Three goals ensured Wexford secured top spot in Group 3 of the despite both teams being reduced to just 12 players in the closing stages in what wasn’t a particularly rough encounter. 

After dismissing Roscommon last week Wexford came into this game as wild favourites against a Monaghan side in a major transition who had a streamlined squad named of just 20 players for this crunch qualifier.

Wexford started brightly and looked like they would dominate the game when they opened the scoring through a searing run and finish from captain and centre back Roisin Murphy. The Ulster women hadn’t read the script though and gave a taste of their challenge through 4 unanswered scores, three from the boot of Chloe McBride and a solo effort from Jodie McQuillan put the Farney women three points ahead. 

Wexford forward Chloe Fox tucked over a free to stop the wave of scoring from the visitors but it was a purple patch of two Aisling Murphy goals in two first half minutes on the quarter hour mark that flipped the scoreboard to a four point lead for the home side.

Monaghan manager Hugh Donnelly rang the changes bringing in Amy Garland and Leanne Maguire who had both been originally selected to start the game. Immediately they made an impact, raising the pace of the Monaghan attack and Chloe McBride chipped in with two points to half the deficit. 

A Amy Garland injury time score set the gap to a single point before disaster struck for the Ulster women and Catriona Murray found herself on the end of a pass from Aisling Murphy and finished with aplomb to the back of the net to shock the visitors on the stroke of half time.

Two early points for Monaghan from Rosemary Courtney and Jodie McQuillan were reinforced by a blistering strike from Amy Garland which dipped below the bar and found the top corner catching Wexford keeper Leanne Moore rooted to the spot to put Monaghan ahead by the minimum margin.

Wexford were reduced to 14 players when Bernie Breen saw yellow for the second time in a week but it was the 14 women who made hay during the ten minute sin bin. Five straight points from Aisling Murphy (2), Chloe Fox (2) and substitute Emma Tomkins put Wexford four points to the good. 

The game lost it’s shape through sin bins and injuries as Aisling Muprhy & Shauna Murphy of Wexford and Brid McNally & Jennifer Duffy of Monaghan saw enforced breaks in the closing ten minutes of the game as the game finished 13-a-side at the death.

Monaghan just weren’t able to find the scores needed to pull themselves back into the mix and a fine injury time score from Aoife Cullen looked to be the insurance score for the home side as they appeared to prove the old adage about goals winning games.

The referee hadn’t finished and he issued his 6th & 7th yellow card of a fairly clean encounter to Monaghan corner forward Muireann Atkinson and Wexford forward Chloe Fox. 

Monaghan now need to beat Roscommon next week to ensure they avoid elimination from this year’s championship and potentially find themselves in another relegation battle.