Controversy rages after narrow defeat

July 1984

It is seldom that controversy doesn’t rage after a provincial final ends with a very narrow victory for one side or another.

And Sunday’s Leinster Final, where Offaly beat Wexford by 1-15 to 2-11, was no exception. Indeed, the arguments still continued throughout the week as to the amount of injury time allowed by the Kilkenny referee, Paschal Long.

Wexford’s second goal came thirty seconds into added time. A similar half a minute later, Mr. Long caught the ball in mid-air to bring an end to proceedings.

But there is simply no way he allowed for two lengthy second half stoppages as medical teams first dealt with a concussed Eamonn Cleary and then with the injured Aidan Fogarty.

Wexford supporters were incensed and there was consternation in the press box too, as reporters found it impossible to believe the game was over.

Some placed the stoppages from anything between two and four minutes. But Eamonn Cleary’s injury alone necessitated a stoppage of some three and a half minutes, and with a further two minutes for the Fogarty treatment, common sense would seem to indicate at least five minutes of ‘extra time’ should have been played.

Referee Long claimed he had played two minutes. He needs a new watch.

Apparently referees have total discretion over how much added time they allow for injuries. If this is the case, then it is time that a directive was issued or else big matches timed electronically.