Wicklow Power Past Tipperary To Reach Third Straight Tailteann Cup Quarter-Final

Garden men make light of the Aughrim mist to reach another Tailteann last eight duel

Wicklow booked their place in a third consecutive Tailteann Cup quarter-final after a dominant second-half display saw them defeat Tipperary 1-17 to 0-12 at Echelon Park in Aughrim on Saturday.

A crucial Kevin Quinn goal inside the opening seven minutes laid the foundations for victory before the full-forward delivered two outstanding two-pointers after the break as Wicklow pulled away from the visitors.

Despite playing against a strong wind in the opening half, Wicklow trailed by just a single point at the interval, 0-7 to 1-3, before producing an eight-point scoring burst in the second period to take complete control of the contest.

Manager Oisín McConville admitted afterwards that his side had to work hard before eventually asserting their superiority.

"We definitely made hard work of it," he told East Coast FM. "We did a lot of very, very good things in the first half. That was a massive win. We managed to keep them to seven points, so we would have been happy at half-time."

Tipperary briefly threatened after the restart, stretching their lead to three points, but Wicklow responded impressively.

Quinn, Oisín McGraynor, Eoin Darcy and substitute Mark Kenny all contributed scores as the Garden County seized momentum.

McConville felt his side's dominance around kick-outs proved decisive.

"I thought we were really good on their kick-out second half. That probably gave us a springboard to get the scores to win as comfortably as we did," he said.

The Wicklow boss also praised his players for sticking to the game plan after electing to play into the wind during the first half.

"We were determined to make sure we didn't let them do that to us. Our defending in the first half was outstanding. Really, really good. We were really happy at half-time."

Quinn's return to form was another major positive for Wicklow. The forward finished with 1-6, including two superb two-point efforts, and McConville highlighted his importance to the team.

"It was much needed at that time. That was a crucial score. It's just brilliant to have him back. Obviously there's a lot of players putting their hands up as far as selection is concerned, so having him back was key."

Wicklow's defensive effort was equally impressive. Malachy Stone kept Tipperary danger man Seán O'Connor largely subdued from play, while goalkeeper Mark Jackson produced important saves and Gavin Fogarty made a vital goal-line clearance during the closing stages.

The victory leaves Wicklow just one win away from another Tailteann Cup semi-final appearance. McConville believes his squad is approaching full strength at the ideal time, with only a handful of injury concerns remaining.

"We are in a position that we want to be in. We feel as if there's a lot more left in us, so to be in that position to go to a quarter-final, regardless of whether it's away or whatever, we're happy with that," he said.

Wicklow will now await the quarter-final draw, where they are set to face either Offaly, Fermanagh or Antrim away from home as their Tailteann Cup campaign gathers momentum.

Wicklow: Mark Jackson; Tom Moran, Matt Nolan, Malachy Stone; Darragh Fee, Eoin Murtagh, Gavin Fogarty; Dean Healy, Jack Kirwan; Jonathan Carlin, Pádraig O'Toole, Christopher O'Brien; Oisín McGraynor, Kevin Quinn, Eoin Darcy. Subs used: Joe Prendergast, Mark Kenny, Cian Deering, Liam O'Neill, Conor Fee.

Tipperary: Shane Garland; Jack O'Neill, Eoin O'Connell, Jimmy Feehan; Killian Butler, James Morris, Charlie King; Joe Higgins, Paudie Feehan; Kieran Costello, Micheál Freaney, Steven O'Brien; Paddy Creedon, Seán O'Connor, Daithí Hogan. Subs used: Luke Boland, Eoin Craddock, Darragh Brennan, Darragh O'Connor, Emmet Moloney.