Kerry earn point with late strike
KERRY LEAGUE 1, WEXFORD F.C. 0: A lst-gasp goal from a corner provided a cruel blow for a Wexford side that looked set to pick up their second SSE Airtricity Under-15 Southern Elite Division victory in a row at Mounthawk on Saturday.
Mark Doran’s side have been putting in some sterling performances in recent weeks but not always getting the points their quality has deserved. This was no different as Wexford had multiple chances to put the game to bed.
There’s a feeling in the camp that this side is on the verge of clicking, with just a little composure in front of goal stopping this from becoming that type of performance. The goal was particularly tough on the back three.
Darragh McGuire, Seán Redmond and Dylan Casey have been superb for Wexford in recent weeks since they moved into a 3-5-2 system.
The concession of the late goal was harsh on that trio as their combined performance deserved the clean sheet.
Ahead of that Evan Connolly was the pick of the attacking players but in general Wexford did plenty of things really well, particularly in the first-half, when their one touch passing and control of the contest was exceptional.
It had been coming but it took 27 minutes for Wexford to open the scoring. When the goal came it was an absolute screamer from Connolly, as he came in from the left and struck an unstoppable shot that flew high into the top right corner.
Until the interval Wexford played their best football of the year. They really should have gone two up, with Seán Adam Gourley flashing a powerful shot over the crossbar from a couple of yards out when a controlled finish might have been the best option.
The momentum was slightly lost by the interval but Wexford still had decent chances to double their advantage, with Dylan McEvoy twice going through on the Kerry goalkeeper only to come up short with the end product.
There was a turning point and it came when visiting ‘keeper Aaron Phelan was injured in a collision with a Kerry player. Lying prone on the floor, with his neck stabilised by the home physio, there was a wait of over an hour for an ambulance.
For a team that had been on the road since the early hours of the morning, the delay sucked the last life out of the legs. Eventually the game continued but Wexford weren’t the same team, mentally or physically.
It looked like Wexford would hold out and take the deserved points but the late Kerry goal put paid to that hope.
Wexford don’t have long to reflect on the disappointment, as they host Carlow/Kilkenny in the cup tomorrow (Wednesday, 7.45 p.m.) before reaching the midpoint of the league fixtures against Cobh at the weekend.
Wexford F.C.: Aaron Phelan; Darragh McGuire, Seán Redmond, Seán Adam Gourlay, Dylan Casey, Liam Doyle, Patryk Remiasz, Micheál Quinlan, Evan Farrell, Rian Fitzpatrick, Evan Connolly. Subs. (rolling) - Harry Curtis, Alex Kelleher, Paddy Redmond, Conor Carew, Eoin Murphy, Luke O’Rourke, Dylan McEvoy, Luke Murphy.