2025 Allianz Football League Division 4 – Wicklow 3-15 Limerick 1-21

Wicklow and Limerick played out a 3-15 to 1-21 draw in Round 6 of the 2025 Allianz Football League Division 4 on Sunday March 16th at Echelon Park, Aughrim.

Limerick footballers boost promotion hopes with dramatic draw away to Wicklow

Report by John Redington for the Limerick Leader newspaper

SOMETIMES you get games when every great burst of effort is wiped out by an unfortunate goal.

Three times it happened to Limerick in Sunday’s crucial National Football League with Wicklow in their fortress of Aughrim.

And three times they found the response in their souls to haul themselves back for the crucial 1-21 to 3-15 draw that preserved their second place position in Division Four.

“The boys showed great heart, great resilience as they dug their way,” was the jubilant reaction of manager Jimmy Lee.

Just six weeks after his team had slumped to a seventeenth league tie without a win, they remain in pole position for promotion back to Division Three at the first attempt.

Victory over table-proppers Waterford next Sunday in Mick Neville Park will guarantee not only their return but also a date in Croke Park for the divisional final.

And even if Limerick were to drop a point, their thirteen-point score difference advantage would leave them favourites to earn a spot in Division 3 for 2026.

On this display, it is no more than Limerick deserve. Right from the start, they showed the composure and structure of a team that knows how to make the best of its talents.

Sure, they had difficulties early containing Wicklow’s big physical presence in the middle third as well as their speed on the wings going forward but they stuck to their task, figured out how to contain them and then relentlessly squeezed themselves into control.

It could have all gone horribly wrong had they allowed their heads to drop as their opponents got the breaks on three occasions just as they looked in danger of being tailed off.

And even though it took two last gasp frees deep into injury time to rescue the draw, it was no more than compensation for being denied victory in Longford by a two-pointer free from the last kick of the game.

Wicklow dominated the early minutes, but wasted almost continuous possession on three wides before James Naughton opened the scoring from a free at the other end.

However, Limerick were then relieved to see Oisín McGraynor’s shot flash across the face of the goal.

Called back for a free, McGraynor then equalised, but Paul Maher struck back immediately.

With Wicklow’s continuing dominance of primary possession, orchestrated by centre-back Patrick O’Keane, which saw raiding defenders Tom Moran and Joe Prendergast put the hosts ahead.

Maher replied immediately, but the Limerick defence was still being run at and, after Kevin Quinn’s shot on goal was blocked by Josh Ryan, the clearance was overturned for Pádraig O’Toole to knock the ball over the line.

Quinn’s follow-up point extended the gap to four by the quarter mark, but matters changed course once the visitors tightened up their formation under the kickout and got back on the saddle with a Naughton point on the turn.

When another lost Wicklow kickout ended with a Peter Nash point, their shape around the middle began to wobble and they looked to be in trouble when Naughton struck twice with points to equalise, but they steadied themselves to draw a two-pointer free which was followed by Christopher O’Brien’s strike.

Just as the stopwatch was entering added time, Naughton sent over another free for Limerick and, when the kickout was turned over, Bob Childs fed Emmett Rigter to blast to the net, leaving Limerick leading 1-8 to 1-7 going into the dressing-room.

Stung by conceding their lead, the Leinstermen threw the kitchen sink at their opponents goal from the restart, but their efforts all got a bit frantic as they struggled to find space in the defensive wall and, when O’Toole finally found an equaliser, they were almost immediately zapped by a Rigter two-pointer for the Shannonsiders followed by Darragh O’Hagan’s pot from out left.

However, Limerick’s joy lasted barely a minute when a long Wicklow free bobbled around just outside the small square and, after John Paul Nolan’s snap shot was blocked, Eoin Darcy was first to react as he fisted to the net.

Two kickout turnovers later, Quinn’s strike on the turn and Jack Kirwan had the Garden County back in the lead and, even though Rigter replied on the three-quarter mark, their rediscovered composure in the middle third led to Quinn and skipper Dean Healy finding the target.

Once again, resilient Limerick steeled themselves for a reply but, just after well-worked points from O’Hagan and Darragh Ó Siochrú tied up the scores, they had to start all over again when Healy swung a boot at a ball breaking in front goals that screamed past Josh Ryan’s reach.

Six minutes from normal time, Quinn’s strike looked as if it had saved Wicklow’s day but, at that stage, they settled for containment and, although that took a lump out of the time remaining, the jitters returned when they conceded a foul for Naughton to punish which was immediately followed by a Cillian Fahy point.

However, the next score, Quinn’s fisted effort, went the hosts’ way right on the end of normal time stretched the gap back to three. Despite Rigter kicking over an inspirational two-pointer at the other end, the home full-forward looked as if he had sealed the deal when he drew and converted a free.

But Limerick weren’t done yet. Throwing everything forward at the kick out, they drew a foul which Naughton settled for halving the deficit to the minimum in the belief that they could win the next possession.

When they did, Wicklow’s protests led to the next free being brought up to the 13 metres, he coolly slotted over the equalising point.

SCORERS:
LIMERICK: James Naughton 0-10 (1 2xf, 5 frees), Emmett Rigter 1-3 (1 2x), Paul Maher 0-3, Darragh O’Hagan 0-2, Peter Nash, Darragh Ó Siochrú, Cillian Fahy 0-1 each.
WICKLOW: Kevin Quinn 0-8 (1 2xf, 0-1 free), Pádraig O’Toole, Dean Healy 1-1 each, Eoin Darcy 1-0, Joe Prendergast, Tom Moran, Matt Nolan, Oisín McGraynor, Jack Kirwan 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: Josh Ryan; Cormac Woulfe, Colm McSweeney, Fiachra Cotter; Mark McCarthy, Iain Corbett, Tony McCarthy; Darragh O’Hagan, Paul Maher; Bob Childs, James Naughton, Cillian Fahy; Peter Nash, Emmett Rigter; Killian Ryan.
SUBS: Tommy Childs for Paul Maher (52 minutes), Darragh Ó Siochrú for Bob Childs (52 minutes), Andrew Meade for Iain Corbett (58 minutes), Diarmuid Buckley for Mark McCarthy (71 minutes), Jamie Bayhnam for Peter Nash (71 minutes).

WICKLOW: Cathal Fitzgerald; Tom Moran, Craig Maguire, Malachy Stone; Joe Prendergast, Patrick O’Keane, Matt Nolan; Dean Healy, Pádraig O’Toole; John Paul Nolan, Christopher O’Brien, Jack Kirwan; Oisín McGraynor, Kevin Quinn, Eoin Darcy.
SUBS: Conor Fee for Christopher O’Brien (half-time), Mark Kenny for John Paul Nolan (60 minutes), Darragh Fee for Eoin Darcy (60 minutes), Cathal Baker for Jack kirwan (69 minutes), Jacques McCall for Pádraig O’Toole (72 minutes).

REFEREE: Conor Dourneen (Cavan)