Cruel cup exit for U-17 team
Wexford dealt savage blow
CABINTEELY 1 WEXFORD F.C. 0
JACK SAVAGE’S 78th-minute strike broke Wexford hearts as they crashed out of the Mark Farren Under-17 Memorial Cup at the quarter-final stage in Kilternan on Tuesday.
In a half of football where Wexford were the better team, it was Savage’s first-time finish past Seán Maher that ended their cup journey.
Despite conceding, Wexford may have had the better of the second-half. The first-half, however, was a completely different affair as the home side outplayed their Model opponents and were unlucky not to take a lead into the break.
Cabinteely’s first big chance came on the end of a Kyle Scallan mistake - Conor Knight almost made Wexford pay but his strike cannoned back off the post.
Soon afterwards, Jem Campion forced Seán Maher into a fine save while David Baker lashed over the crossbar from close range as Wexford just about survived Cabinteely’s onslaught.
Brian Byrne had won himself a free-kick and fired his effort against the wall before Cabinteely threatened again, with Eoin Massey forcing Maher into a reaction save on this occasion.
The final chance of the half did fall the visitors’ way and rose above the crossbar by just a whisker. Darragh Levingston laid back for Byrne who connected, albeit with slightly too much elevation.
Wexford showed far more control after the re-start and had chances to grab what would have been a vital goal.
Scallan had his header cleared off the line from a Levingston corner before Killian Griffin’s shot from distance had the goalkeeper worried.
Campion had another header well saved before they scored the only goal. After positive defending from Wexford’s Shane Gibson, the ball fell fortuitously into the run of Savage whose shot found a way past Maher at his near post.
Wexford pushed hard to find an equaliser and force the game into extra-time. They shifted to a front two and even pushed Scallan forward in hope of creating just one golden opportunity, but it never came.
That defeat will hurt Wexford, who are now out of the cup and adrift of the top four positions in the league. At the very least, they will want to end the season with a set of positive results which can propel this young squad into a more successful 2019 season.
Wexford: Seán Maher; Shane Gibson, Kyle Scallan (capt.), Kevin Murphy, Killian Griffin; Luke Greene, Graham O’Reilly, Darragh Levingston, Seán Smithers, Brody Murphy; Brian Byrne. Subs. - Dylan Whelan for Byrne (82), James Dowling for Gibson (88), Daniel Bruce for Greene (88), also Ethan O’Neill, Robert Bulmer, Aaron Hall, Killian Flynn.
Cabinteely: Daniel Lewins; Aaron Curtis, Joe Hyland, David Murray, Mark Soper (capt.); Dylan Birmingham, Conor Knight, Eoin Massey, Jack Savage, David Baker; Jem Campion. Subs. - Cian McKenna for Knight (77), Jamie Dodd for Massey (88), also Ross Carey, Dylan Davis.
Referee: Gavin Colfer (Dublin).