KOG on duty with NY

WHILE THE Wexford Senior footballers will begin their championship campaign on Saturday, one of their former colleagues has already beaten them to it. Kevin O’Grady of St. James’ had a fine game in Gaelic Park on Sunday evening, contributing three points from play as the exiles fell to an agonising 0-19 to 1-15 defeat to Leitrim after extra-time.

They have yet to win a game since entering the Connacht championship for the first time in 1999, but this was another very close call.

New York’s debut 19 years ago, a 3-13 to 0-10 loss to Mayo in Castlebar, featured Wexford duo Jim Donohoe (Kilanerin) and

Richie Purcell (Adamstown) in the wing-back positions.

And interestingly, when they first took Leitrim to extra-time before losing by 0-14 to 0-12 in 2003, the winning team featured a wing-back,

Niall Gilbane, who went on to give sterling service to St. Anne’s.

Eric Bradley (Adamstown) scored two points for New York in a 3-28 to 1-8 hammering to Mayo in 2004, while Rory Stafford (St. Anne’s) played at full-back against Roscommon in 2011 and came on versus Sligo the following year.

P.J. Banville (Horeswood) gave a man of the match performance for the Big Apple crew in 2015, scoring seven points including three from play in a 2-18 to 0-8 defeat to Galway.

O’Grady wasn’t the only Wexfordman suffering a Connacht championship loss on Sunday, as the London team managed by Banville’s former Horeswood and Wexford team-mate, Ciarán Deely, went down to Sligo by 1-21 to 1-11 in Ruislip.