Under-15 side go down in derby tie
DEAN LARKIN headed home a 76th-minute winner as Wexford slipped to an opening day defeat in Group 3 of the SSE Airtricity Under-15 National League at the Regional Sports Centre in Waterford on Saturday.
The substitute rose unmarked at the back post to dispatch Jake Doyle’s left-wing cross from the edge of the six-yard box to give the hosts a victory they probably just about deserved.
Really, it was only their willingness to get men forward and search for the winner in the last 15 minutes that made the hosts worthy winners. For 65 minutes there was nothing between two sides playing a careful, tentative game.
Waterford pushed on with the game into the last quarter, as it was their home tie and they were certainly under more pressure to get a positive result. No doubt Wexford would have been delighted had they held on for a point but it wasn’t to be.
The only real chance of a nervy opening quarter fell the way of The Blues too. Wexford got caught with a Sam Morrissey diagonal through ball, and Jamie Lee got to it first but out came Aaron Phelan to block with his feet.
Wexford probed a little as the half went on, with Rian Fitzpatrick in particular looking threatening on the left.
However, Waterford went close again in the 31st minute when Abel Alabi headed Jake Doyle’s ball across goal just over the crossbar from six yards out.
At times when Wexford got Harry Curtis over dead-balls, and he pinged them in on top of Waterford stopper James Donnelly, it seemed his side might get some joy. It didn’t come in the remainder of the half as the sides went in goal-less.
With Salim Ahmed lurking, a great piece of defending by Seán Adam Gourlay saved Wexford early in the second period.
The Ferrycarrig Park side then had their best spell which culminated in Liam Doyle testing Donnelly with a fierce strike from Eoin Murphy’s classy pass.
When the goal didn’t come in that spell Waterford grew in confidence, and they had been pressing a while when Larkin nodded home four minutes from time.
Wexford created one last halfchance to level but Doyle’s hopeful header was hooked away and the hosts took the points.
After having this coming weekend off, Wexford will play their first home game of the season against Carlow/Kilkenny next week before making the trip down to Cork to face City seven days later.
Wexford: Aaron Phelan; Darragh McGuire, Dylan Casey, Seán Adam Gourlay, Seán Redmond; Liam Doyle, Patryk Remisz, Evan Connolly, Rian Fitzpatrick; Evan Farrell; Dylan McEvoy. Subs. (rolling) - Luke O’Rourke, Paddy Redmond, Eoin Murphy, Conor Carew, Michael Quinlan, Luke Murphy, Harry Curtis, Alex Kelleher.
Waterford: James Donnelly; Abel Alabi, Cormac Doyle, Sam Morrissey (capt.); Eoin O’Brien; Jamie Lee, Jack Deegan, Scott Delahunty, Charlie Binions; Salim Ahmed, Jake Doyle. Subs. (rolling) - Liam Kervick, Mzee Boston, Paul Kiely, Cormac Rooney, Lekan Oki, Dean Larkin.
Referee: Gary Fitzgerald (Waterford).