Dose of the blues
Minors lose their way against Dubs
DUBLIN WEXFORD 3-20 0-12
THE WIDE gulf in ability at Senior level in Leinster is well known at this stage, but the outcome of this Electric Ireland Minor football shield semi-final at Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday suggests that the problem isn’t only confined to the top flight.
The high point of Wexford’s season had come at the same venue four days earlier when they pipped Carlow to finish fourth in their group of five, thereby securing this additional game.
Dublin, on the other hand, had been rocked by a home defeat to Wicklow, and their demolition of Westmeath last Tuesday wasn’t enough to reach the semi-finals proper since the Garden county defeated Meath on the same night.
The merits of this new shield competition are questionable in my own view, but at least it presented Wexford with a chance to build on that hard-earned victory over Carlow.
And while they were quite competitive in the opening half, they fell away rapidly on the re-start as the Dubs cruised to an emphatic 17-point win to set up a final clash with Longford.
The visitors led by 2-7 to 0-7 at half-time in a game watched by a tiny crowd, but that might have been different if unfortunate full-forward Jack O’Leary hadn’t crashed a shot off the crossbar after a mere 18 seconds.
Wexford more than held their own in the early stages and only trailed by 0-4 to 0-3 after 13 minutes, with their points coming from free-taker Lee Jordan, Ciarán Regan and Niall Connolly.
And they squandered another golden goal chance after that third point when a short Dublin kick-out was intercepted by Lee Nolan.
He was caught in two minds as he bore down on goal, with his attempt to loft the ball over netminder Simon Murphy hitting the post before being cleared.
Dublin had a very strong midfield pairing in St. Margaret’s clubmates Ciarán McManus and Rory Dwyer, and the latter showed the way to his forwards with a wellworked goal in the 14th minute.
First he played a one-two with Tomás O’Neill before doing the exact same with full-forward Matt Grogan, and the move ended with a simple soft hands finish from close range (1-4 to 0-3).
Wexford responded well to the goal with points from Emmett Nolan and Lee Jordan (free), but the second Dublin major in the 23rd minute left them fighting an uphill battle.
Matthew Dunne and Ciarán McManus split the defence and Matt Grogan applied the finish, and the visitors stretched their advantage to eight before two late Lee Jordan points, the first from play, left Wexford trailing by 2-7 to 0-7 at half-time.
There was a pep in the home side’s step when play resumed as Niall Connolly exchanged passes with Jordan before splitting the posts, and Ciarán Regan then curled over a beauty after a strong solo run.
The momentum didn’t last though, as Dublin hit three on the bounce including the first two from half-time super-sub Seán Guiden before an Emmett Nolan delivery was knocked over the bar by Jack O’Leary (2-10 to 0-10).
By the time Wexford scored again, courtesy of substitute Joe O’Sullivan 19 minutes later, Dublin had opened them up repeatedly and reeled off 1-7 without reply in clinical fashion.
Guiden ran riot and ended with six of his eight points from play, while the third goal came from Conor Chawke after a Conor Hennessy lay-off in the 46th minute.
Anthony Larkin helped to keep the final margin down with a fine save to deny Hennessy, but the Dubs were also wasteful as Chawke and Guiden made a mess of two more goal chances.
Corner-back Oliver Gahan came forward to kick the last Wexford point before Guiden hit the final two Dublin scores to end the home side’s involvement in what many would regard as a competition that does nothing apart from celebrating mediocrity.
Development is the buzz word at this level but, when all is said and done, is anything gained by staging a game involving two teams that weren’t good enough to advance in the actual championship in the first place before less than one hundred people?
That, of course, is a matter of opinion.
Wexford: Anthony Larkin (Starlights); James O’Leary (Our Lady’s Island), Jamie Sheehan (Gusserane), Oliver Gahan (St. Patrick’s, 0-1); Harry Kehoe (Volunteers), Ciarán Kavanagh (HWH-Bunclody, capt.), Paudie Casey (Oylegate-Glenbrien); Emmet Cullen (Gusserane), Mark Kehoe (Gusserane); Niall Connolly (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, 0-2), Ciarán Regan (HWH-Bunclody, 0-2), Lee Nolan (St. Mary’s, Maudlintown); Lee Jordan (Starlights, 0-4, 3 frees), Jack O’Leary (St. Fintan’s, 0-1), Emmett Nolan (St. Mary’s, Maudlintown, 0-1). Subs. - Robert Murphy (Kilanerin) for M. Kehoe (HT), Jack Doran (Naomh Eanna) for E. Nolan (42), Jack Finucane (Sarsfields) for Connolly (47), Conor Kehoe (Sarsfields) for Jack O’Leary (50), Adam Mullins (Our Lady’s Island) for H. Kehoe (51), Joe O’Sullivan (Horeswood, 0-1) for Jordan (57), also Byron Sweeney (St. Mary’s, Maudlintown), Jason Devereux (Our Lady’s Island), Conor Hughes (Kilanerin).
Dublin: Simon Murphy; Josh Bannon, Senan Forker, Fergal O’Byrne; Ben Harding, Enda Cashman (capt.), Mark L’Estrange; Ciarán McManus (01), Rory Dwyer (1-0); Liam McGovern (0-1), Matthew Dunne (0-4, 1 free), Conor Chawke (1-2); Tomás O’Neill (0-2), Matt Grogan (1-1), Robbie Bolger (0-1). Subs. - Seán Guiden (0-8, 2 frees) for O’Neill (HT), Conor Hennessy for Grogan (42), Alex Watson for Bolger (43), Conor O’Brien for Cashman (46), Seán Bohan for Murphy (47), Euan Farquharson for Bannon (51).
Referee: Patrick Coyle (Meath).
WEXFORD YOUTHS’ title hopes hit a speed-bump at the weekend with the news that attacker Claire O’Riordan has signed for professional Bundesliga outfit MSV Duisburg. The Limerick native played her last game for the Ferrycarrig Park side against Galway on Saturday after five years at the club.
The news of O’Riordan’s move shouldn’t come as a surprise for those around the league.
She quickly turned from bit-part performer for Youths into an international calibre player, someone that is always one of the first names on the teamsheet.
It hasn’t happened by chance. O’Riordan has regularly been putting in extra training sessions with Wexford’s male under-age teams in a bid to improve her performances and to push on to the next level.
This season the return to fitness of Rianna Jarrett has seen O’Riordan move out onto the left of the attack.
Rather than letting it get to her, as she might have in the past, O’Riordan has knuckled down and played a key role in Wexford’s unbeaten start to the season.
O’Riordan leaves Wexford with three league winners’ medals, an FAI Cup, a League Cup and a development shield success.
She is contracted in Germany until the end of the 2018-’19 season, with MSV Duisburg finishing ninth in the last Bundesliga campaign. There is also better news for Youths on the transfer front. Hawaiian McKenna Davidson was in attendance at Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday, getting to know her new team-mates and watching Wexford rack up their third win in a week.
The American attacker has playing experience with Chattanooga F.C. of the Southeast Division of the National Premier Soccer League, played collegiately at Pacific University and during a semester at the University of Limerick she helped the college to the Division 1 title, winning ‘player of the game’ in the final.
Two other youngsters made their debuts during the week. Waterford’s Aoife Slattery, the Irish Under-16 player of the year, started in defensive midfield against Kilkenny and came on for Kylie Murphy against Galway.
Former Peamount United youngster Doireann Fahey, an Under-17 regular for Ireland, joined Wexford in the transfer window. She started at left-back versus Kilkenny and came on for Becky Cassin on Saturday, meaning that it’s all change as the reigning league champions look to defend their crown.