Tipperary profit from lightning start

NFL Division Two B/Tipperary 1-10 Wicklow 0-7: A tonic start that produced a 1-1 lead inside the first three minutes provided Tipperary with the ideal platform on which to build their six-point win in this mudfight for league points at a rainsodden Arklow yesterday.

The Tipperary goal in the third minute was scored by the visitors' dynamic corner forward Brian Mulvihill, who tapped to the net after Declan Browne had forced a super save from Ray Daniels in the Wicklow goal.

Mulvihill was just one of a live-wire full-forward line for Tipp - Browne and Damian O'Brien being his accomplices - that accounted for all but a point of the winning total.

While Wicklow recovered somewhat later in the half as Anthony Nolan, Paddy Dalton and Jonathan Daniels scored points in quick response, the home team never really gelled in this game, their worst performance of the league so far.

Wicklow's woes continued in the second half as, six minutes after the restart, they were reduced to 14 men - midfielder Gary Duffy shown a second yellow card - when they should have been reaping the benefits of wind advantage.

The result was that Wicklow's two second-half points - scored by substitute Wesley Callaghan and Jonathan Daniels - did not arrive until the last three minutes of the match, by which time Tipperary were in command and had stretched their total to 1-10.

Tipperary themselves were down to 14 men three minutes from the end when centre back Robbie Costigan was sent off on a second yellow.

TIPPERARY: P Fitzgerald; P O'Flaherty, P King, A Morrissey; M Peters, R Costigan, C Maher; E Hanrahan, A Fitzgerald; P Austin, B Lacey, B Hickey (0-1); B Mulvihill (1-3), D Browne (0-4), D O'Brien (0-2). Subs: M Phelan for O'Flaherty, S Murphy for Austin, N Kelly for O'Brien.

WICKLOW: R Daniels; C Hyland, D Power, B Daly; A Foley, B O'Donovan, C Foley; J Stafford, G Duffy; N Mernagh (0-1), L Glynn, A Ellis; T Gill (0-1), P Dalton (0-1), J Daniels (0-2). Subs: A Nolan (0-1) for Glynn, L Glynn for Ellis, K Kelly for Mernagh, W Callaghan (0-1) for O'Donovan, G Doyle for Gill.

Referee: T Quigley (Wexford).