Wexford FC suffer third league loss on the trot
Screen native’s corner results in giveaway own goal
A CORNER taken by the only Wexford native on the field led the team representing his home county to their third successive defeat of the fledgling SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division season in Tolka Park on Friday.
Shelbourne captain Kevin O’Connor was the man doing the damage, with his delivery from the right in the 60th minute leading to problems entirely of the visitors’ own making.
After a defender only succeeded in heading it back towards his own goal, Conor Crowley’s panicked attempt to clear resulted in the ball crashing into the roof of the net for the sole score of an evenly-contested game.
Shelbourne may have enjoyed a lot of possession at certain periods, particularly in the opening half, but they created little of note and were repeatedly frustrated by dogged, if limited, opponents.
And while ultimately this was a third defeat in three games for the Wexford basement dwellers, on the whole it was probably their best display thus far.
From such scraps of comfort they will be aiming to finally get off the mark when they entertain Cobh Ramblers in Ferrycarrig Park this Friday (7.45 p.m.).
Pre-game injury concerns surrounding front men Jack Doherty and Paul Fox had abated sufficiently for the duo to take their place in the starting line-up, although defender Jack Connolly didn’t make it and was replaced in the middle of the back three by James Carroll.
And with Alex O’Hanlon and Harry Groome both ineligible – since they are on loan to Wexford from Shelbourne – first starts of the season were given to club captain Dan Tobin, fully recovered from injury, and young Jack Larkin, who had appeared off the bench in Limerick.
To Larkin fell the difficult task of trying to get the better of our own Kevin O’Connor for most of the first-half, although he did swap wings with Fox approaching half-time.
And although this was far from a top showing from Shels – despite securing a first win after two draws – one of the fancied sides to gain promotion look like they have acquired a serious talent in the Screen native.
O’Connor is widely recognised for the quality of delivery with his left foot, but over the 90 minutes his heading prowess, positional sense, and ability to do the simple things well were also abundantly clear.
And in a dressing-room of strong personalities and many players who have lined out with bigger clubs, it’s clear that manager Ian Morris has a lot of faith in the left-sided defender after naming him captain for the season.
Watching O’Connor in the flesh highlighted for this writer how incredibly difficult it must be for any footballer to really make it in England. He had his shot at it with Preston North End and out on loan with Fleetwood Town and Crewe Alexandra, and in my humble opinion he’s too good for the LOI First Division, but that’s where his career has taken him at this stage.
His namesake, Michael, was arguably the game’s most influential player, bringing all his experience gained with the likes of Dundalk, Linfield, and Ross County in Scotland to bear in the centre-forward role. It was certainly a serious test for defender Paul Cleary to come up against a player whose physical strength, impressive use of the chest to knock the ball down to team-mates, and close control ensured he posed a constant threat.
Luke Turner tried hard to get to grips with Yousef ‘ Yoyo’ Mahdy, the other Shels striker, and, on the basis of the limited chances they offered up, it could be classed as a decent night overall for the visitors’ rearguard.
That’s why the concession of such a sloppy goal was all the more annoying and perplexing.
Shels bossed the possession stakes early on without causing any real problems, before Jack Larkin’s cross was claimed by netminder Brendan Clarke on Wexford’s opening attack in the sixth minute.
The first of six corners conceded was taken by Kevin O’Connor but cleared shortly afterwards, and referee Gavin Colfer wasn’t interested when Michael O’Connor went to ground after a Luke Turner challenge when the pair contested Dayle Rooney’s ninth-minute cross.
Larkin couldn’t capitalise after goalkeeper Clarke slipped and inadvertently directed the ball into his path, while a Georgie Poynton shot was deflected for a fruitless corner in the 14th minute.
Wexford had a brief sight of goal when a header by Ally Gilchrist fell kindly for Paul Fox, but his rising shot from outside the box was seen all the way and saved with comfort by Clarke.
The visitors were relieved when Yousef Mahdy couldn’t get on the end of a John Ross Wilson pass, but their own best chance of the first-half quickly followed.
Attacking from the right, Paul Fox found Jack Doherty who instinctively flicked the ball behind him to Conor Crowley. Unfortunately,
the midfielder needed one touch too many in order to garner full control, and his shot was blocked for a corner that Shelbourne defended.
The O’Connors combined for the hosts just before half-time, with Kevin’s long ball laid off by Michael into the path of Yousef Mahdy who dragged a weak shot left and wide.
Mahdy turned creator early in the second period, with Ryan Brennan running on to his pullback from the left at pace but shooting over.
Paul Fox managed to deliver two crosses in quick succession, with nobody arriving at the back post to take advantage.
Wexford’s second and last corner didn’t amount to anything before J.J. Lunney threaded a lovely ball through for Michael O’Connor. Goalkeeper Jimmy Corcoran did well to deny him from close range, although the flag was raised anyway for offside.
O’Connor sent an angled header wide after club debutant Michael Barker beat Fox to a 50-50 tussle, but it wasn’t long before Shelbourne broke the deadlock.
Ryan Brennan won a corner on the right when Luke Turner blocked his cross. It was taken by Georgie Poynton and arrived to centre-forward O’Connor whose shot struck Conor Crowley and flew over the bar.
Kevin O’Connor came forward to take the second flag-kick, and the car-crash defending that followed from Wexford gifted Shels a goal they had been struggling to register for a full 60 minutes.
Mahdy had a shot blocked at the expense of a corner and then saw his free header from pointblank range bounce over the bar.
Kyle Robinson was fouled to the right of the box not long after his introduction, but Jack Doherty fired the free-kick high and wide, while an acrobatic bicycle kick hadn’t come off earlier for Paul Fox.
Doherty was repeatedly frustrated when he was the central figure in an attacking three, with constant appeals that he was being fouled not gaining any sympathy from the referee.
He posed a bigger threat when positioned closer to the left flank after Robinson came on, finally getting the ball to feet and being able to take on his marker. It’s an area that manager Brian O’Sullivan might look at, given the sole goal scored in 270-plus minutes of league football was registered by a defender from a set-piece.
Conor Crowley, eager to atone for his earlier disappointment, struck a rising shot over the bar in the 76th minute, and he later directed a header wide from a Doherty cross.
Mahdy had nodded one narrowly off target at the other end beforehand, and the last real chance of an equaliser amounted to nothing in the 84th minute when James Carroll’s header from a Doherty free-kick was directed straight at Brendan Clarke.
Wexford FC: Jimmy Corcoran; Paul Cleary, James Carroll, Luke Turner; Karl Fitzsimons, Karl Manahan, Conor Crowley, Dan Tobin (capt.); Jack Larkin, Jack Doherty, Paul Fox. Subs. - Kyle Robinson for Larkin (69), Success Edogun for Tobin (87), also Tom Murphy, Seán Martin, Kevin McEvoy, Charlie Smith, Evan Farrell, Daniel Dobbin, Anto Dolan.
Shelbourne: Brendan Clarke; Michael Barker, Ally Gilchrist, Kevin O’Connor (capt.); J.J. Lunney; John Ross Wilson, Ryan Brennan, Georgie Poynton, Dayle Rooney; Michael O’Connor, Yousef Mahdy. Subs. - Brian McManus for Brennan (74), Alex Cetiner for Mahdy (87), also Jack Brady, David Toure, Denzil Fernandes, Shane Farrell, Maxim Kouogun, Stephen Negru.
Gavin Colfer (Wicklow).