U-17s bow out in shield semi
Change in management for 2020 as Molloy steps down
WEXFORD F.C’s journey in the Under-17 SSE Airtricity League ended in disappointment recently as Athlone deservedly booked their place in the shield semi-final at the expense of the Ferrycarrig boys.
Wexford had looked bright in the opening stages before a stunning Ross Molloy free-kick knocked the stuffing out of the hosts.
While Brody Murphy and Darragh Levingston went close to equalising, second-half goals from Molloy and Shane Nealon ended Wexford’s season at the quarter-final stage.
That result came a week after Wexford had defeated Carlow-Kilkenny 3-1 in the opening round of the shield. A Brody Murphy brace before Kyle Clancy volleyed in a third had helped Wexford to progress on that occasion.
Wexford were placed in the shield competition after a competitive campaign which saw them finish mid-table in the SSE Airtricity League Southern Elite Division on 26 points after 22 games.
Back in March, the Ferrycarrig boys actually made the ideal start to that league campaign, registering two comprehensive victories against Carlow-Kilkenny and Limerick in the opening two games of the season.
A Brody Murphy double, along with a cracking Brian Byrne strike, helped a ten-man Wexford turn around a 2-1 deficit against their local neighbours before Murphy, Evan Farrell and Kyle Clancy put Limerick to the sword in week two.
The Ferrycarrig boys were soon brought back down to earth, however. A first-half blitz by Cork City brought about their first loss of the season and, when the long trip to Kerry resulted in a 4-1 defeat, there was work to be done.
The task didn’t get any easier after that. Runaway leaders Shamrock Rovers visited Ferrycarrig Park next and, despite a performance which probably warranted a point, the Dublin giants continued their one hundred per cent start to the season with a 2-0 win.
Cabinteely were the next side to make the trip to the south-east. The side that eventually finished fourth and took the last quarter-final spot ahead of Bray Wanderers were gifted a share of the spoils.
Dylan Casey had headed Wexford ahead before a controversial red card for Shane Gibson turned the game on its head.
At 1-1, Luke Greene saw his effort smash down off the underside of the crossbar and over the line, only for play to continue and for the visitors to take the lead almost immediately after. Wexford dug deep and Murphy earned the hosts a deserved point late on.
More disappointment followed after that for the Wexford boys, as a 3-1 away loss to UCD was quickly followed by a narrow 2-1 defeat to Waterford in Gorey.
After six games without a win,
Wexford’s fortunes finally started to change. They dispatched Galway United on the road with two second-half goals from James Dowling and one from Tyler Dunphy, before Cobh Ramblers suffered the same fate as Darragh Levingston and Brody Murphy scored either side of half-time.
The final game before the mid-season break saw Wexford visit the Carlisle Grounds. After falling 2-0 behind, Wexford staged a spirited fightback.
Evan Farrell pulled one back before James Dowling appeared to have levelled the game, only for the goal to be ruled out by an offside call. Bray went on to score a third goal in injury time to seal the travelling side’s fate.
After a five-week summer break, the fixtures repeated in the same order. Wexford were well in the hunt for a top four spot, but needed improvements in order to make a real claim for it.
It was a mediocre start for the Ferrycarrig boys, as they drew with Carlow-Kilkenny, Limerick and Cork City on the bounce.
In between these draws, Bray were ruthless in Ferrycarrig Park as they knocked the hosts out of the Mark Farren Cup in the first round.
They got their first league win of the second half of the season at home to Kerry in their next league match. Dylan Casey scored the only goal as Wexford closed in on the teams above them.
Tallaght Stadium and Shamrock Rovers came next and, despite another fine performance against the leaders, they fell to an unfortunate 1-0 defeat.
Another trip to Dublin saw Wexford dismantle Cabinteely 3-1. In an exceptional away performance, Brian Byrne scored his first goals of the season before Evan Farrell made sure that three points were coming home.
A disappointing 2-1 defeat to UCD in the next game saw the top four slip a little further out of reach, while an Evan Farrell goal was only enough for Wexford to share the spoils with Waterford in an end-to-end encounter in the W.I.T. arena.
With top four hopes dashed as a result of the draw away to Waterford, an in-form Galway put four past Wexford. Luke Greene and Brody Murphy found the scoresheet for the hosts on that occasion.
The league ended with another solid win over Cobh Ramblers. Farrell and Murphy were again amongst the goals before Bray were clinical in the final league game of the season.
When the management reflect on an inconsistent season, they will more than likely highlight Luke Greene and Brody Murphy as two of the side’s senior players who have shone.
They will be hopeful of retaining those two, along with Darragh Levingston, Graham O’Reilly, Brian Byrne, Robert Bulmer, James Dowling, Karim Abada, Shane Gibson and Seán O’Brien-Murphy, for next year’s Under-19 side.
Kyle Cooke, Evan Farrell, Dylan Casey and Paddy Redmond have been impressive and will continue at Under-17 level next season, along with James Donnelly, Seán Redmond, Alex Lynch, Kyle Clancy, Corey Dunbar and Cian Byrne.
After five seasons at the club, Billy Molloy steps down as manager for personal reasons. Head coach Jason Goodison will take over as Under-15 manager next season, and Colin Gregan will also move with him. Mark Doran, after his successful stint in charge of the Under-15s, will become Under-17 manager for the 2020 season.