Enniscorthy Hockey Club men made a winning start to 2015 with a 2-0 win over Corinthians IV at a freezing Whitechurch Park on Saturday.
The Slaneysiders showed little sign of any cobwebs following the Christmas break as they played productive hockey throughout. Manager Fraser Rothwell was able to field a strong side even without captain Clive Rothwell, as well as Jonathon Rothwell and Graham Hill. Former captain Kieran Costello made a welcome return and experienced goalkeeper John Murphy made his debut for the Wexford outfit.
The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges, but Costello should have done better with his shot which went narrowly wide. Corinthians were having trouble coping with the strong midfield work of Glenn Chapman and a typically bustling display from Ó Suilleabháin up front. Both sides, though, struggled to convert possession into solid chances. The introduction of Jowett and Medcalf added some much- needed pace to the visiting attack; Jowett making an almost immediate impact with a shot on target. Set- piece attacks were at a premium, but Enniscorthy were able to benefit from a mistake from a Corinthians short corner. First runner Roy Chapman successfully disrupted the hosts attack, and made a lung- bursting run the length of the pitch, before a pass found Ó Suilleabháin who put the Wexford men into the lead. This run by Chapman was probably the highlight of a very strong performance by the midfielder.
After the break the hosts found another gear and put Enniscorthy under pressure for a sustained period. Veitch, Hawkins and Ogilvie were to the forefront in repelling these attacks and keeping the reds at bay. Corinthians danger man Harkins, though, was unable to find the continuity he had in the first half and Enniscorthy were quick to respond to any moves forward by him. Gradually Enniscorthy got on top after a nervous opening ten minutes of the second half, and grew increasingly dangerous as time went by. Jowett, McAlister and Medcalf all had chances to double the lead but the Corinthians 'keeper responded well, while Walshe was also causing headaches for the home defence. A second goal was inevitable- the question was when. Jason Rothwell provided the answer with fifteen minutes to go; taking advantage of confusion in the home defence, he grabbed possession and using his pace forced his way past the opposition defenders before finishing to the bottom right hand corner.
This result sees Enniscorthy move to the top of division seven. Next weekend the Slaneysiders return to Dublin, but this time to take on Monkstown V in what promises to be a challenging encounter for the visitors.
Panel: John Murphy; Andrew Rothwell; Martin Veitch; Keith Ogilvie; Kieran Costello; Jason Rothwell; Roy Chapman; Glenn Chapman; David Simmons; Seamus McAlister; Cathal Ó Suilleabháin; Greg Hawkins; Daithí Medcalf; Liam Jowett; Robbie Walshe.
The Slaneysiders showed little sign of any cobwebs following the Christmas break as they played productive hockey throughout. Manager Fraser Rothwell was able to field a strong side even without captain Clive Rothwell, as well as Jonathon Rothwell and Graham Hill. Former captain Kieran Costello made a welcome return and experienced goalkeeper John Murphy made his debut for the Wexford outfit.
The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges, but Costello should have done better with his shot which went narrowly wide. Corinthians were having trouble coping with the strong midfield work of Glenn Chapman and a typically bustling display from Ó Suilleabháin up front. Both sides, though, struggled to convert possession into solid chances. The introduction of Jowett and Medcalf added some much- needed pace to the visiting attack; Jowett making an almost immediate impact with a shot on target. Set- piece attacks were at a premium, but Enniscorthy were able to benefit from a mistake from a Corinthians short corner. First runner Roy Chapman successfully disrupted the hosts attack, and made a lung- bursting run the length of the pitch, before a pass found Ó Suilleabháin who put the Wexford men into the lead. This run by Chapman was probably the highlight of a very strong performance by the midfielder.
After the break the hosts found another gear and put Enniscorthy under pressure for a sustained period. Veitch, Hawkins and Ogilvie were to the forefront in repelling these attacks and keeping the reds at bay. Corinthians danger man Harkins, though, was unable to find the continuity he had in the first half and Enniscorthy were quick to respond to any moves forward by him. Gradually Enniscorthy got on top after a nervous opening ten minutes of the second half, and grew increasingly dangerous as time went by. Jowett, McAlister and Medcalf all had chances to double the lead but the Corinthians 'keeper responded well, while Walshe was also causing headaches for the home defence. A second goal was inevitable- the question was when. Jason Rothwell provided the answer with fifteen minutes to go; taking advantage of confusion in the home defence, he grabbed possession and using his pace forced his way past the opposition defenders before finishing to the bottom right hand corner.
This result sees Enniscorthy move to the top of division seven. Next weekend the Slaneysiders return to Dublin, but this time to take on Monkstown V in what promises to be a challenging encounter for the visitors.
Panel: John Murphy; Andrew Rothwell; Martin Veitch; Keith Ogilvie; Kieran Costello; Jason Rothwell; Roy Chapman; Glenn Chapman; David Simmons; Seamus McAlister; Cathal Ó Suilleabháin; Greg Hawkins; Daithí Medcalf; Liam Jowett; Robbie Walshe.
