So near and yet so far. Fraser Rothwell's men came agonisingly close to securing a league and cup double at The Maws on Saturday, but fell to a rare defeat against North Kildare in the Walters Cup final.
The Maws has not been a happy hunting ground for Enniscorthy's men; in their sole previous visit to the Kilcock venue the Slaneysiders departed on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline. On that occasion the Wexford men were seriously depleted, whereas this time round Fraser Rothwell could pick from a much stronger side, though without defenders Martyn Veitch and Keith Ogilvie. Graham Hill lined out in goal; in front of him were Andrew Rothwell, Clive Rothwell, P. J. Pierce, as well as Greg Hawkins, who had been in impressive form of late at training. Ó Suilleabháin and the Chapman brothers- Roy and Glenn- took up midfield berths while Medcalf, Jowett, and Jason Rothwell provided the attacking threat.
North Kildare began by pinning Enniscorthy back inside their 23 metre line, not giving their opponents any time to settle. Inside two minutes the home side won their first short corner which was, however, dealt with by the Enniscorthy defence. A minute later, though, the hosts claimed the lead. Mark Seery received the ball at the edge of the Enniscorthy semi- circle; taking the ball forward, he then sent it high into the top corner of Hill's net. Following this stunning strike, Enniscorthy switched to a 4-4-2 formation from 4-3-3, Medcalf making way for David Simmons. This seemed to settle the side, and soon after the division 7 champions had the chance to equalise when their first foray into the North Kildare semi- circle resulted in a short corner. Glenn Chapman, though, mis-trapped the push-out from Clive Rothwell and the chance was lost.
Enniscorthy fought their way back into the game, and what developed was a match full of end to end action, both sides making light of the rain which fell throughout the afternoon. Liam Jowett was a livewire in the Enniscorthy attack, while the midfield put in a typically hardworking performance. David Simmons had to be replaced shortly before half time having sustained an eye injury which required stitches over his left eye. The second half saw the visitors gain the upper hand in terms of possession and Trevor Gillis in the North Kildare goal was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers, producing two fine saves within four minutes, ten minutes after the restart to deny the Enniscorthy attack. The visitors battered the home defence; long, high aerial balls from Clive Rothwell placed the Kildare men under immediate pressure, while strong running from Jason Rothwell and Jowett threatened to tear open the defence on occasion. At times the Wexford men were their own worst enemies, giving possession away cheaply against the side which claimed the division 6 title this season, but stout defending at the back prevented North Kildare from extending their lead. Enniscorthy, though, were unable to unlock the host defence and North Kildare claimed Walters Cup honours on a 1-0 scoreline, having been defeated in the final last season.
Squad: Graham Hill; Andrew Rothwell; Greg Hawkins; P. J. Pierce; Clive Rothwell; Roy Chapman; Glenn Chapman; Cathal Ó Suilleabháin; Daithí Medcalf; Liam Jowett; Jason Rothwell; Robbie Walshe; David Simmons; Kieran Costello; Seamus McAlister; Ivan Rothwell; Jonathon Rothwell.
The Maws has not been a happy hunting ground for Enniscorthy's men; in their sole previous visit to the Kilcock venue the Slaneysiders departed on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline. On that occasion the Wexford men were seriously depleted, whereas this time round Fraser Rothwell could pick from a much stronger side, though without defenders Martyn Veitch and Keith Ogilvie. Graham Hill lined out in goal; in front of him were Andrew Rothwell, Clive Rothwell, P. J. Pierce, as well as Greg Hawkins, who had been in impressive form of late at training. Ó Suilleabháin and the Chapman brothers- Roy and Glenn- took up midfield berths while Medcalf, Jowett, and Jason Rothwell provided the attacking threat.
North Kildare began by pinning Enniscorthy back inside their 23 metre line, not giving their opponents any time to settle. Inside two minutes the home side won their first short corner which was, however, dealt with by the Enniscorthy defence. A minute later, though, the hosts claimed the lead. Mark Seery received the ball at the edge of the Enniscorthy semi- circle; taking the ball forward, he then sent it high into the top corner of Hill's net. Following this stunning strike, Enniscorthy switched to a 4-4-2 formation from 4-3-3, Medcalf making way for David Simmons. This seemed to settle the side, and soon after the division 7 champions had the chance to equalise when their first foray into the North Kildare semi- circle resulted in a short corner. Glenn Chapman, though, mis-trapped the push-out from Clive Rothwell and the chance was lost.
Enniscorthy fought their way back into the game, and what developed was a match full of end to end action, both sides making light of the rain which fell throughout the afternoon. Liam Jowett was a livewire in the Enniscorthy attack, while the midfield put in a typically hardworking performance. David Simmons had to be replaced shortly before half time having sustained an eye injury which required stitches over his left eye. The second half saw the visitors gain the upper hand in terms of possession and Trevor Gillis in the North Kildare goal was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers, producing two fine saves within four minutes, ten minutes after the restart to deny the Enniscorthy attack. The visitors battered the home defence; long, high aerial balls from Clive Rothwell placed the Kildare men under immediate pressure, while strong running from Jason Rothwell and Jowett threatened to tear open the defence on occasion. At times the Wexford men were their own worst enemies, giving possession away cheaply against the side which claimed the division 6 title this season, but stout defending at the back prevented North Kildare from extending their lead. Enniscorthy, though, were unable to unlock the host defence and North Kildare claimed Walters Cup honours on a 1-0 scoreline, having been defeated in the final last season.
Squad: Graham Hill; Andrew Rothwell; Greg Hawkins; P. J. Pierce; Clive Rothwell; Roy Chapman; Glenn Chapman; Cathal Ó Suilleabháin; Daithí Medcalf; Liam Jowett; Jason Rothwell; Robbie Walshe; David Simmons; Kieran Costello; Seamus McAlister; Ivan Rothwell; Jonathon Rothwell.
