ALL-IRELAND SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP Hurlers powered home
GAA Fanning’s perfect penalty goal not given
THE WEXFORD Senior hurlers were denied a perfectly valid goal but ensured that the blinding incompetence of the match officials wouldn’t ruin their summer as a powerful second-half performance drove them on to a commanding eight-point victory over Offaly in this All-Ireland Senior hurling championship round one qualifier watched by 3,100 people in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday.
Referee Johnny Ryan and his two umpires at the Clonard end somehow didn’t see a 23rd-minute Mark Fanning penalty coming back into play off one of the staunchions, with the home supporters making their feelings known with a chorus of boos at half-time.
Offaly led by 0-9 to 0-7 at that stage despite shooting nine wides while aided by the wind, but they were heading rapidly for the exit doors once Wexford hit the front with the game’s first goal in the 37th minute.
The half-time switch of wing-back Diarmuid O’Keeffe and midfielder Jack O’Connor paid rich dividends, with the former revelling in the space afforded to him as he repeatedly drove forward.
And, after Liam Og McGovern reduced the deficit to one after just ten seconds from a Lee Chin handpass, that game-turning goal arrived. It arose from an O’Connor delivery which landed around the square and wasn’t dealt with by the defence, with Paul Morris on hand with the finish after being involved in a scramble which also included Conor McDonald.
From that point on Wexford were in full control, with the defence doing excellently and only conceding 0-3 before a further 1-1 was shipped in added time with the game clearly won.
Lee Chin was extremely influential in that second-half while Conor McDonald looked very sharp close to goal, while the ovation for David Dunne when he was substituted near the end was well earned as he caused havoc with his speed and direct running after moving to right half-forward.
Given the numerous injury problems and the long lay-off since that flat display against Dublin, manager Liam Dunne and his backroom team deserve praise for the quality of this win and the manner in which it was achieved.
The reality of the situation was reflected in the make-up of the bench, with seven of Wednesday’s Intermediate team among the eleven substitutes although one of that group, Jack Kelly, didn’t tog out owing to injury. Indeed, reserve goalkeeper Conor O’Leary was the only replacement kept on the bench who isn’t eligible for duty with the second string.
He lost his place to the more experienced Mark Fanning, one of four personnel changes from the defeat to Dublin as James Breen and Lee Chin returned from injuries while Eanna Martin got the nod to start. The three outfield players to miss out were the injured Liam Ryan plus Harry Kehoe and Andrew Kenny, with the latter two introduced as second-half substitutes.
It did take Wexford some time to settle as they faced into the elements, and a stronger team might have punished them to a greater extent but in truth Offaly were very limited.
Matthew O’Hanlon was deployed to keep tabs on Shane Dooley and this meant he started at left corner-back, with James Breen positioned on the edge of the square for his championship debut and coming through with flying colours.
Conor McDonald had managed to give the home side a quick lead after Podge Doran’s shot was blocked, but that was followed by a run of four scores without reply from the midlanders who had the benefit of three games since Wexford were last in action.
That superior sharpness was evident early on as Shane Dooley (three frees) and Shane Kinsella picked off points between the third and tenth minutes. Both sides also shot two wides in that spell, with Wexford’s coming from midfield partners Jack O’Connor and Eoin Conroy, and there was a let-off for the home side in the eleventh minute when Joe Bergin missed a goal chance after Paddy Murphy caught a Wexford puck-out and returned it with interest.
That was the first of five wides in a row from the visitors which came as a relief to the home side who were struggling to win their own puck-outs at that stage.
They needed a point to settle them, and it arrived in the 16th minute when Conor McDonald earned and converted a free. Remarkably, it was the first awarded to Wexford on an afternoon when the wides count read 14 for the locals and eleven for their rivals by the end of proceedings.
Seán Ryan restored that threepoint Offaly lead when the puck-out after McDonald’s point broke into his path, and they showed promise as Joe Bergin and Shane Dooley increased the margin to five by the 18th minute shortly after their moves to full- and centre-forward respectively.
However, the response from Wexford was strong as they picked off four points without reply to ensure that the game didn’t run away from them. David Dunne got the ball rolling after Lee Chin caught Mark Fanning’s puck-out and started a move that also involved Liam Og McGovern and Paul Morris.
Podge Doran fired over with a possible goal on the cards after Conor McDonald did well to get a pass to him under heavy pressure, while the latter then won and finished off another free (0-7 to 0-5).
What followed next highlighted the fact that some of the officials charged with control of the game simply weren’t up to the job. Diarmuid O’Keeffe joined the attack and his powerful run ended with a foul while corner-back Paddy Rigney collected a yellow card.
Mark Fanning made the long trek upfield to take the penalty, and it passed the left shoulder of netminder James Dempsey before striking the staunchion and coming back out into play. Neither the umpiring duo nor referee Ryan had seen it though, the latest in a series of cockups this summer which are a blight on our games and a sad reflection on the generally poor standards of officiating.
Wexford carried on regardless, with McDonald making it a one-point game after a foul on Paul Morris in the 26th minute. A ’65 needlessly conceded by goalkeeper James Dempsey was missed by Eoin Moore for the third and last Wexford wide of the half before Offaly’s dissatisfaction with their general