Offaly - 2-13 Wicklow - 1-7:Offaly proved the better of two disappointing sides when they overcame Wicklow in Tullamore to collect their second brace of points in Division 2A.
The home side struck early and decisively with goals by Ciarán Reilly and Pascal Kellaghan inside the opening 10 minutes of a scrappy and featureless game. By half-time they had availed of wind advantage to lead 2-5 to 0-3, all Wicklow's points coming from frees.
Wicklow were thrown a life-line seven minutes after the resumption when Paddy Dalton placed corner forward Wayne O'Gorman to crash an unstoppable shot to the roof of the Offaly net, and further points by Dalton and Clive Davis reduced their arrears to just four points. However, Offaly responded with an unbroken sequence of six points to run out deserving, but unimpressive winners.
OFFALY: C McNamara; J Hurst, C Daly, M Gorman; N Coughlan, G Rafferty, K Slattery (0-1); C McManus (0-3), A McNamee (0-1); C Reilly (1-0), J Kenny, P Mulhare (0-2); P Kellaghan (1-5) J Reynolds, B Malone (0-1). Subs: C Farrell for Reilly, C Evans for Gorman, M Mitchell for Hurst.
WICKLOW: R Hollingworth; A Byrne, B O Hannaidh, C Davis (0-1); D Ó Hannaidh, A Foley, E O'Neill; B Sheehan, D Dillon; B Mernagh, J P Connolly, G Jameson; T Gill (0-1), P Dalton (0-4), W O'Gorman (1-1). Subs: J Slattery for Connolly, J Keogh for Gill, S Cush for O'Neill, C Hyland for Byrne, V Quigley for Davis.
Referee: J Geaney (Cork).
