Laois lose narrowly but league semi final berth assured

Laois Ladies footballers ended their regular league campaign with a narrow loss on Saturday as they fell to Wicklow in a tight affair in Aughrim.

Laois had their chances to win the game bu they spurned four really decent goal chances throughout the game and they came back to haunt them in the end. They were already through to the semi finals of the league and while the result won't impact that, all involved will be disappointed to have picked up their first loss of the year.

Wicklow 2-9

Laois 1-11

Both sides took time to settle into the game and after a couple of early half chances at both ends, Aoife Kirrane opened the scoring on six minutes to get the scoreboard ticking.

Laois enjoyed a purple patch after that score but goal chances for Sarah Ann Fitzgerald and Fiona Dooley both failed to materialise from one on one situations.

Wicklow equalised on 10 minutes and four minutes later, they shot into the lead with key forward Marie Kealey firing to the net after cutting in along the end line to leave it 1-1 to 0-1 after 14 minutes.

That was the wake up call that Laois needed and they sprung into gear from that juncture. Sarah Ann Fitzgerald landed a close range free and Aoife Kirrane kicked her second score to bring it back to a one point game with just over 10 minutes left in the half.

Laois kicked on in the closing stages with centre forward Leah Tarpey to the fore. She kicked three points before the half time break with one as good as the other as they looked to nudge ahead before the start of the second half.

Her third point proved to the last kick of the opening half and it sent Laois in leading 0-6 to 1-2.

Laura Nerney opened the scoring in the second half as she raided up from centre back but Wicklow got that score back with the next attack as Clodagh Fox kicked over to bring the margin back to one.

Only five minutes into the second half and Wicklow were back level with Marie Kealey once again stepping up to the plate and lobbing over.

Laois were back into the lead by the 40 minute mark with Nerney once again bombarding up the field and firing over.

Wicklow were getting space and goal chances though and they got their second green flag on 40 minutes when Marie Kealey found the onion bag from close range and shot Wicklow into a 2-4 to 0-8 lead.

To their credit, Laois didn't wilt and within a minute, Laois were level with an Anna Healy free and Aoife Kirrane's third point bringing it back all square at 2-4 to 0-10.

Laois now had the momentum and Sarah Ann Fitzgerald clipped over her second free of the day on 43 minutes and within a couple of minutes, Laois were back in the lead as the last 15 minutes approached.

Laois had a great chance to put some daylight between the sides with 50 minutes on the clock as Erone Fitzpatrick and Aoife Kirrane combined to set up Sarah Ann Fitzgerald who was denied from close range by the Wicklow keeper.

Kealey landed a free for Wicklow to put them back in front with nine minutes to go and those goal chances that Laois left behind them were now coming back to haunt them.

Kealey landed another to her tally to stretch their lead to two points and now the pressure was on Laois in the closing stages.

Fitzgerald was then denied again as her well struck left footed effort came back off the post with Aoife Kirrane unable to manage to get the rebound in over the line.

With the next attack, Wicklow came down the field and Clodagh Fox curled over a lovely score from a tight angle to make it a three point game - 2-8 to 0-11 with five minutes to go.

Laois weren't finished though and with Mo Nerney now on the field, the goal that Laois were threatening all day arrived just in time. Nerney got on the end of a super team move and finished coolly to the bottom corner to level it up with three minutes to go.

With time just up, Marie Kealey popped over a free to put Wicklow back into the lead with the game in injury time. Laois had a couple of chances to level it up but it wasn't to be as they left Aughrim with a one point defeat.

LAOIS

Scorers: Aoife Kirrane and Leah Tarpey 0-3, Mo Nerney 1-0, Sarah Anne Fitzgerald 0-2 frees, Laura Nerney 0-2, Anna Healy 0-1 free. 

Team: Sinead O’Rourke; Amy Potts, Jenny McEvoy, Kate Jacob, Sinead Farrelly, Laura Nerney, Sarah Larkin; Fiona Dooley, Anna Healy; Andrea Moran, Leah Tarpey, Orla Hennessy; Aoife Kirrane, Sarah Ann Fitzgerald, Alannah Havill. Subs: Erone Fitzpatrick for Moran (40), Aimee Kelly for Larkin (43), Rebecca Balfe for McEvoy (43), Eva Galvin for Havill (46), Mo Nerney for Fitzgerald (53), Jane Moore for Dooley (59)

WICKLOW

Scorers: Marie Kealey 2-5 (0-2f), Clodagh Fox 0-3, Sinead McGettigan 0-1

Team: Loretta Gilbert; Lucy Dunne, Sarah Jane Winders, Jackie Byrne; Aoife Gillen, Paula Faulkner, Lorna Fusciardi; Niamh McGettigan, Sarah Delahunt; Amy Burke, Katie Lawless, Helena Dowling; Clodagh Fox, Marie Kealy, Ciara O’Brien. Subs: Tara Costello for Gillen (HT), Megan Heaney for Lawless (HT), Sinead McGettigan for Burke (38), Sarah Hogan for Dunne (41), Rioghna McGettigan for Delahunt (44).

Referee: Patrick Smith (Waterford)