Limerick progress to Tailteann Cup quarter-finals despite defeat to Wicklow

“WE wanted to keep the momentum going but we were very flat today”, was manager Mark Fitzgerald's reaction to his Limerick senior footballers being brought back to earth with a bang when losing their final Round Robin outing in the Tailteann Cup on a 2-14 to 1-10 against Wicklow in Portlaoise on Sunday.

The result didn't matter as his side were already through to a home quarter-final tie as winners of Group Three, but the manner of their defeat to opponents who had already been eliminated from the second-level All-Ireland championship left him hoping that this was a blip once the pressure was off rather than a sign of staleness after their tenth competitive outing of the season.

Whatever Fitzgerald was left to ponder about was nothing compared to that occupying his opposite number Oisín McConville. Out of contention after a shock late defeat to Carlow and a limp surrender to Longford, Wicklow, after a slow start, suddenly rediscovered the form that brought them National League promotion and dictated the play once they took the lead going into the second quarter.

Limerick did get back into contention when their goal from a penalty brought them back within a point with twelve regulation minutes to go but Wicklow were in no mood to let the consolation victory slip from their grasp and, after an instant reply restored clear blue water between the sides, they comfortably soaked up Limerick's attempts to respond and cantered past the post without a bother.

The biggest gulf between the sides on the day was in midfield which Dean Healy dominated from throw-in to whistle despite the absence of his usual partner Pádraig O'Toole. No matter who Limerick pushed in to plug the hole, the Wicklow Town man not only hoovered up the primary possession from Mark Jackson's kickout but his powerful blasted holes in the opposing defence for him to send over three scores of his own as well as create numerous opportunities for his team-mates.

A low-key start had to wait five minutes to ignite when James Naughton's free opened the scoring for Limerick and was followed Peter Nash pointing after his shot on goal was blocked before Jackson and Naughton swapped frees.

At that point Limerick, who had been shwing greater pace and intensity, started conceding midfield and, given more time on the ball, the Garden County opened up the spaces for John Paul Nolan and Conor Fee's free to equalise.

The pressure continued as Limerick continued to focus on containment and they paid the ptice when Nolan coverted a mark, Jackson sent over another free and Nolan got in behind the defence to collect Eoin Darcy's long deliver, round Aaron O'Sullivan and tapped into the empty net.

Mark Kenny followed up with a long pot to stretch Wicklow's lead to six before Limerick finally emerged from their slumber for Hugh Bourke and Naughton's free repled but their half-time deficit would have been less than 1-6 to 0-5 had they not shot two bad wides from play and another from a free.

Nor did they fare any better on the restart when Brian Donovan skinned the defence from the throw-in only to see Naughton strike the upright after collecting his pass his pass across the open goalmouth and, after opposing No.10s Conor Fee and Cian Sheehan exchanged points, Healy and another Jackson free stretched Wicklow's lead.

Once Limerick found some shape to their movement, sub Cathal Downes and Donovan replied and, despite Jack Kirwan striking back, it was game on when Donovan followed up on his seacond point by finding Robbie Bourke with a long delivery who was then fouled for Iain Corbett to give Jackson no chance with a screamer of a penalty.

The comeback was quickly nipped in the bud as the single point deficit stretched back to five when Healy's point was followed by Kirwan blasting through a forest of legs and into the low right corner Aaron O'Sullivan's net.

Killian Ryan managed a reply but that was the only reward froma disorganised Limerick response which concentrated on speculative lobs into the square from which the Leinstermen broke up the field for Fee, Healy and Nolan's free to finish the scoring.

SCORERS: WICKLOW: John Paul Nolan 1-3 (0-1 free, 0-1 mark), Jack Kirwan 1-1, Mark Jackson (3 frees), Conor Fee (1 free), Dean Healy 0-3 each, Mark Kenny 0-1; LIMERICK: James Naughton 0-3 (3 frees), Iain Corbatt 1-0 (penalty), Brian Donovan 0-2, Peter Nash, Hugh Bourke, Cian Sheehan, Cathal Downes, Killian Ryan 0-1 each.

WICKLOW: Mark Jackson; Eoin Murtagh, Paul McLoughlin, Paul Stone; Matt Nolan, Patrick O'Keane, Mark Kenny; Dean Healy, John Keogh; Conor Fee, Tom Moran, Jack Kirwan; John Paul Nolan, Joe Prendergast, Eoin Darcy. SUBS: Tom Maher for Paul McLoughljn (half-time), Karl Furlong for Tom Moran (half-time), Fintan O'Shea for John Keogh (61 minutes), Cian O'Sullivan for Cian Darcy (67 minutes), Jacques McCall for Joe Prendergast (71 minutes).

LIMERICK: Aaron O'Sullivan; Cormac Woulfe, Seán O'Dea, Brian Fanning; Barry Coleman, Iain Corbett, Tony McCarthy; Colm McSweeney, Cillian Fahy; Cian Sheehan, Brian Donovan, Adrian Enright; James Naughton, Hugh Bourke, Peter Nash. SUBS: Cathal Downes for Adrian Enright (half-time), Jim Liston for Barry Coleman (44 muinutes), Killian Ryan for James Naughton (52 minutes), Robbie Bourke for Peter Nash (52 minutes), Dave Connolly for Cormac Woulfe (58 minutes)

REFEREE: Brendan Griffin (Kerry).