First U-19 league victory
COBH RAMBLERS WEXFORD F.C. 2 4
HAVING LED for just two minutes all season in the SSE Airtricity Under-19 League Southern Elite Division, there was clearly a different blueprint needed for Wexford F.C. when they travelled to St. Colman’s Park on Sunday.
The message that manager James Quinn had to purvey was pretty clear: playing catch-up is tiring, get ahead and you have something to work with. His side heeded those messages in their first league victory of the season.
Indeed, it was dreamland for Wexford. You wait all season to hold a lead, any lead, for a little while and then you go out and smash in three goals in the opening ten minutes.
The Ferrycarrig Park boys went at Cobh right from the first whistle and they went at Ramblers hard.
There was just five minutes of the clock when the lively Vinny Quinlan latched onto a loose defensive ball and fired home from long range over the hosts’ standin goalkeeper, Arthur Nganou.
Adham Masood has been one of the main bright spots for Wexford this season, and his form has earned him a call-up to the first team squad.
He celebrated that new contract in style by flashing home from the right side of the area to make it two.
The mazy running wing magician dribbled in from the right and rattled home his second of the afternoon, Wexford’s third, in the tenth minute.
Unimpressed, Cobh immediately made a change with striker Eoin Murphy entering the fray, and the tactical switch made an immediate impact.
With senior experience under his belt, it was Beneoin O’Brien-Whitmarsh who pulled a goal back from Cameron Harlson’s feed in the 20th minute. Wexford kept their two-goal advantage into the second-half but things changed in the 55th minute.
This time goalscorer O’Brien-Whitmarsh crossed for Stephen O’Leary to force the ball home and suddenly it was game on.
Cobh pressed forward looking for an equaliser but in the 80th minute Masood did all the damage again, crossing for Michael Carroll to make the points safe.
Wexford now face Waterford in the Enda McGuill Cup at 7.30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) in Ferrycarrig Park.
They then have back-to-back home league games, starting with leaders Shamrock Rovers on Monday evening.
Wexford F.C.: Kelan Gaffney, Craig O’Reilly, Michael Carroll, Kevin Murphy, Ger Murray, Cian Larkin, Michael Gardiner, Adham Masood, Shane Cahill, Vinny Quinlan, Yaw Aboagye. Subs. - Colum Feeney, Seán Murphy, Danny Bruce, Ciarán Paige, Liam Berry.
Cobh Ramblers: Arthur Nganou, Ben Healy, Ryan O’Regan, Stephen O’Connor, Adam Crowley, Kajius Vitkevicus, Cameron Harlson, Eoin McCarthy, Beneoin O’Brien-Whitmarsh, Nathan Broderick, Stephen O’Leary. Subs. - Eoin Murphy, Greg Barrett. Matthew Lambe, Conor O’Leary, Kyle Murphy, Stephen Darcy, Conor Hogan.
Referee: Paul Braganza (Cork).