Enniscorthy 1st XI men were looking to recover from last weeks 1-0 defeat to local rivals Wicklow as they travelled to Dublin to take on Railway Union.
Although Saturday’s clash was top versus the bottom in Division 4, Donal Doyle and his men were under no illusions that it was going to be a walk in the park, as this season thus far has seen some unlikely teams take points off each other. The Wexford side were without their top goal scorer James O’Sullivan who has been side-lined with a hamstring tear which occurred in last week's defeat to Wicklow, and is looking doubtful for much of the rest of the season. However, they welcomed back one of their top goal scorers from last season, Lithuanian Edmundas Liukimas who had been out for the majority of the season with a hand injury.
The Slaneysiders started tentatively as they looked to get a feel for the game and their opposition. The defence of Simmons, Cooke and Rothwell cousins - Andrew and Ivan -moved the ball around well and were finding holes in the opposition midfield. Enniscorthy gained a number of penalty corners in the first half, but failed to take full advantage of them, Liukimas coming the closest to opening the scoring when his shot went narrowly wide. The two sides went into the break all square despite the Wexford men side being on top and having the lions share of the possession.
The second half started with the visitors continuing to have most of the ball and in the initial stages of the half gained a penalty corner, but again to no avail, Enniscorthy wingers English, Durnan and Dunne were all causing trouble for their opposite numbers, using their speed and skill to their advantage. Dunne put the ball in the back of the net for his side but unfortunately for the young attacker the ball struck his foot before he took full control of the ball. Mid way through the half Enniscorthy defenders Ivan and Andrew Rothwell made tracks up the right wing to set up the first and only goal of the game. A ball slotted through the defence from Ivan found Andrew on the end line from where he passed the ball to Roy Chapman who struck the ball sweetly between the Railway goalkeeper’s legs.
Enniscorthy continued to assert their dominance on the game and following Chapman's opener, a strike from Rynhart went just wide of the upright. Railway themselves - perhaps sensing Enniscorthy's vulnerabilities- pushed forward and won themselves a penalty corner with two minutes remaining. They scored from this but to Enniscorthy’s relief it was disallowed. The game finished with the Wexford side adding three more points to their tally, maintaining their four-point gap at the top of Division 4.
Doyle’s men will now set their sights on their next opponents, second -placed Pembroke Wanderers, just four points behind the Wexford men. This game will take place at Serpentine Avenue on 10th March.
Enniscorthy Squad: Graham Hill, Andrew Rothwell, Ivan Rothwell, David Simmons, Cory Cooke, Glenn Chapman, Roy Chapman, Seb Rynhart, Daithi Medcalf, William Durnan, Jacob English, Charlie Dunne, Edmundas Liukimas. Coach: Donal Doyle. Manager: Fraser Rothwell
Although Saturday’s clash was top versus the bottom in Division 4, Donal Doyle and his men were under no illusions that it was going to be a walk in the park, as this season thus far has seen some unlikely teams take points off each other. The Wexford side were without their top goal scorer James O’Sullivan who has been side-lined with a hamstring tear which occurred in last week's defeat to Wicklow, and is looking doubtful for much of the rest of the season. However, they welcomed back one of their top goal scorers from last season, Lithuanian Edmundas Liukimas who had been out for the majority of the season with a hand injury.
The Slaneysiders started tentatively as they looked to get a feel for the game and their opposition. The defence of Simmons, Cooke and Rothwell cousins - Andrew and Ivan -moved the ball around well and were finding holes in the opposition midfield. Enniscorthy gained a number of penalty corners in the first half, but failed to take full advantage of them, Liukimas coming the closest to opening the scoring when his shot went narrowly wide. The two sides went into the break all square despite the Wexford men side being on top and having the lions share of the possession.
The second half started with the visitors continuing to have most of the ball and in the initial stages of the half gained a penalty corner, but again to no avail, Enniscorthy wingers English, Durnan and Dunne were all causing trouble for their opposite numbers, using their speed and skill to their advantage. Dunne put the ball in the back of the net for his side but unfortunately for the young attacker the ball struck his foot before he took full control of the ball. Mid way through the half Enniscorthy defenders Ivan and Andrew Rothwell made tracks up the right wing to set up the first and only goal of the game. A ball slotted through the defence from Ivan found Andrew on the end line from where he passed the ball to Roy Chapman who struck the ball sweetly between the Railway goalkeeper’s legs.
Enniscorthy continued to assert their dominance on the game and following Chapman's opener, a strike from Rynhart went just wide of the upright. Railway themselves - perhaps sensing Enniscorthy's vulnerabilities- pushed forward and won themselves a penalty corner with two minutes remaining. They scored from this but to Enniscorthy’s relief it was disallowed. The game finished with the Wexford side adding three more points to their tally, maintaining their four-point gap at the top of Division 4.
Doyle’s men will now set their sights on their next opponents, second -placed Pembroke Wanderers, just four points behind the Wexford men. This game will take place at Serpentine Avenue on 10th March.
Enniscorthy Squad: Graham Hill, Andrew Rothwell, Ivan Rothwell, David Simmons, Cory Cooke, Glenn Chapman, Roy Chapman, Seb Rynhart, Daithi Medcalf, William Durnan, Jacob English, Charlie Dunne, Edmundas Liukimas. Coach: Donal Doyle. Manager: Fraser Rothwell
