Enniscorthy had to make the long journey to Loreto College, Mullingar this weekend where they took on Mullingar II. The journey was well worth it for the Slaneysiders as they took home all three points in a thrilling 2-1 win, putting the visitors top of the Leinster Division 7 League.
Like Enniscorthy’s win over Pembroke Wanderers a week earlier, a difficult challenge awaited. Mullingar had yet to be beaten this season, and last season had played in Division 6. As a result, manager Fraser Rothwell opted for a more defensive team structure, as he knew the threat the home side possessed.
Mullingar from the off put the South East side's defence under immense pressure. However, It wasn’t until the final play of the first half that the deadlock was broken, and it was the Wexford men who stuck. An Enniscorthy attack resulted in a short corner for the visiting side; the Rothwell brothers- Clive and Jason- linked up to give Jason his fifth goal of the season. Advantage Enniscorthy.
On the restart, a very physical second half ensued as both teams were putting every ounce of their body on the line for their clubs. The umpires were particularly busy, doling out a yellow card to Mullingar (verbal abuse to umpire Cathal Ó Suilleabháin) and a green card to Enniscorthy's Glenn Chapman (use of the shoulder), leaving both sides at different stages down to ten men. As before, Mullingar brought great pressure to bear on Enniscorthy, but captain Clive Rothwell used his trademark aerial passes to perfection as they relieved the pressure on the visitors and immediately put the pressure back on the Mullingar defence. Midway in the second half a huge aerial from Clive Rothwell helped produce a short corner for Enniscorthy, which again saw the Rothwell brothers Clive and Jason linking up. This time it was Clive who was the beneficiary: two nil to the visitors. There was still plenty of time for the midlanders to come back at Enniscorthy. At this point Mullingar had nothing to lose and pushed hard but Enniscorthy kept solid in defence. With ten minutes to go Mullingar found themselves deep in the visitors half; the initial attack was dealt with by Glenn Chapman and Andrew Rothwell but a second chance passed them both, just out of their reach. Mullingar were back in with a chance of grabbing a draw but Enniscorthy's never give up attitude nearly saw them grab their third of the day, Robbie Walshe coming close with a late effort. The match ended 2-1 to the visitors in probably their toughest contest of the campaign so far, seeing them take top spot in the league.
A welcome break for Enniscorthy comes next weekend before they take on Division 6 side Fingal II in the Leinster Junior Cup on Sunday 30th November.
Squad: Andrew Rothwell; Martin Veitch; Clive Rothwell (c); PJ Pierce; Liam Jowett; Roy Chapman; Glenn Chapman; David Simmons; Jason Rothwell; Seamus McAlister; Graham Hill; Robbie Walshe; Daithí Medcalf; Jonathon Rothwell.
Like Enniscorthy’s win over Pembroke Wanderers a week earlier, a difficult challenge awaited. Mullingar had yet to be beaten this season, and last season had played in Division 6. As a result, manager Fraser Rothwell opted for a more defensive team structure, as he knew the threat the home side possessed.
Mullingar from the off put the South East side's defence under immense pressure. However, It wasn’t until the final play of the first half that the deadlock was broken, and it was the Wexford men who stuck. An Enniscorthy attack resulted in a short corner for the visiting side; the Rothwell brothers- Clive and Jason- linked up to give Jason his fifth goal of the season. Advantage Enniscorthy.
On the restart, a very physical second half ensued as both teams were putting every ounce of their body on the line for their clubs. The umpires were particularly busy, doling out a yellow card to Mullingar (verbal abuse to umpire Cathal Ó Suilleabháin) and a green card to Enniscorthy's Glenn Chapman (use of the shoulder), leaving both sides at different stages down to ten men. As before, Mullingar brought great pressure to bear on Enniscorthy, but captain Clive Rothwell used his trademark aerial passes to perfection as they relieved the pressure on the visitors and immediately put the pressure back on the Mullingar defence. Midway in the second half a huge aerial from Clive Rothwell helped produce a short corner for Enniscorthy, which again saw the Rothwell brothers Clive and Jason linking up. This time it was Clive who was the beneficiary: two nil to the visitors. There was still plenty of time for the midlanders to come back at Enniscorthy. At this point Mullingar had nothing to lose and pushed hard but Enniscorthy kept solid in defence. With ten minutes to go Mullingar found themselves deep in the visitors half; the initial attack was dealt with by Glenn Chapman and Andrew Rothwell but a second chance passed them both, just out of their reach. Mullingar were back in with a chance of grabbing a draw but Enniscorthy's never give up attitude nearly saw them grab their third of the day, Robbie Walshe coming close with a late effort. The match ended 2-1 to the visitors in probably their toughest contest of the campaign so far, seeing them take top spot in the league.
A welcome break for Enniscorthy comes next weekend before they take on Division 6 side Fingal II in the Leinster Junior Cup on Sunday 30th November.
Squad: Andrew Rothwell; Martin Veitch; Clive Rothwell (c); PJ Pierce; Liam Jowett; Roy Chapman; Glenn Chapman; David Simmons; Jason Rothwell; Seamus McAlister; Graham Hill; Robbie Walshe; Daithí Medcalf; Jonathon Rothwell.
