Davy Fitz ‘disappointed’ over Cody’s comments

WEXFORD manager Davy Fitzgerald says he is “surprised and disappointed” at Brian Cody’s insinuation that one of players tried to influence the referee to get Kilkenny a player sent off.

After the sending off of Richie Reid, Cody was sent to the stands following an altercation with a linesman during Wexford’s Walsh Cup final success at the weekend, but afterwards he hit out at a Wexford player “roaring and bawling to the referee about his helmet”.

The Kilkenny supremo said he thought Reid’s sending-off, for pulling off Matthew O’Hanlon’s helmet, was a “very horrible circumstance”, and Fitzgerald said he was stunned by the Kilkenny manager’s comments.

“I am just very surprised at Brian’s attitude afterwards, very surprised.

I could say a lot but I am not going to go on,” said Fitzgerald (right).

“It often happens (that we get upset) believe it or not. I am a bit disappointed in the way he was. He hasn’t lost that often in the last 15 or 20 years.

“I am a bit disappointed and I don’t think there is any need for that.”

After their victory over Kilkenny in last year’s league quarter-final and the summer’s Leinster championship semi-final, last Saturday’s free-taking competition triumph was Wexford’s third success in-a-row over Kilkenny.

The sides will meet again in the last round of Division 1A games in March at Nowlan Park, while the provincial championship has also pitted the sides against each other.

Fitzgerald – speaking after his LIT side’s Fitzgibbon Cup defeat to DCU in Limerick yesterday – insisted the Kilkenny player deserved a red card.

“I have been on the receiving ends of helmet pulling and had two or three lads sent off in my time as manager,” said the Wexford boss.

“Naturally you are frustrated but that has happened to all of us. If you pull a helmet you are going to get done. Back when I was manager of Clare it happened twice and we got sent off twice.”