U-19 squad improving

CABINTEELY WEXFORD F.C. 2 1

WEXFORD F.C. produced their best performance of the season to date but it wasn’t enough to get anything from their game against Cabinteely in the SSE Airtricity League Under-19 Southern Elite Division at Kilternan on Saturday.

Coming off the concession of 13 goals in their opening two games, there was clearly plenty of room for improvement for James Quinn’s side. As well as conceding in the bucket-loads, they hadn’t scored either so there was better needed at both ends of the field in this one.

Cabinteely started the game on the front foot but didn’t create anything clearcut in the opening 20 minutes. In the 25th minute Wexford had their first real effort at goal, but Ciarán Murphy missed the target with a free-kick from outside the penalty area.

The hosts were strong and physical in the tackle, were passing the ball around well but weren’t creating much as the half went on.

Murphy had his side’s first effort on target in the 34th minute but it was weak and easily saved by Peter Quinlan.

Just before the break Seán Murphy was forced to come off injured, with Danny Bruce replacing the defender. Right on the whistle Mick Gardiner had another sighter that Quinlan easily saved in the Cabinteely goal.

While the hosts went close through Paul Fox shortly after the re-start, Wexford took the lead when Liam Berry sent a left-footed curling effort to the hosts’ net from just inside the area.

When cool heads were needed, Wexford allowed Cabinteely right back into the game when Ronan O’Kelly tapped home after they failed to clear.

Buoyed, the Dublin side took the lead on the hour mark when Ross Moloney netted with a classy finish from inside the penalty box.

With 20 minutes left Liam Berry forced Quinlan into a superb save from his close-range header, and later the Cabinteely ‘keeper kept out a Mikey Carroll free-kick as Wexford searched for the equaliser that never came.

Wexford remain rooted to the bottom of the table and things are not going to get any easier this week when they meet a Limerick side which is off to a flying start. That game takes place at Ferrycarrig Park, with details to be confirmed in due course.

Wexford F.C.: Colum Feeney; Seán Murphy, Ger Murray (capt.), Mick Gardiner, Mikey Carroll, Vinny Quinlan, Liam Berry, Danny Doyle, Ciarán Murphy, Jack White, Craig O’Reilly. Subs. - Danny Bruce for Murphy, Yaw Aboagye for Gardiner, Adham Masood for Berry, also Kealan Gaffney, Shane Cahill, Ciarán Paige, Peter Collins.

Cabinteely: Peter Quinlan; Brandon Perry, Dylan Rowe, Andrew Egan, Andrew Twamley, Jack Hudson (capt.), Cian Kelly, Zak O’Neill, Ross Moloney, Ronan O’Kelly, Paul Fox. Subs.- Lewis O’Neill for Twamley, Aaron Byrne for Perry, Adam Doyle for Kelly, also Conor Maguire, Luke Clucas, Cormac Kelly, Dylan Davis.

Referee: Oliver Moran (Dublin). Shamrock Rovers 9, Wexford F.C. 0: Shamrock Rovers, rather expectedly, had ripped Wexford apart as they coasted to a 9-0 win in the SSE Airtricity League Under-19 Southern Elite Division in the Roadstone Academy recently.

Even before a ball was kicked, it promised to be a difficult game for the Ferrycarrig outfit. Wexford had plummeted to a poor 4-0 defeat at the hands of Cobh Ramblers in their season opener, and this Dublin side would be a whole different kettle of fish.

They may have counted themselves lucky to be getting Rovers on their first game of the season, after their planned opener against Cork City was rained off.

One fears to think what the score might have been if this was a Hoops side with a few games under its belt.

Rovers survived an early Wexford scare when Danny Doyle’s left-footed effort was saved, but it was soon to be plain sailing for the Dublin giants.

Dean Williams put Rovers ahead after just 16 minutes as he latched onto Brandon Kavanagh’s ball over the top, and Dillon made it two three minutes later, reacting quickest to a Williams shot rebounding off the post.

Two more balls over the top of Wexford’s high line doubled the Rovers lead. Williams tucked the first away coolly before Kavanagh got in on the act with the easiest of tap-ins.

It was five just after the half-hour mark, when Dillon nodded across goal for Williams to secure his hat-trick.

One would think that at some WEXFORD WERE hugely unlucky to lose their second game on the bounce after dominating against Galway in Ferrycarrig Park on Sunday in this SSE Airtricity League Under-15 Group 3 encounter.

The hosts played really well in defeat to Cork a week earlier and this was even more unfortunate as they bossed the game, created the majority of the chances but unfortunately conceded twice against the run of play.

Wexford started on the front foot and could have taken the lead early when Evan Farrell broke through one-on-one on visiting ‘keeper Aaron Curtis.

He probably had too long to think about the chance and he maybe hit it a little early and dragged his shot wide.

When Galway took the lead in the 22nd minute it was completely against the run of play.

It came from a ball in the box that wasn’t dealt with, and Leon Daly poked home his side’s one and only chance of the half.

The home side kept playing football and grabbed a deserved equaliser before the break.

Liam Doyle did the hard yards closing down, Dylan McEvoy won the ball back and fed Farrell, and the former Forth Celtic player did the rest with a tidy finish.

With Seán Adam Gourley in excellent form, Patryk Remiasz probing and creating chances, and Paddy Redmond making the most of his opportunity for extended stage during that first 30 minutes, the Wexford management would have realised they had got it wrong and made some form of tactical change. No change appeared to be forthcoming though, as Dillon got his second after another through ball.

Kavanagh ended the half with the seventh, curling a strike from the edge of the box into the corner of the net.

The second-half got a little better for Wexford, who only conceded twice. Rovers dropped their intensity as it became a possession practice for them, but it didn’t prevent Aaron Bolger’s shot from outside the area and Richie English’s deflected effort from extending the lead.

Wexford F.C.: Colum Feeney; Jack White, Coran Lindsay, Ger Murray (capt.), Seán Murphy; Mick Gardiner, Mikey Carroll, Adham Masood, Ciarán Murphy, Danny Doyle; Shane Cahill. Subs. - Craig O’Reilly for White (50), Liam Berry for Cahill (65), Yaw Aboagye for Murphy (78), also Aaron Hall, Peter Collins, Vinny Quinlan, Danny Bruce.

Shamrock Rovers: Kian Clarke; Cian Collins, Seán Callan, Conor Gleeson, Aaron Bolger; Harry Cornally (capt.), Brandon Kavanagh, Emmanual Lawal, Eric Abulu, Dean Williams; Dean Dillon. Subs. - Evan Smithers for Cornally (59), Kenny Cunningham for Lawal (59), Richie English for Bolger (74), Evan White for Kavanagh (74), Clayton Walsh for Williams (74), also Adam Kenny, Adam O’Connor.

Referee: Robert Dowling (Dublin). minutes, Wexford continued on the front foot.

Evan Farrell headed a decent chance narrowly over the crossbar and Gourley missed from close range as it seemed inevitable that Wexford would get the all-important third goal.

Galway had done little in the half to suggest it would come at the other end so it was a major shock when, with their only real shot of note, Jack McCarthy sailed home a 76th-minute winner from distance to break the hosts’ hearts after matching their opponents every step of the way.

Next up for Wexford is a trip west to face Limerick this weekend.

The Treaty lads have had a pretty solid start to the season and currently sit second in the table, however if the Ferrycarrig boys can match this performance they will be hopeful of not coming home empty-handed.

Wexford: Luke Murphy; Darragh McGuire, Seán Maguire, Seán Adam Gourley, Dylan Casey, Liam Doyle, Evan Farrell (capt.), Paddy Redmond, Evan Connolly, Michael Quinlan, Patrick Remiasz. Subs. (rolling) - Aaron Phelan, Rian Fitzpatrick, Harry Curtis, Luke O’Rourke, Alex Kelleher, Conor Carew, Dylan McEvoy, Eoin Murphy.

Galway United: Aaron Curtis; Luke O’Gorman, Conal Gallagher, Alex Haugh (capt.), Harry Browne, Adam White, Tom Kidd, Shane Befula, Shane Daly, Jordan McMahon, Jack McCarthy. Subs. - Gary Higgins, Dara Sheehan, Carl Thornton Byrne, Rory O’Brien, Peter Tobin, Sam O’Neill, James Egan.

Referee: Brian Fenlon (Wexford).