossbar to make it 0-12 to 0-3 at half-time and completely change the momentum of the tie.
Liam Coleman and Niall Hughes gave the Model County a solid platform at midfield and a goal from Nolan early in the second half sucked all the air out of the stadium, as Carlow’s play became dishevelled and error-ridden, allowing Wexford to coast to victory.
Jonathan Bealin and Mark Rossiter (two) added the remaining goals in the final quarter, ensuring that Wexford will have a real pep in their step as they prepare to try and upset Louth next Sunday in Portlaoise.
