Late goal seals thrilling win
Murphy strikes at the death to set up Meath meeting
WEXFORD CARLOW 3-8 2-9
ST. PATRICK’S Park in Enniscorthy was the place to be for heart-stopping drama on Friday, with Wexford recovering from a three-point deficit and scoring 1-2 without reply in added time to dump neighbours Carlow out of the Eirgrid Leinster Under-20 football championship.
It was a remarkable contest on a difficult night for a game weather-wise, with the home side looking to be in serious bother when they squandered a two-goal advantage between the 41st and 60th minutes.
After recovering quickly from a missed penalty early in the second-half with a vital goal, Wexford moved clear by 2-5 to 0-5 but then lost their way completely.
Indeed, a couple of defensive errors played into Carlow’s hands, with the eventual winners outscored by 2-4 to 0-1 over a 14-minute spell to leaving them staring an early exit in the face.
When influential sweeper Páraic Hughes was fouled on a forward burst 90 seconds into added time, free-taker Colum Feeney must have checked with referee Patrick Maguire to ascertain how long was left before knocking the free over to leave his team trailing by 2-9 to 2-7.
And from the re-start, we witnessed two aspects of football at this level that often makes it considerably more attractive than its Senior counterpart.
Firstly, there was the naivety displayed by Carlow on two fronts. Not alone were they unable to retain possession, instead giving away the ball cheaply from an over-cooked handpass, but they also lacked the cynicism to commit a ‘professional’ foul and keep Wexford away from their goalmouth.
Huge credit must go to Wexford’s outstanding player, Niall Murphy, as the Ferns flyer made the crucial interception and then played a one-two to get a last-gasp attack in motion.
Spectators were then treated to an example of Under-20 football in all its glory, as the trailing team weaved a string of passes together before two substitutes combined to leave Carlow’s hopes in tatters, with Fiachra Hourihane feeding the in-form Tomás Murphy who rattled the net from close range (3-7 to 2-9).
The Blackwater lad had pushed himself into the reckoning for some game-time after grabbing four goals in his two most recent outings with St. Peter’s College, and he continued that rich vein of form to restore a lead Wexford had lost in the 58th minute.
There was still time for Colum Feeney to convert another free just before the five minutes-plus of added time concluded, leaving the home side on a real high as they look forward to a crack at Meath in the quarter-final at the same venue this coming Saturday.
While the unavailability of Good Counsel duo Emmet Cullen and Jack Kehoe owing to their hurling semi-final the next day limited the options somewhat, the hosts still started on the front foot.
Corner-forward Todd Hynes had a goal attempt saved after good work by midfielder Liam Coleman, who excelled for the most part, and Seán Forde in the second minute, but Feeney pointed from the ’45 that followed via the fingertips of netminder Kuba Budiscz.
Páraic Hughes latched on with determination to the kick-out, played a one-two with Coleman and fired home a well-taken goal from the right of the posts into the far corner of the net.
It was the perfect start, but the scoring returns dried up somewhat for the remainder of the half, with a mere two points added.
Carlow’s corner-forwards were dangerous throughout, although Ryan Furlong in particular defended well for Wexford in that area of the field, while Cormac Lomax also posed endless problems from right half-forward.
Ronan Curran picked up the pieces after a drive across the goalmouth by Andrew Keogh to get the visitors off the mark in the sixth minute, but the more wasteful Carlow went on to kick the second of their six wides during a half when Wexford had zero in response.
It wasn’t until the 17th minute that the opposition registered again, from a Keogh free after netminder Anthony Larkin got into trouble away from the posts.
Todd Hynes was denied a goal once more, this time from his firsttime drive after another measured crossfield pass from Seán Forde.
However, when the hurried clearance went over the left sideline, Wexford ended their barren spell of 16 minutes without a score when Colum Feeney found Shane Pettit who kicked a neat point (1-2 to 0-2).
While Feeney was unlucky to strike the post from a free, Carlow struggled to get the ball away once more, and Todd Hynes fired over with his left peg for his side’s last score of the half.
The visitors made inroads into that deficit prior to the interval, with Cormac Lomax working space to kick a sweet point before a controversial score left Wexford ahead by 1-3 to 0-4 at the change of ends.
Andrew Keogh called for an advanced mark and duly split the posts, having missed one earlier, but the problem was that the man who set him up, Diarmuid Ruth, appeared to be inside the 45-metre line when he delivered his long crossfield kick from the left.
Wexford mentors made that point to referee Maguire seconds later when he blew for half-time, after the linesman on that side told them he had used the buzzer on his flag to alert him to the situation.
Similar to the opening half, the leaders made a lightning start when the play resumed. Another deadly-accurate pass from Seán Forde opened the door for Todd Hynes yet again, and this time he earned a penalty but Shane Pettit’s spot kick was saved by Kuba Budiscz.
Pettit quickly shook off the disappointment to earn a free that Feeney pointed, with Ronan Curran responding after Carlow substitute Darragh Nolan won the kick-out before that second Wexford goal did arrive.
It came at the end of a flowing move similar to the one that yielded the late winner, with Liam Coleman and Feeney among those to get their hands on the ball before Todd Hynes appeared to be the last Wexford player to touch it before it entered the net (2-4 to 0-5).
The introduction of Diarmuid Kehoe to right half-back at the break, with Niall Murphy on the left, had added to Wexford’s dynamism in that area of the field, with most if not all of their successful attacks stemming from that sector.
Indeed, an interception upfield by Murphy led to a foul and a Colum Feeney point, widening the gap to six in the 43rd minute.
Todd Hynes forced Budiscz into a decent diving save before the Carlow revival started when Andrew Keogh earned and converted a free.
However, the turnaround in fortunes got under way with a real vengeance in the 47th minute when Keogh claimed a mark but left his effort short around the goalmouth.
Anthony Larkin advanced with the intention of fisting the ball clear, but it was deflected into the air and Carlow’s Jamie Lunney was on hand to palm it to the net (2-5 to 1-6).
There was some respite when Shane Pettit kicked a glorious point after playing a one-two with Sam Audsley from a free, but Carlow came at the opposition in waves for most of the next ten minutes.
Keogh and substitute Cian Doyle made it a one-point game, with Pettit and Feeney kicking the last two of Wexford’s three wides in between after an earlier miss by Niall Murphy.
And then a costly error looked like it might lead to a crushing late defeat, as Carlow hit the front for the very first time in the 58th minute.
A rare poor pass by Coleman was intercepted, with Ronan Curran making ground before parting to full-forward Cathal O’Neill who crashed the ball to Anthony Larkin’s net for a 2-8 to 2-6 advantage.
Wexford’s race appeared to be run when the referee spotted an off-the-ball tug, and Andrew Keogh landed a brilliant point at the dressing-room end just shy of the 60-minute mark.
It was at this point that supporters witnessed the never-say-die spirit of this developing group, as they kept their heads when some of the Carlow crew clearly lost their way.
The unanswered 1-2 that followed marked the start of a very fruitful 24 hours for Wexford football, and hopefully the benefit of that tough match will now stand to them against a Meath side without a championship encounter under their belts.
Forward Seán Forde will be attending the wedding of his uncle, Matty, in Donegal on Friday, so he faces an arduous trip home before the game.
Wexford: Anthony Larkin (Starlights); Liam O’Connor (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Ciarán Kavanagh (HWH-Bunclody), Ryan Furlong (Sarsfields); Niall Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Sam Audsley (St. Martin’s), Ciarán Regan (HWH-Bunclody); Liam Coleman (Castletown, capt.), Tiarnan Neville (Shelmaliers); Shane Pettit (St. Fintan’s, 0-2), Páraic Hughes (Kilanerin, 1-0), Colum Feeney (Adamstown, 0-5, 4 frees, 1 ’45); Todd Hynes (St. Mary’s, Maudlintown, 1-1), Diarmuid Barry (St. Martin’s), Seán Forde (Kilanerin). Subs. - Fiachra Hourihane (Oylegate-Glenbrien) for Coleman (11-13), Diarmuid Kehoe (Geraldine O’Hanrahans) for Regan (HT), Tomás Murphy (Blackwater, 1-0) for Barry (53), James Byrne (Kilrush) for Forde (59), Hourihane for Hynes (59), also Josh Burke (Our Lady’s Island), Nathan O’Connor (Starlights), Colm Parnell (Ballyhogue), Cormac Cooney (Glynn-Barntown), Michael Carroll (Glynn-Barntown), Garbhan MacCormack (Glynn-Barntown), Conor Kehoe (Sarsfields), Adam Fleming (Réalt na Mara), Peter O’Neill (Kilrush), Rees Broaders (St. Mary’s, Rosslare).
Carlow: Kuba Budiscz; Jonah Dunne (capt.), Keagan Bradley, Luke Bradley; Jamie Lunney (1-0), Jack McCullagh, Finbarr Kavanagh; Luke Connolly, Niall Hickey; Cormac Lomax (0-1), Dinny Farrell, Diarmuid Ruth; Ronan Curran (0-2), Cathal O’Neill (1-0), Andrew Keogh (0-5, 3 frees, 1 mark). Subs. - Darragh Nolan for Hickey (30), Cian Doyle (0-1) for Ruth (38), Tadhg Roche for L. Bradley (43), Colin Byrne for Farrell (49), Griffin Kennedy for Lomax (60+1).
Referee: Patrick Maguire (Longford).