WLOI Match Report: Molloy Magic — Wexford edge The Hoops in a 5 goal thriller at Tallaght

The result won't sting nearly as much as the languid ease with which Wexford played their football in spells as relentless as the overnight rainfall.

It's rare that a team operates with such composure and swagger on the plush turf of Tallaght but a boosted Wexford Youths eleven played with an unshakable composure across every blade to edge out a memorable 3-2 victory in the capital.

Whether it was the bold and shrewd transfer coup that ensured Aoife Kelly now stood on the opposite slice of the pitch to her former teammates, the return of their talented playmaker Ellen Molloy from the UK, former Galway United goal minder Maria O’Sullivans signature - or a combination of all three, Wexford looked, as we say here in Dublin, brand new.

In the opening twenty, Seán Byrne’s outfit danced across the damp turf, zipping the ball along its slick surface beneath the floodlights, unfazed by the conditions nor the vocal Rovers home contingent. 

From the outset, Molloy pressed Scarlett Herron and Keelin Comiskey on the right, showcasing her neat footwork and clever movement while Charlotte Cromack harried Aoife Brophy down the left.

With Aoife Kelly orchestrating from the control room, Wexford rotated possession with deft one-touch football, intent on dragging the green-and-white shirts out of shape.

To their credit, The Hoops backline remained equal to the assault - both Maria Reynolds and Herron tracking, challenging and scouting for a route towards the North Stand End.

Up top, Ella Kelly shifted the momentum in spells, winning one v one battles with direct runs, while Emily Corbet drifted from right to left in an attempt to find a chink in the Wexford defence but Freya DeMange proved unbeatable, reading play and frustrating the number 10.

The number 20’s long balls caught Rovers off guard on a number of occasions over the course of the full 90’ - her first a warning shot to Collie O’Neills eleven but an alert, vocal and fearless Katie Keane parried Captain Kylie Murphy's scuffed strike.

Against the backdrop of the South Stand End, the vocal number 16 punched four inswingers clear in the first 45’ - blows sure to have caught the eye of boxing matchmakers across The Atlantic.

Katie Keane v Peamount United in April Credit: Patrick Kehoe

Herron, meanwhile, was working overtime: muscling the lilac shirts off the ball and booting long balls forward on an exhaustive loop as Wexford continued to close off each corridor.

Corbet, to her credit, kept knocking, cutting inside with entrepreneurial runs and it was her quick reaction to a mistake at the back that led to the opener when with twenty one minute's played, Herron swung a Rory McIlroy-esque drive towards the roving number ten. 

Dwyer, taking the ball down, undercooked her backpass to O'Sullivan and Corbet chased. Her shot was blocked by the goalminder, but the rebound landed at O’Gorman’s feet and the skipper smashed it home.

Against the run of play, 1–0 to Rovers.

Keane required treatment shortly after the half-hour mark— her shouts of "Lino! Ref!" catching officials' attention.

Summer Lawless warmed up on the sidelines as Keane winced and stretched, but the former Athlone Town netminder resolved to continue.

Then came Molloy’s response in the 38th.

Surrounded by seven green and white shirts, the Kilkenny native steadied a rolling pass from Becky Cassin and carved out a sliver of space.

One touch to settle, then came the left-footed strike.

It was high, it was clean, it was unstoppable. As the ball hit the back of the net, Molloy wheeled away to celebrate with A.Kelly.

1-1

Rovers regrouped and showed their class in midfield - Jaime Thompson and Melissa O'Kane executing sweeping switches.

One such drifter from Thompson found O’Gorman who spotted Corbet’s diagonal break, but DeMange recovered, intercepting with a toe poke to deny her and both sides entered the tunnel level.

Minutes into the second half, Kelly spun clear of Brophy and Littlejohn before lofting a delicate ball to Murphy, who quickly squared it back to Molloy. The former Sheffield United forward got her head to it, but the effort lacked the power to guide it on target.

In the 56th, O'Neill made a like for like tactical switch, introducing Joy Ralph in place of Corbet.

The change surely a nod to DeMange's dominance. Her unyielding performance exuded level ten video game boss energy — on another level and hard to bypass.

Yet before the Greenhills native could take a touch, DeMange capitalised on a damning defensive lapse.

As the ball sailed over Comiskey head, Siún Murdiff slipped behind to tap an inviting ball across goal where Cromack, racing into the box unmarked, chested it into the net in the 58th.

2-1 to Wexford.

Rovers, snapping, surged forward - O’Gorman chopping inside and sweeping the ball into the box towards Ralph and Kelly who gunned for the leveller.

In the 63rd, Thompson unleashed a powerful shot from distance, but O'Sullivan was equal to the task, pulling off the save.

Littlejohn very nearly threaded Ralph through on goal, but Dwyer’s slide tackle saved O'Sullivan from a one v one showdown with the Rovers number 9.

The Hoops continued their spirited fightback and made a double substitution in the 68th - Katie O'Reilly replacing O'Kane, while Fiona Owens came on for Brophy and pressed higher up the right wing.

Having survived the green and white siege, Wexford found their footing once again when Cromack snatched possession from Owens on the wing and linked up with substitute McGrath who teed up Molloy for the strike

Comiskey, quick to react, clipped the ankle of the number ten who hit the deck following soft contact.

The referee pointed to the spot—penalty.

And just like that the game shifted from a physical battle to a psychological one. Ruesha Littlejohn shook Keane's hand, then circled the Wexford number 10.

Molloy, unflinching, focused on the empty half of the West Stand as the netminder stood frozen in star fish pose mere metres away.

The whistle blew.

Keane guessed to Molloy's left.

Molloy slotted it bottom right.

3–1 with eleven minutes of normal time left to play.

Littlejohn stepped up alongside O'Gorman, swinging a dangerous cross to the back post, but the ball slipped agonisingly beyond the skippers boot.

Then, a lung-busting run from Ella Kelly down the left lane injected a sliver of optimism, but Wexford closed the number eleven down just shy of the touchline.

In the 91st, Rovers clawed one back when Owens channeled a touch straight out of the Stephanie Zambra playbook - a delicate lob of Spanish vintage to O’Gorman, who squared it for Kelly.

Her strike took a deflection, looping over the defence and falling to Ralph who pounced.

Like all stellar strikers, Ralph remained composed when it mattered most, cutting inside Dwyer and stealing it beyond Conlan's reach before bolting it home with her left.

Joy Ralph v Peamount United in April Credit: Patrick Kehoe

3–2.

The drama didn’t end there.

In the final minute, The Hoops came close when a deflected clearance fell to Littlejohn.

With little space to manoeuvre, the WNT senior international opted for placement over power. Her body, twisted at an awkward angle as she struck the ball, propelled it over the bar.

And with that, the whistle blew, signalling an abrupt end to what was a thrilling finish.

Rovers must now regroup ahead of their next league fixture against DLR Waves at the UCD Bowl. But first, The Hoops take on the waves in the All-Island Cup.