Wexford 2-6
London 1-5
WEXFORD ladies travelled home happy after eventually claiming a win from this well contested Leinster Intermediate Football quarter final on Sunday afternoon.
With blustery conditions in Ruislip it took both sides a little while to find their rhythm. Indeed, it took until the 20th minute for the deadlock to be broken. After winning breaking ball in midfield, play was worked to Maria Byrne. The full forward showed the London defence a clean pair of heels and wrong footed Lucy Hawkes in the London goal with a low drive.
Scores started to arrive then as first Caitriona Murray pointed for Wexford followed by Orla McWeeney registering the Exiles first point. With half time approaching, London were awarded a free after Shannon Ni Dhonncha was upended. The Parnells star slotted the free to close the gap to two points.
Wexford came out in the second half with renewed energy as they scored again within a minute, Bryne again using her pace.
Beginning to impose herself in midfield, Roisin Murphy won the resulting kick out. Exchanging hand passes with Niamh Moore, Murphy made no mistake with her attempt as Wexford stretched their lead to four points.
London reacted in great fashion as substitute Roisin McDonald went on a marauding run up the left wing. Her accurate pass reached Rebecca Mills, who made no mistake from in front of the posts.
Again the game swung back and forth as both teams traded scores. Wexford continued to stay in front as the quality of Maria Byrne shone through.
With 10 minutes remaining, the sides were still separated by four points. It was clear London would need to hit the Wexford net if they were have any chance and that is exactly what they did.
Having worked the ball well in midfield, London were patient enough to wait for a gap in the Wexford defence. With great movement, Fiona Morrissey received the ball to the right of the posts. Her hard low drive was unstoppable and made it a one point game.
With increased confidence, London piled forward looking for the win. Committing more players to the attack, gaps in defence were inevitable and when a high bouncing ball landed in the hands of Maria Bryne, the result was inevitable as she scored her second goal of the day. There was still time for the forward to add a further free as Wexford progressed to the semi-final by a winning margin of four.
Scorers for London: F Morrissey 1-0, S Ni Dhonncha 0-2 (1f), O McWeeney 0-1, R Mills 0-1, E Hackett 0-1.
Scorers for Wexford: M Byrne 2-4 (2fs), C Murphy 0-1, R Murphy 0-1, C Martin 0-1 (1f)
London: L Hawkes; B Durkan, N Murphy, E Hackett; R Newell, S Quinn, A Kenneally; H Hughes, P McCarthy; O McWeeney, M Flaherty, F Morrissey; A M Fitzgerald, S Ni Dhonncha, R Mills. Subs: R McDonald for M Flaherty (30 mins), C Benson for A M Fitzgerald (50 mins), O Mulcahy for S Ni Dhonncha (55 mins).
Wexford: B Byrne; M Quill, M Cullen, G Hearne; C Denton, N Mernagh, D Chin; R Murphy, K Kearney; M Moran, C Murray, E O'Brien; C Martin, M Byrne, N Moore. Subs: C Neville for D Chin (48 mins), E Hore for K Kearney (53 mins), K Redmond for N Moore (65 mins).
Referee: C McManus (Meath).
