Welcome cup win followed by ninth league loss

GALWAY UNITED WEXFORD F.C. 3 0

WEXFORD F.C’s dire SSE Airtricity League Under-19 Southern Elite League season continued to flounder with another comprehensive defeat, this time away to Galway United on Saturday.

Any hope that the Ferrycarrig Park side might have turned a corner with their extra-time 2-1 cup win away to Cork City was put to bed in 90 minutes against a Galway side sitting in mid-table coming into this game.

With exactly half the league season now gone, Wexford have conceded 34 times and scored just three in the process.

They are the only team above the Under-15 age group to not garner any points so far this campaign, after losing all nine league games.

A goal-scoring cameo against Cork was enough to get Shane Beary-Cahill a starting berth in this tie, but the other goalscorer, Ciarán Murphy, had to make do with a place on the substitutes’ bench.

It took just over half an hour but, for the eighth time in nine league games, Wexford conceded the game’s opening goal when Conor Layng took on and beat his man before firing home past visiting ‘keeper Colum Feeney.

While there was only a goal in the game, James Quinn’s struggling side still had a chance.

However, their hopes were fully extinguished when the impressive Layng - who has played in the First Division this season - volleyed home his seventh goal of the season from inside the box with 69 minutes on the clock.

Wexford had their three available outfield substitutes on at this stage, including striker Yaw Aboagye and attacking winger Ciarán Murphy, but they couldn’t find the goal they needed to make a game of it late on.

Instead, the hosts wrapped up the three points with their third and final goal. It came with just 13 minutes remaining when Calym Crowe notched his second goal in two games with a rasping shot from outside the penalty area.

Wexford have another away game this week, when they travel to St. Colman’s Park to face Cobh Ramblers on Sunday.

After that tricky tie they might have better hopes of finally getting some points on the board when they play two home games on the bounce against Shamrock Rovers and Cabinteely.

Wexford F.C.: Colum Feeney; Daniel Bruce, Cian Larkin, Gerard Murphy, Michael Carroll, Vincent Quinlan, Adam Feeney, Adham Masood, Craig O’Reilly, Ciarán Paige, Shane Beary-Cahill. Subs. - Ciarán Murphy for Masood (53), Michael Gardiner for Larkin (53), Yaw Aboagye for O’Reilly (68), also Kelan Gaffney.

Galway United: Mark Greaney, Christopher Horgan, Calym Crowe, Evan Coyle, Adam Rooney, Gary Matthews, Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Conor Layng, Seán Hughes, Wilson Wawery, Aaron Leggett. Subs. - Joshua Keane-Quinlivan for Wawery (57), Even Reen for Coyle (70), Matthew Barrett for Matthews (80), Aaron Molloy for O’Dea (80), Ronan Asgari for Hughes (85), also Cillian Doyle, Cian Mulryan.

Referee: Joseph Hession.