Cabinteely put paid to recent run of improved form

WEXFORD F.C. 1 CABINTEELY 2

WEXFORD COULDN’T keep their recent improvement in form going as they slipped to a hard-fought defeat in the SSE Airtricity Under-19 Southern Elite League at the hands of Cabinteely in Ferrycarrig Park on Sunday.

After a season of struggles, manager James Quinn would no doubt have liked to have his full complement of players available to him. However, senior call-ups for Danny Doyle, Vinny Quinlan and Adham Masood meant he had to shuffle his pack and things weren’t quite the same.

The heat was certainly a factor at a sweltering Ferrycarrig but it hadn’t taken its toll in the opening few minutes as Cabinteely pushed forward. Brandon Perry had their first chance yet, despite having two bites at the cherry, he saw his first shot blocked and his second whizz wide.

Shane Beary-Cahill tested the visiting goalkeeper from distance in the 14th minute as Wexford looked to settle.

A few moments later Zack Quinlivan fired over the bar for the visitors after Adam Doyle’s initial effort was blocked.

A scrappy 15 minutes ensued but the game really came to life at the end of the first-half. Liam Berry cracked the post from inside the penalty area after being picked out by O’Reilly before Yaw Aboagye fired wide from the angle on the edge of the box a short while later.

Then, after a flurry of activity in the Wexford goalmouth, that saw Kelan Gaffney make two superb saved from Doyle and Quinlivan, Cabinteely took the lead when Luke Clucas poked home from close range after a corner bobbled around the six-yard box.

Things took a negative turn for Wexford early in the second-half when a bad bobble deceived Danny Bruce and Lewis O’Neill raced away and sent a controlled finish past Gaffney.

Adham Masood was introduced just after the hour mark and he was soon involved in the action, cutting in from the right and beating his marker but missing the target with his shot.

Then, with eleven minutes left Wexford should have scored. A brilliant turn and cross by Ciarán Murphy fell to Beary-Cahill who got a touch on the ball. It looped up and came back off the crossbar, and he couldn’t converted with a bicycle kick on the rebound either.

Ger Murray did pull a goal back when heading home a fantastic Masood cross in the 81st minute. Wexford peppered the box with corners in added-time and Murray was a real handful, but they couldn’t find the equaliser and Cabinteely held on.

Wexford make the long trip down to Limerick on Sunday but are not in action the following weekend.

Wexford F.C.: Kelan Gaffney; Danny Bruce, Ger Murray, Cian Larkin, Mick Gardiner, Liam Berry, Yaw Aboagye, Ciarán Murphy, Craig O’Reilly, Ciarán Paige, Shane Beary-Cahill. Subs. - Shane Gibson for Gardiner (46), Adham Masood for Berry (60), Adam Feeney for Paige (60), Darragh Levingston for Bruce (67), also Colum Feeney, Seán Murphy, Dylan Whelan.

Cabinteely: Peter Quinlan; Cian Kelly, Ronan O’Kelly, Andrew Egan, Conor Maguire, Zak O’Neill, Brandon Perry, Jack Hudson (capt.), Luke Clucas, Zack Quinlivan, Adam Doyle. Subs. - Lewis O’Neill for Quinlivan (46), Jack Maguire for Doyle (75), Dylan Rowe for Perry (85), Aaron Byrne for O’Kelly (87), Ross Moloney for Clucas (90), also Clayton Walsh, Cormac Kelly.

Referee: Derek Campion (Wexford).