Fabulous sixth place finish in Kennedy Cup
WEXFORD ENDED a memorable week at the Kennedy Cup in the University of Limerick with an excellent sixth place finish overall, eventually ending their campaign with a loss to Cork in the plate final on Friday.
Manager Alan Kelly has been building this squad for the past four years. Hours of training, of travelling, of hard work and determination from a small group of players and coaches came down to just a five-day tournament, and Wexford can be thrilled with how it all panned out.
Things didn’t start as well as they ended. Clare were the opponents in the first game in the group and Wexford found themselves 1-0 down at half-time.
It got worse early in the second-half, but when Seán Fitzpatrick pulled a goal back it was game on at 2-1.
Wexford threw the kitchen sink at their opponents for the remainder of the game, but goals from Jason Cashen, Charlie Morrison, Daragh Burns and Colin Curran gave the Munster men a 4-1 win in the opener.
Maybe the disappointment of losing that first game loosened Wexford up going into day two. It turned out to be a memorable Tuesday for the Wexford boys as they claimed two big wins and, despite being number two seeds, nabbed a surprising semi-final spot.
Goals from Eoin Whelan and Seán Fitzpatrick got Wexford off to a super start in the first-half against neighbours Wicklow. Shamrock Rovers player Fitzpatrick completed his hat-trick with two second-half goals as his side got their tournament going.
Wexford still needed help heading into the third game in the group stages. Clare’s draw with Limerick Desmond in their second game opened the door ajar, but Kelly’s side still needed Wicklow to take something from the Banner boys.
At the same time Wexford had a seemingly daunting tie with Limerick Desmond on the adjoining pitch.
Seán Fitzpatrick, on his way to the ‘tournament player of the day’ award, and Eoin Whelan put the Slaneysiders 2-0 up at the interval.
Whelan netted again in the second-half while Sam Norval got his first goal of the tournament as Wexford won 4-0 for the second game running. Attention was being drawn across to pitch 8 when victory was clearly secure, and there Wicklow were in the process of shocking Clare.
The results left Wexford top of Group 2 with six points from their three games and set up a cup quarter-final against a talented Cavan-Monaghan side.
This game was always likely to be decided by one moment, and it came when Christian Hennessy found the net after a set-piece.
Wexford threw the kitchen sink at their opponents as the game moved into the second-half. They had multiple chances to get back on level terms but, having scored four times in each of the previous two games, their luck in front of goal dried up.
The defeat knocked Wexford out of the running for the cup proper but they went back down into the battle for fifth-eighth place.
The winner of this mini-tournament would take home the plate, and the purple and gold were drawn against a quality Dundalk side.
Thursday’s game against the Louth boys was tight in the opening half. The sides went in scoreless at the break and the game was well and truly in the balance. However, Eoin Whelan and Sam Norval scored in the second-half to give Wexford a fantastic 2-0 win.
Having lost the talented Darby Purcell to an injury while playing G.A.A. in the weeks leading up to the tournament, Wexford were left even shorter when Whelan picked up a concussion and was forced out of the plate decider against Cork.
The Leesiders narrowly lost their cup quarter-final against eventual champions D.D.S.L., and many observers believed them to be the second-best team in the competition. Wexford went 2-0 down, conceding from two set plays, but they refused to throw in the towel.
Nikodem Czernik pulled one back in the second-half, but goals from Shane Tobin (two) and Harry Nevin meant that Cork won 3-1 and claimed the Kennedy Cup plate for 2018 and left Wexford in an impressive sixth place.
It was truly a memorable week for all concerned, and management were keen to thank all the players and parents for their commitment through the years, and also thank sponsors sportskit.ie who supply all the strips for the Wexford league teams.
Having won the Blackpool Cup earlier in the season and completed so well in the Kennedy Cup, there are plenty of lads involved in this side with the potential to move into League of Ireland football in the coming seasons.
Wexford squad: Lee Kelly, Eoin Blanchfield, Conor Kelly, Ewan Russell, Cian Hughes, Alan Connor, Michael McGonigle, Eoghan Ó Lionáin, Nikodem Czernik, Eoin Whelan, Darby Purcell, Jake Molloy, Seán Fitzpatrick, Morgan Ellis, Luke Roche (capt.), Alex Kirby, Tadhg Deegan, Evan Cullen, Brandon Flynn, Sam Norval.