Game will take place at a venue to be decided next weekend
Wicklow are away to Leitrim in the preliminary quarter-finals of the Tailteann Cup
Wicklow are set for a trip to Leitrim in the preliminary quarter-final of the Tailteann Cup next weekend.
A 0-15 to 1-9 victory over the Connaght side in March of last year in the NFL Division 4 was the result of the last meeting of the sides and suggests that although Andy Moran’s men will have home advantage for the tie, the Wicklow men will have nothing to fear if they can build on the fine display against Carlow on Saturday.
With Waterford getting the better of Tipperary on Sunday but possessing a worse score difference to Wicklow, it was the Garden County who progressed to the next stage thanks to Oisin McConville’s men got the job done against Carlow in Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.
This was an improved performance on their Tailteann Cup displays to date, with the performances of Podge O’Toole, Dean Healy and Kevin Quinn and a late save from Mark Jackson key to their progress as one of three third-placed teams in the group stages.
The impact of the Garden County substitutes was also massive in the sunshine at the Dublin venue, with AGB’s Chris O’Brien proving outstanding when kicking over two cracking scores and Barndarrig’s Jonny Carlin plucking some vital balls out of the heavens late on.
But probably one of the most overlooked showings on the day was that of Malachy Stone at full-back on Carlow’s lethal Darragh Foley, the Barndarrig man holding the full-forward to a single score from play, that a bomb that sailed over from distance.
Wicklow’s vulnerability to counter attacks will have to be improved and they’ll need big games from all those mentioned above when they take on either Saturday or Sunday at a venue to be decided this weekend.
The Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final draw:
Leitrim v. Wicklow
Laois v. New York
Limerick v. Tipperary
Antrim v. London
