Mighty Wexford Minors gain revenge on Derry to reach All-Ireland camogie shield final

Wexford are into the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor ‘A’ camogie shield final after exacting revenge on Derry in Clane on Sunday.

The Slaneysiders lost to the Ulster team in the round-robin stages last month (0-14 to 2-5), but they trailed for just five minutes of this game as they ground out a strong win to advance to the title decider against Dublin.

The Metropolitans also beat Wexford in the group stages (3-7 to 0-15), but Wexford did win the Leinster clash between the sides.

There should be no fear facing Dublin, and few surprises, which should benefit the girls in purple and gold when they meet on Saturday (UPMC Nowlan Park, 2 p.m.).

Wexford knew they needed better than when the sides met previously, when they were outscored by 14 scores to seven, despite the three-point margin of defeat.

And clearly they achieved that here, winning by maintaining their goal threat while reducing the output of their opponents at the other end.

Eirin O’Brien was a big part of that in keeping Derry dangerwoman Carla Collins relatively quiet, but the whole defence did a solid job in restricting the Ulster side to a total an in-form Wexford full-forward line was able to surpass.

Player of the game Karen Hayden was a big contributor with a brace of goals and four points from play, Shauna Mac Sweeney registered 1-1, and Abbie Doyle grabbed a pair of points as the starting inside forward line racked up 3-7 of the scoring total.

However, it was Derry who got on the scoresheet first, registering a Collins free before Jemma Shivers put her side two to the good.

Wexford quickly settled into the task, and points from Mac Sweeney and Layla Stafford tied up the contest after five minutes.

With Mac Sweeney demanding attention, Hayden was ready to step up to the plate after a quiet enough campaign to date.

The Oylegate-Glenbrien club player nabbed three points in a row before Doyle got on the scoresheet to make it 0-6 to 0-3.

Aoibh Mulholland pulled a point back for Derry, but Wexford were in a strong position when a powerful run by Katie Bolger resulted in Shauna Mac Sweeney finding the net to make it 1-6 to 0-4.

A Collins free chipped one off the deficit, but Karen Hayden netted in the 25th minute and soon followed it with her fourth point to send Wexford into the interval leading by 2-7 to 0-6.

The Ulster girls made some tactical changes at the break and it took Wexford a while to come to terms with their sweeper.

So much so that Wexford didn’t score in the opening 26 minutes of the second-half, by which time Derry had fought their way back to level terms, thanks in no small part to a Leah Cassidy goal towards the end of a 1-5 run unanswered.

However, Wexford were not about to quit. Instead they turned the momentum back on its head, with an Abbie Doyle score in the 57th minute followed by a Karen Hayden goal after superb work by Lucia Goggins.

Collins again put a stroke of the ball between the sides heading into additional time (3-9 to 1-11), but once Jane Murphy added the clinching score in the 62nd minute there was no way back for Derry as Wexford advanced to face Dublin.

Wexford: Jane Duggan (Glynn-Barntown); Emma O’Leary (Glynn-Barntown), Leagh Maddock (St. Martin’s), Kate Flood (Cloughbawn); Róisín McGonigle (Tara Rocks), Eirin O’Brien (Blackwater), Róisín Egan (Buffers Alley); Layla Stafford (Glynn-Barntown, 0-1), Orla O’Rourke (Kilrush); Katie Bolger (Ballygarrett), Robyn Kinsella (Buffers Alley), Lucia Goggins (St. Martin’s); Karen Hayden (Oylegate-Glenbrien, 2-4), Shauna Mac Sweeney (Kilrush, 1-1), Abbie Doyle (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, 0-2). Sub. - Jane Murphy (Glynn-Barntown, 0-1) for Kinsella.