Footballers promoted after fifth win on trot
Eleven-point haul from attacker steers footballers to Division 3 and league final
PRE-MATCH favourites Wexford secured promotion to Division 3 of the Allianz Football League in Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday, but not in the manner that many had expected or predicted as Ciarán Deely’s well-prepared London side made them work immensely hard for a fifth successive victory.
The visitors led by 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time after playing with the wind, and they were only in arrears by the minimum (9-8) when Liam Gavaghan fired over their first of just two scores after the interval with 20 minutes left.
It had been a major struggle for Wexford up to that point, and it took the intervention of ace marksman Ben Brosnan to finally get them over the line.
The centre-forward may be in the midst of transfer turmoil off the field as his bid to join Castletown from Bannow-Ballymitty has been rejected, but it certainly didn’t show as he accounted for eleven points in total.
And although he departed the scene on a second yellow card deep into added time, the outcome was in the bag by that stage after he picked off four points without reply between the 55th and 64th minutes to widen Wexford’s lead to 0-13 to 0-8 and finally give them the breathing space they had sought for so long.
There’s a relatively short and recent history between the Slaneysiders and London in terms of competitive fixtures, and this was the best-ever showing by the exiles in their head-to-heads without a shadow of a doubt.
The green and whites were a completely different side to the one which fell meekly to a 4-20 to 1-6 hammering at the same venue in February of last year. That large margin had closely resembled the outcome of their sole championship clash in Ruislip in 2010, a 4-22 to 0-9 cruise in the qualifiers for Wexford when Horeswood clubman Deely made an appearance for his native county off the bench.
And while the ambitious young manager, and kitman Phil Roche, a proud son of Glynn-Barntown, didn’t get to savour a London victory this time around, they did have the satisfaction of witnessing a wholehearted display that earned the admiration of many onlookers.
Indeed, given the major prize at stake for Wexford (promotion and a league final place in Croke Park), their opponents deserve tremendous credit for making them work so hard before Seamus McEnaney’s side stumbled rather than cruised over the line.
The home side were forced into a late change between the posts as Shane Roche was injured in the warm-up, with Conor Swaine replacing him and making his league debut.
London started with one alteration to the announced team too, with John Daly coming in on the edge of the square and Liam Gavaghan moving out to left half-forward, while Adrian Moyles was on the bench.
Gavaghan won the toss and opted to avail of the wind blowing into the town end, and it was clear from an early stage that London meant business and, unlike last year’s clash, would be no pushovers.
They were intent on building on that fine win over Carlow in round two, and were full value for that three-point half-time lead.
Ben Brosnan and Ciarán Lyng (two, one free) were responsible for the opening three of Wexford’s nine wides early on, while Rory Mason kicked the first of seven for London before settling down to have a generally productive afternoon of shooting from frees and play.
Mason supplied the run and pass in the sixth minute which led to Dean Moore driving over the first point, and there was a yellow card in the aftermath for Wexford corner-back Michael Furlong after his late tackle on the supplier.
However, Furlong more than made amends on the next London attack when he pulled off a vital block on John Daly’s shot after good work in the build-up by Mark Gottsche.
Kevin O’Grady had a sniff of a goal chance but was thwarted by solid swarm defending at the other end before Ben Brosnan levelled from a ninth-minute free after Colm Kehoe was fouled.
Michael Furlong claimed the game’s first mark from the kick-out, but London won back possession and John Daly restored their lead after beating Brian Malone to a Dean Moore delivery (0-2 to 0-1).
A trademark Ciarán Lyng point, with the outside of his left boot from a John Tubritt pass, levelled proceedings for a second time before London’s Anthony McDermott, Liam Gavaghan and Rory Mason (free) were off target in a wasteful five-minute spell as the game moved into the second quarter.
Still, the visitors persisted and went ahead for the third time in 23rd minute when Rory Mason finished his solo run down the right flank with a fisted point after Ben Brosnan’s kick was blocked at the other end to set the move in train.
Wexford were looking uncomfortable, and the mood of anxious supporters wasn’t helped in any way when the team’s most experienced defender, Brian Malone, was black carded for taking down Liam Gavaghan after John Daly broke an Eoin Murray line ball into the captain’s path.
Rory Mason added a point from the tap-over free, but London owed a huge debt of gratitude to netminder Gavin McEvoy whose super save from a John Tubritt piledriver in the 27th minute ensured they remained in front.
Colm Kehoe and Ciarán Lyng had created the opening, but it came to nothing along with the ’45 which followed as the ball eventually fell to substitute Michael O’Regan whose first kick after his introduction for Conor Carty came back into play off the post.
London’s confidence was clearly high, and with good reason as they were intent on spoiling this potential promotion party.
And when Rory Mason availed of an Eoin Murray pass to stretch their lead to 0-5 to 0-2, Wexford clearly had it all to do.
The respective free-takers, Brosnan and Mason, shared another four points before half-time, with London full-back Cormac Coyne booked for a push on Kevin O’Grady as he aimed for the posts before Anthony McDermott was impeded on the visitors’ next attack.
Colm Kehoe earned that second free for Brosnan to convert before Wexford’s Tiarnan Rossiter was booked for an incident spotted by linesman Fergal Smyth in added time.
The younger of the Rossiter brothers, Naomhan, had conceded a free in the subsequent London attack, and Rory Mason swung that one over with his left peg after judging the wind to perfection.
The Wexford mentors had been closely monitoring P.J. Banville’s recovery from a hamstring injury, and there’s a strong likelihood that he wouldn’t have been risked if this game had followed a similar pattern to the 2016 encounter.
However, it was a case of needs must at the break as he was sprung in place of Tiarnan Rossiter, and the former club and county colleague of Ciarán Deely announced his arrival after a mere 43 seconds when he pointed with his first touch.
Michael O’Regan was placed on the edge of the square in a repeat of the role he filled after coming on against Wicklow, and the start was ideal for Wexford as they had drawn level (0-7 each) inside three minutes.
A John Leacy mark and quick delivery to Ben Brosnan was followed by a second point in just over 60 seconds from the latter after Eoghan Nolan’s long ball broke into his path off O’Regan.
There wasn’t a chance of London capitulating though despite that early Wexford burst, and the locals found it very hard to shake them off.
Brosnan collected his first booking before converting a free off the ground from 35 metres after Daithí Waters was fouled in the 44th minute, giving his side the lead for the
first time.
London were restricted to rare breakaways against the wind, and one such move nearly yielded big rewards two minutes later when Mark Gottsche delivered a perfectly-weighted handpass into the path of wing-back Marc Jordan who had open ground in front of him.
However, his first touch on the run knocked the ball away from his grasp, and he had to stretch to first-time a kick which went high and came back into play off the post.
James Gartlan and Killian Butler came on to provide fresh legs up front for London, but a costly pick off the ground by Martin Carroll under no pressure was punished by Wexford in the 48th minute. Brosnan’s free from 45 metres struck the post and was gathered by Ciarán Lyng who swung it over the bar for a 9-7 lead.
Lyng missed a free 60 seconds later though, and London remained full of self-belief after Mark Gottsche picked out Liam Gavaghan who swung over a fine point despite being under heavy pressure from Kevin O’Grady.
Five tense scoreless minutes followed, with John Leacy and London’s Ryan Jones booked in separate incidents, Daithí Waters claiming a mark, and Kevin O’Grady slipping at the vital moment when Colm Kehoe sought to put him through with a goal on the cards.
Killian Butler also kicked a London wide in that spell, and O’Grady did get to unleash a shot from a John Tubritt pass in the 55th minute but once again Gavin McEvoy brought off a magnificent save.
The ’45 which arose was stroked over by Ben Brosnan, and that marked the beginning of his scoring surge which finally ensured London would be crossing the sea with a fine performance, but no points, to show for their efforts.
Centre-back Joey Wadding entered the notebook before Wexford’s best point of the game in the 59th minute, with Michael O’Regan cleverly cushioning a P.J. Banville delivery into the path of Brosnan who made no mistake (0-11 to 0-8).
Banville was fouled under the kick-out which followed and Brosnan duly added to his tally, and he then made it 13-8 from another free taken off the ground after James Gartlan was booked for a foul on Daithí Waters.
Rory Mason registered what proved to be the last London point from a free earned by Mark Gottsche in the 66th minute, with Daithí Waters responsible for another mark before Kevin O’Grady and Ciarán Lyng kicked the last two Wexford wides.
Michael O’Regan slipped in the process of trying to release the ball to Donal Shanley whose return after long-term injury, along with the earlier arrival of Adrian Flynn, will increase the options considerably for the games to come.
Mark Gottsche was booked as we moved into the five added minutes announced, and it was only in that spell that Wexford got the couple of insurance points to copper-fasten a win that was as hard-earned as any of the four secured earlier in the campaign.
It was no surprise that Brosnan should add another, with Michael O’Regan supplying the final pass after a run by Ronan Devereux who started for the first time at this level and did well at full-back.
Substitute Niall Hughes was left with all the time in the world to kick the last point from a Kevin O’Grady pass, and there was warm applause for sharpshooter Ben Brosnan as he made the short walk to the sideline under the stand after collecting a second yellow card in the 74th minute for a foul on Rory Mason.
Wexford: Conor Swaine; Michael Furlong, Ronan Devereux, Brian Malone; Eoghan Nolan, Joey Wadding, John Leacy; Daithí Waters (capt.), Colm Kehoe; Kevin O’Grady, Ben Brosnan (0-11, 6 frees, 1 ’45), Tiarnan Rossiter; Conor Carty, John Tubritt, Ciarán Lyng (0-2). Subs. - Naomhan Rossiter for Malone, black card (26), Michael O’Regan for Carty (29), P.J. Banville (0-1) for T. Rossiter (HT), Adrian Flynn for Leacy (53), Donal Shanley for Tubritt (59), Niall Hughes (0-1) for Kehoe (64).
London: Gavin McEvoy; Philip Butler, Conor O’Neill, Cormac Coyne; Marc Jordan, Ryan Jones, David Carrabine; Anthony McDermott, Martin Carroll; Eoin Murray, Mark Gottsche, Liam Gavaghan (capt., 0-1); Rory Mason (0-6, 4 frees), John Daly (0-1), Dean Moore (0-1). Subs. - James Gartlan for Moore (46), Killian Butler for Daly (46), Adrian Moyles for Carroll (63), Ciarán Dunne for Carrabine (66), Danny Ryan for Jones (66), Colin Dunne for Jordan (69). Referee: Kevin Murphy (Cork). ALLIANZ FL DIVISION 4 TABLE P W D L F A Pt 5 5 0 0 73 57 10 5 4 1 0 102 71 9 5 2 1 2 79 74 5 5 2 0 3 76 73 4 5 2 0 3 81 85 4 5 2 0 3 66 75 4 5 1 0 4 66 85 2 5 1 0 4 63 86 2 Wexford Westmeath Carlow Waterford Leitrim Limerick Wicklow London