Fitzgibbon Cup v WIT Report

By Ivan Smyth

WIT Thursday 1 February

UL 2-19 WIT 1-8

UL progressed to the Fitzgibbon Cup Quarter Finals after easily overcoming the challenge of WIT on a freezing night. The teams traded the first four points of the game before UL hit three points in a row through Barry Murphy and Ian Galvin.

WIT hit the next score to reduce the gap to two before Barry Murphy fended off a tackle and hit the ball low past WIT and Wexford goalkeeper Mark Fanning. The teams traded points before Kevin O’Brien, Tom Morrissey and Ian Galvin hit three points to give UL a ten-point advantage against the break, 1-11 to 0-4.

WIT reduced the arrears when they hit the first two points of the second half but they missed three scorable frees. UL hit back with three points of their own with Kevin O’Brien providing two of the points and Barry Murphy hitting a free. The teams traded points before Ian Galvin hit a point from near the sideline to hand UL an 11-point lead, 1-15 to 0-7.

Barry Murphy hit a point for UL before WIT responded with one of their own. UL began to empty the bench and it was substituted David Gleeson who made an immediate impact when he fired the ball into the back of the net. Gleeson quickly followed up his goal with a point to give UL a 2-17 to 0-8 advantage.

Barry Murphy hit the next point before Mark Fanning scored a consolation goal from a 30-meter free. UL hit the final point of the game to seal a well-earned fourteen-point success. UL now progress to a quarter-final against UCC. This win completed a clean sweep of wins with UL’s Sigerson and Ashbourne Cup teams also victorious this week.

UL Team: David McCarthy; Sean Finn; David Fitzgerald; Brian Troy; Barry Heffernan; Conor Cleary; Aidan McGuane; Tony Kelly; Paul Maher; Ian Galvin; Kevin O’Brien; Tom Morrissey; Barry Murphy; Michael Mullins; JP Lucey

Subs: David Gleeson for Maher, John Lennon for Morrissey, Jordan Henley for Heffernan, Stephen Roche for McGuane, Michael Mackey for Mullins