Under-20 footballers to visit Carlow in first round

THE WEXFORD Under-20 footballers learned their fate on Wednesday when they were drawn away to Carlow in the first round of the EirGrid Leinster championship.

The competition has reverted to straight knockout and an earlier February start for 2020, and the victors of that clash will earn the right to host Meath in the quarter-final.

That side of the draw will also feature Longford away to the winners from Wicklow versus Dublin, while Louth or Offaly will entertain Kildare in the opposite half, with the victors to meet Laois or Westmeath in the semi-final.

Brendan Kehoe from Adamstown is managing the Under-20 side again, and continuity with the 2019 crew is also provided by two of the selectors, Paud Moriarty (Ballyhogue) and Paul Gannon (Sarsfields).

They are assisted by a Horeswood duo in P.J. Banville, who has returned after being a mentor before in 2018, and newcomer Darren O’Reilly whose impressive coaching C.V. includes guiding Kilrossanty to last year’s Waterford Senior county final.

A lot of the likely squad will be drawn from the first-ever Leinster Under-17 campaign in 2017, when Wexford lost to Offaly and defeated Wicklow before suffering a 6-15 to 1-8 hammering to Kildare in the quarter-final in Newbridge.

Key figures are expected to include Kilanerin duo Páraic Hughes and Seán Forde, Castletown midfielder Liam Coleman, St. Mary’s (Rosslare) defender Liam O’Connor, Niall Murphy of Ferns St. Aidan’s, and St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) attacker Todd Hynes.

The most promising of the slightly younger brigade – eligible again in 2021 – are Gusserane trio Emmet Cullen, Jamie Sheehan and Mark Kehoe, Ciarán Kavanagh (HWH-Bunclody), and Conor Kehoe (Sarsfields).

The Under-20 mentors will be afforded some oppportunity to see their players in action with the Seniors in the O’Byrne Cup which starts with a home tie against Westmeath in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy, on

Saturday at 2 p.m..

At the time of writing, it appears that the Wexford team will include a mixture of footballers eligible for this grade, along with an older contingent from Paul Galvin’s squad.

It has been confirmed that Westmeath will be fielding a full Senior team, so it will be important for Wexford to strike the right balance to ensure the younger players aren’t out of their depth.

The O’Byrne Cup group stages will continue with another home clash with Laois in St. Patrick’s Park on December 14, and a journey to face Offaly on January 4. The new playing rules passed at Special Congress will be in place for this competition.