O’Neill snatches draw for Wicklow

Wicklow’s ace free-taker Jonathan O’Neill was back to near his best scoring form yesterday as his side secured a draw with Derry.

Having been beaten by Wicklow three times last year, Derry came to Aughrim fully determined to gain revenge.

And it looked as if they were going to achieve their objective as the game ticked over into injury-time and they were still a point ahead, 1-11 to 0-13. But then captain Enan Glynn fed the ball to Andy O’Brien in the right corner. The St. Patrick’s clubman rounded his man but was pulled down as he was about to bear down on the Derry goal.

Jonathan O’Neill stepped up to the penalty, and having scored ten of Wicklow points up to this, seven of them from frees, it must have been tempting to him to go for broke and try to blast a winning goal. However, prompted from the sideline, he took the safer course of firing over the equaliser.

Scorers for Wicklow: J O’Neill 0-11 (8fs), A O’Brien, E Glynn, R Keddy 0-1 each.

Scorers for Derry: S Farren 1-4 (3fs), R Convery 0-4 (1f), Ó McCloskey, P McCloskey, J Mulholland 0-1 each.

WICKLOW: J Murphy; J Connors, G Keogh, E Dunne; T Doyle, B Cuddihy, G Bermingham; E Kearns, R Keddy; J Quirke, S Kelly, W O’Gorman; A O’Brien; J O’Neill, E Glynn.

Subs: P Farrell for Quirke, J Connors for Dunne.

DERRY: O Doherty; J McCloskey, R McCloskey, L Hawkins; M Warnock, A McCloskey, L Hinphey; O McCloskey, D McCloskey; R Convery, J Mulholland, A Grant; S Farren, P McCloskey, A Kelly.

Subs: K Gilmore for Kelly, S McGuigan for Mulholland, C Convery for Warnock, S McNicholl for Grant.

Referee: David Hughes (Carlow).