Crossabeg dent Town’s title hopes
THE WEXFORD Football League Division 2 title hopes of New Ross Town were left hanging in the balance on Sunday as home side Crossabeg came from behind to nab a point in a tetchy affair.
Town came into the clash level on points with their hosts but with games in hand on them, as well as the two above them in the table - St. Cormac’s and Cloughbawn.
Yet, despite taking the lead early through Shane Murray, they went down to ten men in the second-half and couldn’t hold out.
In truth, it was a fairly even game that wasn’t blessed by many clearcut chances. What it lacked in goalmouth activity, it made up for in niggle as both sides tested each other’s patience on a number of occasions.
It was tight because neither team could get control in midfield. Both sides had their moments in a packed middle third but neither was able to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, and in that sense a draw was the fair result.
Not much had happened in the first seven minutes, but the game shot to life when Crossabeg failed to clear Stephen O’Leary’s free-kick with any real conviction. It fell to Murray on the edge of the box and he sent it back with venom and a roar to the net.
Gary Sinnott’s deflected cross clipped the crossbar on the way behind as New Ross Town continued to have the upper hand in the opening quarter.
However, as the game wore on, Oisín O’Connor became more involved and his team started to improve.
Crossabeg had a couple of pot-shots without really creating a clearcut chance.
The closest they came was when O’Connor sent over a teasing cross from the left.
It looked like it might land on the head of the unmarked Thomas Doyle, but Danielius Niekis got the most important of fingertips on the ball to divert it away.
Still one down at the break, the hosts had the better of the early stages after the resumption.
Even so, the visitors rarely looked like snapping defensively until a pinball session in the box saw Barry Coughlan get a shot on goal.
Liam Walsh instinctively stuck his hand out on the line to stop it, and he made contact but couldn’t keep it from crossing the line.
However, referee Fran Sinnott quickly blew his whistle and awarded a penalty, sending-off the Town defender in the aftermath.
Niekis saved Peter Culleton’s penalty low to his right but Town failed to clear their lines, and Ronan Devereux crossed to the back post where Conor Devereux pounced to fire home the equaliser.
The game petered out in the final 20 minutes, with both sides having to settle for the point that did neither much good. CROSSABEG: James Quinn; Eoin Kelly, Mark Crosbie, Cian Boggan, Peter Culleton; Conor Devereux, Barry Coughlan, Oisín O’Connor, Ronan Devereux, Thomas Doyle; Ciarán Marlow. Subs. - Vinny Sullivan for Doyle (76), Cian O’Connor for C. Devereux (88), also Kenny Kavanagh, Conor Maddock, Dylan Kehoe.
NEW ROSS TOWN: Danielius Niekis; Liam Walsh, Anthony Rossiter, David Murphy, Jason Murphy; Shane Murray, Dermot Rossiter; Jack Foran, Stephen O’Leary, Damien Rossiter; Gary Sinnott. Subs. - Gary O’Connor for Murray (67), Anthony Feeney for Damien Rossiter (76), Jake Byrne for Sinnott (76).