Upbeat from their last win, and yet to play a home match, Wicklow went into this match with a strong line-up. But it was to prove to be one of those games where things just don’t go your way. Facing into the hazy winter sun in the first half, Wicklow struggled to achieve much fluency and created few chances. Corinthians gained the lead after about 15 minutes when a short corner that they were lucky to gain was struck beautifully just inside the left post of Wicklow’s goal.
Wicklow had the upper hand for the rest of the half, and started to look more threatening in attack, particularly through the lively and creative Victor de Vries. But Corinthians struck a hammer blow to their hopes of winning the match when a breakaway attack just before halftime caught the Wicklow defence cold and allowed one of their substitutes to get clean through on goal and finish well, despite the best efforts of goalkeeper Gerry McGuinley.
Yet Wicklow never believed they were out of the game, and fought back with renewed vigour in the second half. Good play from Richard Woodroofe and Eoin Byrne soon led to a short corner being awarded, which Stephen Stewart converted at the second attempt. At 2-1, Wicklow looked to have every chance of equalising and as the game went on Byrne, Woodroofe and then Andrew Clarke all came within inches of putting them level.
But minutes before the end, with Wicklow still believing they could gain a point, Corinthians gained another short corner out of nothing and expertly converted it again, with much the same move as they had scored with in the first half.
3-1 was a cruel scoreline on Wicklow, given that they could just as easily have won by the same margin, but they will refuse to be deflated by the defeat and next play UCD at home.
Wicklow Hockey Club formed in 1999, with a group of students from Wicklow Town under the leadership of Neil Horner.