Womens Premier Division Christmas Review 2014-15

Can Anyone take the title from Ferns United ?

The answer to the above question is.......No, not this season anyway

Despite a noted improvement in the standard and competitiveness of this seasons top division in Wexford, Ferns are still the flag bearers and the team to beat.

Below we take a look at how each team has fared so far this season and what their prospects are for the remainder of the season

Ferns United

When you have players of the calibre of Caroline Murphy, Josie Dwyer, Leona Breen, Hayley Nolan and the unstoppable pairing of Liz and Ali Everedd, you are well on the way to having the ideal team. What is even a bigger concern for the other teams in the premier division is that the remaining players on the panel are almost as good and while it is one of the smallest squads in the league, it is probably the most complete. Manager Tommy Breen has managed to keep them motivated and hungry for success which is no mean feat as some of the players are pushing for their eight premier title this season, having already won three with Clonee United and four with Ferns.

The good news for the other teams in the division is that the club has no underage structure and this will prove to be a problem in the next two to three years while some of the other clubs do have strong schoolgirl teams and could close the gap much quicker than expected

Verdict: To retain their league title with relative ease but could have to work hard to retain the MMI.ie Wexford Cup

East End United

The leagues newest club have made a minor impact since their arrival, most notably their 4-3 win over Ferns in Bennetsbridge. East End transferred to Wexford from the Kilkenny League where they have been champions for the past few seasons but due to a critical drop in the number of teams in Kilkenny, they moved to Wexford to ensure competitive games on a regular basis. Apart from their win over the champions, they also recorded wins over Benfica, twice, and Adamstown but showed a lack of consistency when losing to Killenagh and Seaview as well as being held to a draw by a North End team who could only field nine players. They have some very skilful players, most notably, Jenny Reddy and Jenny Brennan, two players who have massive reputations at all sports and East End could prove to be a team to watch in the future, or even in this seasons MMI.ie Wexford Cup

Verdict: To finish top three and if they get favourable draws, could give the cup a good run

Killenagh Wanderers

Killenagh have finally begun to live up to their potential and this season have produced the form that almost everyone believed they were capable of. An influx of some young players into an already very experienced squad has been the main difference with very few weaknesses in the squad and probably just their inability to take their chances have prevented them from being a serious title threat to Ferns. When the two teams met at the end of November, Ferns won 3-0 but it could just as easily have been 2-2 so maybe Killenagh are the team to watch for the remainder of the season and definitely runners up spot is well within their capabilities. They still have players with the experience of Isobelle Naughter, Tracey Nolan and Marian Cardiff while the arrival of Sinead Gaynor and prolific goalscorer Roisin O Connor has helped the cause. Managed by the very experienced and tactical Bertie Cousins, the team have the ability to finish second and at least reach the cup final, if not win it

Verdict: will finish runners up and if they reach the cup final, they will have the ability to win it and possibly one of the few teams that can beat Ferns

North End United

The Wexford town side started the season at a furious pace and were looking likely challengers for the title early in the season but a drop in numbers of players willing to travel has cost them dearly. It took an injury time goal from Ferns to overcome North End in Drinagh early in the season but their title challenge has faltered a little since then. However, they do have massive heart and they travelled to East End in November with nine players and came away with a point after a 3-3 draw, an amazing result considering the Kilkenny side had beaten Ferns in their previous match. As we head into the break, North End are beginning to look over their shoulders at the teams behind them and could find themselves dragged into a relegation dogfight if they are not careful. Manager Anthony Redmond has started to draft some of the younger players into the squad but it will all depend on how quick they find their feet on how the season will finish for the Belvedere Road side. But with players like Shirley Roche, Shauna Gleeson and Natasha Walsh, to name just a few, they will not go down without a fight.

Verdict: could get dragged into a relegation battle but unlikely and under their new manager, they will be happy to consolidate their premier status

Seaview United

Their 2-1 win away to North End in the final game before the break could be the most important result for Seaview and dragged them away from the bottom three for the first time this season. Seaview are one of the leagues biggest clubs and for that reason alone, they show potential as being a club to watch for the future and if they could find a consistent goalscorer, they could be a good outside bet for the Wexford Cup. They are not out of the woods yet and have a couple of tricky games ahead of them such as away to Killenagh and at home to a rapidly improving Benfica side but they are most definitely capable of picking off enough points to stay in the premier. Almost all their squad are at the college age, which brings its own problems, but all have came through a strong schoolgirl set up with Sheena Murphy, Brid Doyle and Maebh Kehoe all highly experienced despite being so young. Manager Joe Chapman works very hard at getting the best from his players and while they are not quite ready to launch a major attack on the title this season, they could be potential winners in two to three years time

Verdict: To comfortably  survive mid table this season and a possible strong cup run is on the cards

Benfica 

Three times Premier champions, Benfica recorded their worst ever start to the season and go into the break having just won two of their nine games to date, although they have hit a run of form lately. The Waterford side would have been one of the teams who suffered badly when Wexford Youths Women were set up and have struggled to get back to the form that saw them win the Premier title three times and the Wexford Cup five times. However several of those players have drifted back to the club now and they have turned their fortunes around somewhat in recent weeks and while they will still struggle to pull away from the bottom two, they are going to make a decent effort at getting out of trouble. They have some very experienced players in Lisa Dower, Jean Dooley, Becky Conroy Leanne O Reilly and Beserta Ajeti but their away form has been abysmal and have lost all four played so far and still have to go to Killenagh and Seaview so no easy points there. However, it will all depend on how much they want to hold their premier status as they have little room left for any further errors

Verdict: Bottom two finish and could be taken out of the cup early on if they are drawn away to any of the top Premier or Division One teams

Adamstown 
Having promised so much last season when they finished league runners up and were only beaten 1-0 in the cup final by Ferns, Adamstown have failed to live up to expectations this season and are bottom of the league going into the break. The loss of Nikki Dunphy, who returned to Wexford Youths, and Chantelle Martin, who is not a regular member now due to work committments, have been major factors but still when you look at their squad, it is still very strong and would not be expected to be at the bottom of the table going into 2015. They have drafted several young players into the squad and they will need time to settle into this level and this seasons premier division has been so competitive, it is not easy to gel those younger players in. They still have loads of experience with Lizzie Kent, Leann Delaney, Biddy Wickham and Danielle Martin all well accustomed to playing at this level so maybe it might be a little early to write them off but they need to start picking up points very soon or it will be difficult to see them avoid the drop to Division One

Verdict: Bottom two finish and will struggle to repeat last seasons cup heroics

All of the above are only an opinion on where we see clubs finishing and a good run by one, or a collapse by another, could see the division turned on its head although still difficult to see Ferns being caught

Its up to to players to prove my predictions wrong !!!!!

Projected final league table (lets see how close I will to being right)

1: Ferns United
2: East End United
3: Killenagh Wanderers
4: Seaview United
5: North End United
6: Benfica
7: Adamstown

MMI.ie Wexford Cup Final: Killenagh Wan v Seaview United

Division One Review follows in coming days

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